Oklahoma Magazine December 2019 by Oklahoma Magazine

DECEMBER 2019

Getting Across the State

How Oklahomans celebrate the holidays

Special Report

2019 Great ‘All the World’s A STAGE’ An interview with director Brian Presley

Companies to Work For

185 21

companies

industries

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OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA

Forbes names Saint Francis Health System one of America’s Best-in-State employers. In a nationwide market-research study conducted by Forbes, Saint Francis Health System was named one of Oklahoma’s best employers. We are the only Tulsa-based private employer to receive this honor. Being named a best-in-state employer starts by employing those who are the best at what they do. Delivering the best care starts with the best people, and we firmly believe that we have the best healthcare team in the state. We are grateful to every employee for their efforts in providing awardwinning care, and for supporting the mission of Saint Francis Health System: To extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ in all we do.

Features DECEMBER

2019 Oklahoma Magazine Vol. XXIII, No. 12

53 Great Companies to Work For

What makes a company appealing to potential employees depends on who you ask. Some common answers, however, remain consistent across the board: ﬂexible hours; substantial vacation days; quality insurance beneﬁts; retirement packages; a strong pool of coworkers and management. Other draws are the intangible perks: a collaborative work environment; a sense of feeling appreciated; room for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; upward mobility. A great company combines them all to create a situation where employees look forward to coming to work. The 185 companies in this list range in industry from architecture and accounting to manufacturing, health care and transportation. Each business appreciates its employees and helps to elevate them to their full potentials.

Ge ing Festive Across the State

The holiday season is magical in Oklahoma because local businesses, arts companies, places of worship and community foundations put in the work to make it so. Here are ideas on what to see, where to go and how to lend a helping hand.

WANT SOME MORE? DECEMBER 2019

DECEMBER 2019

Read expanded articles and stories that don’t appear in the print edition.

86 ‘All the World’s A Stage’

Across the State

How Oklahomans celebrate the holidays

Special Report

2019 Great ‘All the World’s A STAGE’ An interview with director Brian Presley

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

ON THE COVER:

Getting

Brian Presley has taken lessons from his days as a Jenks football star to the big screen with his company, P12 Films.

Visit us online. MORE ARTICLES

Companies to Work For

185 21

companies

industries

SPRINKLES OF THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH’S ISSUE, AND ON THE COVER! THE WREATH, FLOWERS AND BAUBLES WERE DESIGNED AND ASSEMBLED BY TONI’S FLOWERS AND GIFTS IN TULSA. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

MORE PHOTOS

View expanded Scene, Style, Taste and Entertainment galleries.

MORE EVENTS

The online calendar includes more Oklahoma events.

C A P T U R E , S H A R E # U T I C A S Q UA R E | U T I C A S Q UA R E . C O M

MERRY & BRIGHT

Tulsans know the most relaxing place to fi nd unique gifts is Utica Square. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become a holiday tradition not to be missed, with 700,000 gleaming lights, delicious cocoa, and charming storefront windows at every turn. Extended holiday hours give you plenty of time to shop and stroll. So, grab your loved ones, your shopping list, and make it a day to remember.

Depa partments

ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA

11 State 16 18 22 24 26 28 30 32

Many Oklahomans are at their busiest during the festive season. While it looks effortless, the workload is massive.

Sports Authors Business Infrastructure Art History Recreation Insider

35 Life and Style 36 40 42 44 46 48 50

Destinations Health FYI Outside the Metro Style Make an entrance at this

year’s holiday parties with glitz, glamour and pizazz.

Scene

91 Taste 94 95

Interiors Lance Cheney of Richard Neel Interiors calls a recent high-end project ‘the coolest bachelor pad ever.’

A one-man kitchen fuels a Mediterranean restaurant that provides southeast Tulsa with a holein-the-wall gem.

Chef Chat Tasty Tidbits

97 Where and When Kristin Chenoweth and Sandi Patty converge at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center for a holiday performance.

98 In Tulsa/In OKC 102 Film and Cinema

104 Closing Thoughts

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Oklahoma’s Premier Commercial Bank You might know us as Bank of Oklahoma or perhaps BOK Financial. Either way, we’re the premier commercial bank in Oklahoma and ready to serve you. Bank of Oklahoma, is part of BOK Financial, a top 25 U.S. Based Bank1, and we welcome you to experience the Bank of Oklahoma difference firsthand.

WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO LEND WITH A FULL SUITE OF PRODUCTS You might be familiar with our everyday banking capabilities, but you can count on Bank of Oklahoma for your business needs as well. We deliver financial services like business loans, treasury services, investment management and wealth management and serve a wide variety of industries.

100 YEARS OF FINANCIAL SERVICES We trace our roots back to 1910 when Harry Sinclair and other noted oilmen founded Exchange National Bank of Tulsa during the oil boom. With more than a century of experience, we’re still helping businesses find the solutions they need to reach their goals and grow their businesses.

WE VALUE THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE Community is important to us and we continually give back to the communities we serve through grants, nonprofit partnerships, volunteerism, financial literacy tutoring and more. BOK Financial received an “Outstanding” Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating in 2017 – the highest rating possible and only achieved by 8% of banks rated during that year.

WE BRING THE A TEAM BOK Financial earned top grades in the most recent Phoenix-Hecht Survey2, including A+ for customer service.

Are You Ready To Experience The Bank of Oklahoma Difference?

918.588.6301 | www.bankofoklahoma.com © 2019 Services provided by Bank of Oklahoma, a division of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender Lender . BOKF, NA is the banking subsidiary of BOK Financial Corporation. 1 BOKF, NA, is among the top 25 nationally chartered U.S.-based commercial banks based on assets as of Dec. 31, 2018, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. 2Results are from the 2017 Phoenix-Hecht Cash Management Monitor Survey, which monitors both public and private U.S. corporations with sales of $40 million and greater. It ranks corporations in three performance categories: product performance, bank perception and relationship management. BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF) offers additional investment services and products through its subsidiary, BOK Financial Securities, Inc., a broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, and an SEC registered investment adviser,. NOT FDIC INSURED | NO BANK GUARANTEE | MAY LOSE VALUE

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What makes a job appealing? Although there isn’t one catch-all answer, notable perks include strong management, substantial paid time off, a positive work environment and a sense of appreciation for employees. In our annual Great Companies to Work For special report, we highlight nearly 200 Oklahoma businesses who put the needs of employees first and reap the rewards of high retention rates and quality work from happy staffers. Make sure to check out the opening interview with Darton Zink, CEO of Broken Arrow-based Zeeco, starting on page 53. You can find sprinkles of the holiday spirit across the publication this month. First, read our story on local businesses – and one of Santa’s special helpers – who hunker down during the season to make sure you and yours can relax (page 11). We highlight a selection of local Christmas ornaments on our Life and Style cover (page 35). And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve dedicated an entire feature to the ways Oklahoma arts companies, places of worship, nonprofits and other businesses keep the spirit alive in their own special ways (page 80). The rest of the magazine offers two profiles with Oklahoma success stories – author P.C. Cast (page 18) and footballer-turned-director Brian Presley (page 86); and our update on the upcoming Vast Bank building in downtown Tulsa (page 22). For the the foodies, don’t miss our interview with Alfred Lazar, the owner of a hole-in-the-wall Tulsa restaurant that may become your new favorite spot (page 91). Whatever you celebrate this month, I hope the season is merry and bright. Mary Willa Allen Managing Editor

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OK What’s HOT at

OKMAG.COM COMING IN DECEMBER

Oklahoma Magazine sits down with Luther Potts, who has played Santa at Utica Square’s Santa House for 39 years. In his last season in the position, Potts discusses how he came to work at the Santa House and what he loves most about this magical job.

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Thank you for naming us a Great Company to Work For. Celebrating our 70th anniversary as an industry pioneer, we’re still working hard to not only play a key role in transforming America’s infrastructure through ingenuity and innovation, but in creating meaningful livelihoods for all those who have Orange running through their veins.

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Sta ate

ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA

Ge ing Down to Business

Many Oklahomans are at their busiest during the festive season. While it looks effortless, the workload is massive.

LUTHER POTTS IS IN HIS 39TH AND FINAL YEAR PLAYING SANTA CLAUS AT UTICA SQUARE. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

reathtaking holiday lighting, visits with Santa and family togetherness in carriages pulled by gentle Belgian horses are among the holiday experiences offered across the state every year, and business owners and hardworking Oklahomans who love the season put in the work to make it happen. At Tulsa’s Utica Square shopping center, Luther Potts, 79, is in his ﬁnal season as one of the helpers Santa Claus dispatches across the globe to collect Christmas wishes from children. He joined the bearded legions 39 years ago. He and his wife, Mary, run the Santa House at Utica Square, and Potts is one of four men the young hopefuls entrust with their toy orders every day starting Thanksgiving weekend. All are required to grow their own whiskers. “It’s very rewarding,” Potts says. “I enjoy it, especially with FOR A BONUS the young kids who still VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH LUTHER POTTS, believe.” VISIT OKMAG.COM/ Every child who visits the DOWNTOBUSINESS Santa House gets a homeDECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

The State

EVENTURES, AN EVENT PLANNING COMPANY IN OKLAHOMA CITY, STARTS PREPPING FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES IN JANUARY. PRESIDENT WHITNEY TATUM SAYS THE TEAM ORCHESTRATES EACH ASPECT OF THE EVENING SO HOSTS DON’T STRESS. PHOTOS COURTESY EVENTURES

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

made cookie, and that includes nearby neighborhood kids who show up every night of the holiday season. “We give out 8,000 to 10,000 cookies every year,” Mary Potts says. Families can buy color photos of their Santa House visits for $10 each, and Santa House hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Whitney Tatum, president of Oklahoma City-based Eventures, calls the holiday season “an adrenaline situation.” The event-planning company orchestrates about 25 parties in December, mostly for corporate clients hoping to give their employees something special, says Tatum, who has worked nine years for Eventures. She says the company starts preparing for the holidays each January. The firm, created in 1994 by Mary Ellen Alexander, is booked for Christmas by October. “We try to do most of the preplanning in the first half of the year,” Tatum says. “The rest of the year we are implementing those plans.” Eventures provides food, decorations, programs and general staffing for these events. Depending on the client’s budget, entertainment can be anything from a jazz trio to a nationally known entertainer. The company scripts the entire evening to make sure the program goes off without a hitch. “Our goal is to make it a seamless process for the client, so they can just show up and enjoy the party,” says Tatum, who travels the country looking for inspiration. “We try to not do the same thing twice.” In Tulsa, Gil Gilley, owner of Gilley Electric, describes himself as a big fan of Christmas … and of doing electrical work the best and safest way possible. When his workers anchor strings of lights to housetops and treetops, they use bucket trucks and safety harnesses. “I’m licensed by the city of Tulsa

and the state of Oklahoma,” he says. “I have workers’ comp and general liability [coverage]. So if anything should happen to your home, your insurance may not cover it, but mine will.” Gilley, who assigns a dozen of his 40 employees every year to holiday lighting duties, says some senior citizens light up their houses primarily to delight their grandchildren. Some customers have even invited the Gilley Electric crew “for hot chocolate and a lights-on party out in the front yard. So many of our clients are more like family,” he says. Bright Star Carriages is one of six horse-drawn carriage operators adding to the holiday ambiance on Mickey Mantle Drive in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown. Owner Marylou Gwozdek says people like the romanticism of a carriage ride. “Stress at the holidays is the highest,” she says. “They find out that the simpler things in life make the best gifts.” Some people reserve carriage rides as Christmas gifts to loved ones. Others plan marriage proposals around them. Gwozdek named her business for the biblical bright star in the east and, if customers ask, she tells them, but she’s not overt about her faith. “Everybody has their own belief systems, and we have to live and let live,” she says. The two carriages are driven by Gwozdek and her husband, John. They typically offer reserved rides until 9 p.m., then open up their conveyances to visitors on a firstcome, first-served basis until about midnight. One carriage holds eight riders and the other seats four. Go to brightstarcarriages.biz or call 405317-8722 for rates. Gwozdek learned about the horse industry from the ground up after switching careers. “At 32, I wanted a change,” she says. “I had stressful jobs in my young life and I traveled a lot. So I got into riding horses. I did a lot of education of self before I got into this carriage business because it’s a totally different thing than riding. You have to have a lot of trust in the horses and they have to have a lot of trust in you.” Bright Star is a year-round business, and the horses work extra hours in Bricktown through New Year’s Day. KIMBERLY BURK

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Oklahoma Tribes Deliver

STATEWIDE GROWTH ALL OVER OKLAHOMA, TRIBAL INVESTMENTS ARE CREATING JOBS, IMPROVING LIVES AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES.

Oklahoma City “Here in Oklahoma City, we’ve grown to depend on the philanthropic generosity of the tribal nations.

And time and again, they have answered that call.” DAVID HOLT Mayor

Anadarko “It makes a huge difference working with tribal governments because we’re talking millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. We’re not talking about $10,000 that helped us do one small project in one neighborhood, we’re talking about community-wide infrastructure improvements.” KYLE EASTWOOD Mayor

Ada “I think what people don’t realize is that the tribes invest. If you don’t live in rural Oklahoma, you don’t really understand. They invest in roads. They invest in our schools. They invest in health care. They invest in water planning. They invest in philanthropic endeavors.” SUSAN PADDACK Executive Director, The Oka' Institute

UnitedForOklahoma.com

Wyandotte Canton “50 jobs isn’t that many jobs in a big metro area, but in our community when you have 600 people, it’s very signiﬁcant. It’s a boost that you

“They provide legitimate jobs for a ton of people. The casino I work at has 700 employees.” BRAD ABELL

can’t replace.”

TROY EVERETT Vice President, Canton Chamber of Commerce

Pryor “We’re able to attract a better teaching force than we would be able to without some of those resources. So it’s all interwoven, and people don’t understand how big of a component that the tribe plays in our successes.” DON RALEIGH Superintendent, Pryor Public Schools

Tulsa

Durant “I’ve had many acquaintances that have grown up in Durant, moved away to go to college, never had the intention of moving back, and have. They are ﬁnding these fulﬁlling jobs that they didn’t think would be in Durant, and a lot of those jobs have been provided by the tribe.”

“I see the tribes investing in Oklahoma, in health care, in roads, in education, in mental health, in every way to build a better place for all our children to live.” ALISON ANTHONY President and CEO, Tulsa Area United Way

STEPHANIE GARNER Director, Durant Main Street

Committed to mutual respect, shared strength and productive partnerships that benefit every Oklahoman.

The State

SPORTS

A Natural Progression

‘His potential is great,’ SMU’s basketball coach says of Tulsan Ethan Chargois, a leader on the Mustangs basketball team.

than Chargois admits that his first two seasons playing basketball at Southern Methodist University flew by. Taking those experiences and learning opportunities to heart, he has become a leader for the Mustangs. As a freshman, the Tulsa Union product averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds; last season, as a starter in 31 of 32 games, he averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. As a junior on a team without any seniors, the affable Chargois has undergone a paradigm shift. “Yeah, it came real quick,” the Mustang forward says. “With all the new guys here … they’re trying to mix in, learn about the culture and what we’ve got going. They’ve made it easy on me, but at the same time, I’ve just got to keep going all season and pushing guys to be their best.” In past seasons at SMU, Chargois shared the floor with fellow Tulsa County players Elijah Landrum, who also played at Union, and Owasso’s Malik “Shake” Milton, now in the NBA. He considers himself equally blessed to have Tyson Jolly, a transfer who grew up in Oklahoma City, as a Mustang teammate. Chargois believes having Oklahomans around is a daily reminder of his pride in the Sooner State. “Whenever somebody asks me where I’m from, I’m always proud to say Tulsa,” he says. “They might give me a look or a stare, but I don’t really care. Most of my family’s there. I’ve got so many friends there and definitely I want to give back to that community if I’m blessed enough to make it to the next level.” SMU coach Tim Jankovich, an assistant at Oklahoma State University from 1992 to 1993 under Eddie Sutton, replaced Hall of Famer Larry Brown on the Mustang bench in 2016. He says he likes what he’s seen from Chargois and expects more this season. “He’s had a very good two years, but I think there’s another step for him,” Jankovich says. “He’s very talented. He’s working harder than he’s ever worked. He’s getting better and better in a lot of ways. He’s more consistent. I think his potential is great. I’ve told him that for a long time. I’m excited for what’s to come the next two years with him.” One game Chargois has circled on his calendar is the Feb. 22 visit to the Reynolds Center to play the University of Tulsa – only his second trip to his hometown with SMU. “I didn’t get to go there last year. Tulsa just came [to Dallas] last year,” he says. “My freshman year, I’ll never forget that game. I was so excited to go back home. My whole family [was there]. I was expecting to put up 30 points, this and that. Then, I ended up with like two points and we lost the game. I definitely don’t want that this year.” STEPHEN HUNT

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

FORWARD ETHAN CHARGOIS PLAYS FOR SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY.

PHOTO COURTESY SMU ATHLETICS

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The State

AUTHORS

Young-Adult Deja Vu in Tulsa

P.C. Cast, once a Broken Arrow teacher, has found success with her House of Night novels, which are being adapted for TV.

MOTHER-DAUGHTER AUTHORS P.C. CAST AND KRISTIN CAST ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON A NEW TRILOGY OF NOVELS. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

ee if this sounds familiar: An author from Tulsa, going by her initials and last name, pens a wildly popular series of youngadult novels set in Oklahoma. The books draw attention from Hollywood and, eventually, filmmakers arrive in her hometown to make movies based on what she’s written. That’s exactly what happened in the early 1980s with S.E. Hinton, who effectively created the young-adult genre with 1967’s The Outsiders. Before it was over, she’d seen an adaptation of that novel and two others – Tex and Rumble Fish – shot in the early ’80s in the very locales that provided the settings for her books. Now, nearly 40 years later, the chances are good it could happen again. Plans are well underway to adapt the bestselling House of Night series by P.C. Cast, a former English teacher at South Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow, into a liveaction television series. Its producers, Don Carmody and David Cormican, are industry veterans with many credits. Most recently, they were behind the Netflix series Northern Rescue and the Disney Freeform series ShadowHunters. The House of Night novels, phenomenally popular worldwide, chronicle the lives and adventures of young would-be vampires who attend the titular school, a kind of finishing academy that prepares students for the challenges of adult-vampire life. These are fantasies, but to those who know Tulsa, many of the books’

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The State

scenes impart a real-world aura. “As anyone who follows the series knows, I use real places,” says Cast, who resides in the Paciﬁc Northwest. “They exist. There is a Philbrook [Museum of Art] in the books. There’s a Tulsa depot. There’s a Gilcrease Museum. There’s a Mayo [Hotel] and an Ambassador [Hotel]. There are tunnels under Tulsa. And, of course, Cascia Hall is the setting for the House of Night. “Tulsa is not just where things happen. It’s why things happen.” Cast says it’s important for the series to be shot in Tulsa, even though DCTV, the headquarters of producers Carmody and Cormican, is in

“When I started writing it [in the

middle of last decade], I was still teaching at South. I’d taught for 15 years, and I didn’t think I’d have any trouble with the teenage voice. But what I found when

I started writing it was that my characters, my teenage characters, were talking with ’70s slang.”

Toronto, 1,200 miles away. “From the very beginning, I have been very consistent in saying I would like as much ﬁlming as possible done in Tulsa,” she says.” I have explained to them that Tulsa isn’t just a setting. It’s a character in the series, irrevocably intertwined. It’s part of the package.” Cast recently brought the two producers to Tulsa, where they joined her for a book-launching event. She also showed them around town and made her case for shooting in the actual settings described in House of Night. Their willingness to travel here at Cast’s request speaks to the mutual trust and respect between the producers and the author of their source material. “From the ﬁrst time we met with them, they listened to us,” Cast says. “We’ve actually been in contact with them for months and months, since early in the year, and every single thing they said they were going to do, they’ve done. “They’re wonderful. And all I can

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

say right now is that it’s progressing very, very nicely. They are living up to their word, they are completely respecting the [House of Night] world, and they’re involving us every single step of the way.” The “us” and “we” are Cast and her daughter, Kristin, who shares credit on the House of Night novels. Kristin has become a bestselling author in her own right; recently, she and her mother announced that they’re jointly writing a new trilogy called Salem County, described by P.C. as “a fun, witchy series set in the Midwest.” On the House of Night series, however, the collaboration is a bit more nuanced. “Kristin is my editor on House of Night, and she has been from the very beginning,” Cast says. “When I started writing it [in the middle of last decade], I was still teaching at South. I’d taught for 15 years, and I didn’t think I’d have any trouble with the teenage voice. But what I found when I started writing it was that my characters, my teenage characters, were talking with ’70s slang. And it terrified me.” She laughs. “I was living in a little condo by the B.A. Medical Center, right down the street from South,” she says. “My office was in my bedroom. Kristin would be sitting out in the living room watching MTV, and I would literally shriek at her, ‘What do you call this?’ I remember two words in particular. I was trying to find a current word for drunk, and, another, time, the word for revving an engine. I found out that you used to rev it. Now you gun it.” After several more questions along the same line, she remembers, Cast came out of her office and said to her daughter, “How would you like to co-author these books with Mama – meaning, just make sure I use the right words? “She said, ‘Would it be like Kristin Cast and P.C. Cast on the cover of the book?’ “I said, ‘No, it will be P.C. Cast, plus Kristin Cast.’ “She said, ‘Will I be famous?’ “And I said, ‘Sure.’ “She laughs about that now, but at 18 or 19, she really believed. I mean, I was shocked when these books took

off. She was not.” Although they found an audience from the beginning, it wasn’t until the release of the third novel, Chosen, that the House of Night series hit the stratosphere. And while that may have happened more than a decade ago, Cast still recalls with crystalline clarity the moment her life changed. “You know, off 101st, when you’re going from B.A. to Tulsa, around the Union [school] area, where all those really cool paths are?” she says. “Kristin and I had two Scottie dogs then, and we used to walk them along those paths all the time. Chosen had just been released, and the Monday of the next week, my editor called me and said, ‘We’re going back to press already.’ “Then she called me on Tuesday and she was like, ‘You’re trending big time. You’re doing really well on BookScan [a data provider for book sales].’ “I said, ‘Huh. Is there any chance I could hit the New York Times bestseller list?’ “‘I really don’t know,’ she said. ‘We’ll know tomorrow.’ “So we were out walking our Scotties down the path at 101st, and I wasn’t really thinking too much about it. The phone rang, I answered it, and our editor, Jen, screamed – screamed – ‘You are No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list!’ “I couldn’t even talk. I was just making weird sounds. Kristin was looking at me and saying, ‘What? Is it good?’ And I’m nodding my head yes, and hyperventilating, and Jen’s still talking on the other end. Kristin’s saying, ‘What? We’re on the Times’ bestseller list?’ “I put up two fingers, and she said, ‘We’re 20? 22?’” Cast laughs again. “Of course, the Times list is the first 10. But they used to do an extended list with the first 25. And Kristin was going, ‘Twenty? We made the extended list?’ “I shook my head and started to cry. ‘No,’ I said. ‘We’re number two.’ And we lost our minds so much that the dogs started barking and running around. Anyone walking by saw these two crazy women, just screaming and crying and hugging one another and jumping up and down.” JOHN WOOLEY

A CONCEPT BY FABIO VIVIANI & JONATHON STRANGER

SUMMER 2020 110 N. ELGIN AVE. / TULSA, OK

The State BUSINESS

Mixed-Use Mastery

Vast Bank’s new project includes offices, restaurants, a coffee shop, rooftop hangouts, a fitness center and a pet groomer.

THE MULTI-PURPOSE VAST BANK BUILDING NOW OCCUPIES SPACE IN TULSA’S SKYLINE. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

gleaming new building adjacent to ONEOK Field has brought a different type of retail and commercial space to downtown Tulsa. The ofﬁcers of Vast Bank wanted “to do something for the city and, at the same time, get ourselves a new headquarters,” says Doug DeJarnette, a senior vice president and the director of commercial and private banking with Vast. The six-story, 100,000-square-foot building, straddling the Arts and Greenwood districts, will house restaurants, ofﬁces and Vast’s corporate seat and newest branch. One of the building’s designers describes its style as “rustic modern.”

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

“They really wanted the project and the building to be progressive, but appropriate and respectful to the historical context of downtown Tulsa,” says Kate Cofer, part of the KKT architectural team carrying out the vision of the Biolchini family, which owns the bank. “I’m excited for our family, I’m excited for our bank, and I’m also excited for Tulsa,” says Tom Biolchini, chairman of the board. “We decided to build right next to the baseball stadium because we wanted a highly visible location that says we are not going anywhere. It’s a bank that’s owned by Tulsans.” Biolchini says his family also chose the Elgin Avenue location, once a longvacant lot, because Tulsa was “doing a lot of great things in the Arts District

and the Greenwood District. We see this as a big deal … to propel our downtown.” Founded in 1982, the bank was known until this year as Valley National Bank, which has several locations in Northeastern Oklahoma. “A few years ago, we set out on a journey to find a new name – modern and progressive – and arrived at Vast,” says DeJarnette, adding that its new building will open in phases. BKD, a regional accounting firm, was scheduled for a November move-in. The bank is to follow this month, along with family office DeKraai and Associates and Casillas Petroleum, which will occupy two floors in January. Many Tulsans and visitors will find the bottom and top floors appealing. On the ground floor, Brian Sachse brings his Hummingbird Coffee + Beer. Chicago chef Fabio Viviani, with local partner Jonathon Stranger, will open the second branch of the Oklahoma City-based Italian restaurant Osteria. The French Hen, celebrating its 40th anniversary, moves from its longtime south Tulsa location. In addition, Orth Contemporary offers rotating art exhibits, along with a perma-

nent exhibit that pays homage to the Greenwood District and Black Wall Street. “We acknowledge the race massacres in our building,” Biolchini says. “Tulsa will be a better place when we heal our city and become more diverse.” Meanwhile, the bank’s lobby “is very classy,” Cofer says. “It is white with rustic wood. We wanted the lobby to feel open, a place where people can hang out with their clients. “The building design reminds me of Portland [Oregon] and of Chicago, but it still looks like it fits perfectly into Tulsa. It is urban but timeless and fits into the bank’s mission and motto.” On the sixth floor, fresh sushi will be made and served at Vū, a new In the Raw restaurant. (Visitors can also grab sushi to go at street level at In the Raw GoGo.) The Rendezvous Room will be a rooftop event space and terrace with a view of OneOK Field. A celebratory grand opening is planned for April 9, the first day of Tulsa Drillers baseball. A half-block to the south is the project’s parking garage with 390 public spaces. Cofer, who grew up in Tulsa but worked awhile in Chicago, says it’s typical for Windy City parking garages to have ground-level retail sites. Fittingly, the garage will house the F45 fitness center and the Skyline Animal Hospital, where “downtown dwellers and workers can drop their best friend off for a groom or services while they

are at the office,” DeJarnette says. The project is a collaboration of lifelong friends, says DeJarnette, who has known Biolchini since they were kindergarten classmates. “We reached out to clients, to people we do business with, to have a new option for restaurants and mixed-use in downtown Tulsa,” DeJarnette says. “We wanted something to attract new college graduates. We will have live music during the First Friday art crawls.” Biolchini says he joined the family banking business in 2008 after practicing law for several years. “Tulsa was the primary driving factor for me coming back,” he says. “My dream was always to … work in Tulsa in some form or fashion.” Cofer says the $40 million project, launched in late 2016, has “been really exciting to work on – that caliber of a project here in Tulsa, to see it influence the skyline and influence other projects in downtown Tulsa.” The Ross Group was the contractor for the core and shell of the building, while High Gate was the contractor for the Vast Bank floor. Other tenants had their own architects and contractors for different interior spaces. “Everybody we have talked to is really excited about it,” Biolchini says. “I have had random people coming up and asking me when it’s going to open.” KIMBERLY BURK

LEFT: OKLAHOMA CITY-BASED ITALIAN RESTAURANT OSTERIA WILL OPEN ITS SECOND LOCATION IN THE BUILDING. RENDERING COURTESY ALLFORD HALL MONAGHAN MORRIS

DIRECTLY ABOVE: IN THE RAW’S NEW CONCEPT, VŪ, WILL BE ON THE SIXTH FLOOR. RENDERING COURTESY JAMES BOSWELL, ARCHITECT

ABOVE: CASILLAS PETROLEUM WILL OCCUPY TWO FLOORS IN JANUARY.

RENDERING COURTESY KRISTIN DITTMAR DESIGN

FROM L-R: DOUG DEJARNETTE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STAN PINKHAM, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AND TOM BIOLCHINI, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, ARE EXCITED TO SEE VAST BANK’S NEW BUILDING COME TO FRUITION. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

DECEMBER 2019| WWW.OKMAG.COM

The State INFRASTRUCTURE

Scissortail Meets Skydance

OKC’s newest park, opening in two phases, connects to a signature bridge and transforms downtown’s southwest side.

SCISSORTAIL PARK’S GRAND OPENING WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER BROUGHT OVER 30,000 PEOPLE TO THE LANDMARK. PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF OKC/SCISSORTAIL PARK

weeping gracefully away from Oklahoma City Boulevard, the ﬁrst phase of Scissortail Park marks a historical turning point for downtown’s southwest side. Scissortail’s 40-acre Upper Park, opened Sept. 27, adjoins the Skydance Bridge over Interstate 40 and connects to the 30-acre Lower Park, which, upon completion, will give OKC its largest park. The Upper Park offers a covered stage, a grand lawn, a 3.5-acre lake, a boathouse, covered event pavilions, picnic spaces, a playground and a tree-lined promenade. “It’s something for everyone,” says Maureen Heffernan, the park’s executive director. “There’s huge interest in it, combined with the Myriad Botanical Gardens. We planted almost 1,000 trees in the Upper Park and tens of thousands of ﬂowers and shrubs and lots of native grasses. It’s a wonderful green space.” The Upper Park’s unveiling “had over $1.5 million in sponsorships,” Heffernan says. “Everyone was so

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

positive. We had a whole mix of people and backgrounds and walks of life. The park was intended for that – to bring everyone together. The main vision of the park was to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City.” The three-day party kicked off with the Grammy Award-winning rock band Kings of Leon, which drew more than 30,000 people. “We had thousands of people each day after that,” Heffernan says. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt says the park “is the kind of amenity we used to think only other cities had. Scissortail Park lays a foundation for a downtown we probably won’t recognize 25 years from now. “We built a concert venue in the park unlike anything we’ve ever had, and we wanted to kick the tires on day one. A lot of us rallied over the past year to put this Kings of Leon concert together, and though it was highly anticipated, it exceeded all expectations. It was the largest crowd to ever see a concert in Oklahoma City. It was a magical night and one of the most memorable evenings in

Oklahoma City history.” Scissortail’s hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; the Children’s Playground is open daily from dawn to dusk. A café should open in the spring. Heffernan says the park will offer paddle boats, an outdoor roller rink, holiday events and other programs. “Across from the park, a huge convention center opens in late 2020,” Heffernan says. “The park will be a selling point to bring more people to the convention center. A large hotel is being built nearby, [along with] new housing. Retail is already opening and developers will likely be opening more.” The Lower Park, set to open in 2021, “will have soccer ﬁelds, basketball, pickleball and futsal,” says Heffernan, adding that this section will be “a little more natural, not as many buildings, more of a woodland feeling.” It will have an outdoor performance venue near the Oklahoma River, along with concessions and walking trails. CAROL MOWDY BOND

Grand Opening

The new Vast Bank Building, downtown Tulsa in Q2 2020 Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to be locally owned and based right here in Tulsa. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait for our new home in the historic Greenwood district by ONEOK Field.

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The State

ART

The Power of Creation

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship enhance the state’s culture with their awards.

GINNA DOWLING’S 2017 INHERENT LANGUAGE OF LIFE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION PROJECT INCLUDES HAND TORN PAPER, STRAIGHT PINS, SHARPIE, LOCAL COLLATERAL, WHITE PAINT AND FOAM CORE INSULATION BOARD. ART BY GINNA DOWLING, PHOTO COURTESY OKLAHOMA VISUAL ARTS COALITION

wo organizations, through their fellowships, help Oklahoma artists make their creative dreams come

to fruition. The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship assist Oklahomans in realizing their potentials by providing funds, free housing, free studio space, education and exposure to audiences. Each year, the visual arts alliance gives two awards of $5,000 to individual artists, while the artist fellowships provides a one-year, unrestricted $20,000 award, free housing for one year in Downtown Tulsa’s Arts and Greenwood districts, and free studio space to artists who apply. These awards, chosen from a selective application process, reward qualiﬁed artists with outstanding visions. “Earning this fellowship is great encouragement for me to continue on with my artistic pursuits,” says Tulsan Taylor Painter-Wolfe, a 2019 visual arts coalition fellow. “The validation that comes from being chosen for such an award feels amazing … and ﬁnancially it allows me to have more time to continue creating and more money to purchase materials.” Public recognition and garnering viewers come with the awards, leading to additional opportunities. “We work with a guest curator to make the selections because it allows the selection process to remain unbiased, but also because it puts the artwork of all of the applicants in front of a well-known curator,” says Krystle Brewer, the coalition’s execu-

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

tive director. Ginna Dowling, a 2018 coalition fellow, says the honor has allowed her to work with children. She credits the fellowship as a stepping stone that gave her conﬁdence to pursue a community-based project at the Children’s Hospital at OU Medicine in Oklahoma City. “It’s an interactive and collaborative installation project called The Language of Hope and Courage, which empowers critically ill children as they experience the power of creative expression as part of the healing process,” Dowling says. “In a yearlong residency at the children’s hospital, I am working with … children, their families and the medical teams … to create symbolic identities and creative representations that will be merged into a life-sized visual arts story installation about the … indomitable inherent spirit of these children battling illness and disease.” The Tulsa Artist Fellowship, estab-

lished in 2015 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, had an inaugural group of 12 and “recruits artists nationwide to live in Tulsa during their fellowship year,” says program assistant Cheyenne Smith, adding that goals include retaining artists in Tulsa and building its arts community. The program seeks a variety of contemporary disciplines, including curators, publishers and collaborators. “Awardees will join second-year Tulsa artist fellows and arts integration grantees, which is currently at a critical mass of 60,” Smith says. “The concentration of arts practitioners allows the sharing of and accessibility to innovative ideas, and opens up opportunities for education, spurring social awareness and change.” The artist fellowship opens applications once each year; they are reviewed by an exclusive panel. Go to tulsaartistfellowship.org for details. SHARON MCBRIDE

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The State HISTORY

Social Advocacy … at a Price

Kate Barnard helped shape Oklahoma’s early politics, but her support of Native children’s rights brought out the long knives.

KATE BARNARD WAS THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO A MAJOR STATEWIDE OFFICE IN OKLAHOMA.

2765. FREDERICK S. BARDE COLLECTION. - PHOTOGRAPHS. - BOX 1. PERSONS - MISS KATE BARNARD IN 1912 PHOTO BY MOFFELT, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1890-1916. PHOTO COURTESY OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

ate Barnard was a woman in politics long before it became a norm and had inﬂuence on Oklahoma’s early history … before she could even legally vote in 1920. Barnard took up the causes of children and poor and incarcerated people, and she ultimately paid a high price when her convictions ran perpendicular with popular sentiments. She knew what needed to be done and she set out to do it.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Barnard was elected twice as Oklahoma’s ﬁrst commissioner of charities and corrections, a position she lobbied for at the constitutional convention in 1906 as Oklahoma headed toward statehood. Her activism for the underserved didn’t stop with political service. Having taught early in her life, she was a proponent for education. “She promoted compulsory education around the country, with many states adopting it before Oklahoma joined the union, directly from her inﬂuence and activism,” says Erin

Brown, curator of collections at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum in Guthrie. “She was an advocate nationally and internationally for justice and prison reform. She advocated for a rehabilitation-type system instead of a strictly punitive one.” Catherine Ann Barnard, Nebraskaborn in 1875, experienced loss and loneliness as a child. This seemed to affect her outlook for the rest of her life. Her mother died when she was young and her father left her to be raised by family and neighbors. Barnard was reunited with her father, who lived in Oklahoma City. She taught in one-room schoolhouses in Oklahoma Territory and, after tiring of that, held a “succession of clerical patronage positions in territorial government,” according to The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. This began her career in politics. Barnard’s story has been buried for a long time because of a stance she took during her second term. As with the first time she ran for office, she was re-elected by a wide margin, but she took a stand for Native American children’s property rights. This unpopular opinion put her in opposition to some wealthy and influential people, such as William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, a prominent politician eventually elected governor in 1930. “The establishment resorted to ridicule and constant belittling of her in the media and in speeches and pressured her supporters to be less accommodating,” Brown says. “Eventually, her political capital was whittled away, and with it her popularity. The leaders of the political parties continued on without her and her influence – happy to allow her to sink into obscurity.” In recent years, Barnard’s legacy has emerged. Brown says Barnard is memorialized with a statute at the state Capitol and recognized in the Pioneer Woman Museum in Ponca City, and an Department of Corrections facility is named for her. Barnard has reappeared in school curricula. Her influence is felt in state government today. “Kate never stopped working for others,” Brown says. “Her motto was ‘Let faith, hope, and charity be the theme for your whole life.’ That is exactly what she did.” BONNIE RUCKER

The State R E C R E AT I O N

A Bicycle Built For …

… those who want some electric pedal assistance as they make their ways up hills or along busy streets.

ike traditional twowheelers, electronic bicycles provide riders with transportation and outdoor leisure, along with optional pedal assistance. This feature makes cycling accessible to people discouraged from riding due to physical ﬁtness, age or disability. E-bikes allow riders to adjust the amounts of pedal assistance – from little or none on ﬂat terrain to high on busy streets or hills. Tom Brown, owner of Tom’s Bicycles in Tulsa, says “e-bikes turn hills into nothing. A lot of people think that maybe you’re cheating, that it helps you go along. You still have to pedal, but … you’re going to stay out longer and ride further because it doesn’t seem like so much work. “We’ve had some really good success stories with people who bought electric bikes to get over that exercise hump. One guy lost 80 pounds.”

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Tony Steward, owner of The Bike Lab in Oklahoma City, says e-bikes can help some riders overcome Oklahoma’s infrastructure, which “is good for recreational cycling, but not for transportation. Laps around lakes, we call it.” According to PeopleForBikes, a national organization based in Colorado, Oklahoma law (like that of many states) designates three categories of electric bicycles. Class I includes bikes with electric pedal assistance up to 20 mph. Class II bikes have the same top pedal-assisted speed and a throttle. Class III e-bikes have pedal assistance up to 28 mph. In Oklahoma, Class I and II e-bikes may be ridden in most places, including multi-use and traditional bicycle paths. Class III e-bikes, with their higher speeds, are limited to roadways and cannot be operated by riders under 16. E-bikes come in a variety of activity-speciﬁc styles, similar to traditional cruiser, mountain, road or hybrid bicycles. Prices start around $2,000. Brown and Steward suggest buying from reputable retailers and local bike shops. They also recommend consider-

ing the length of the e-bike’s battery charge and other options. “E-bike growth has been up 50 percent year over year,” Steward says. “It’s the ‘Wild, Wild West’ in the industry right now. There are a lot of products being put out, but a lot of them are unsupported. You’re looking for the service as well as the bike. Local bike shops and major bike brands are going to be a better value long term.” Two laws that took effect in November should make Oklahoma roads safer for cyclists and motorists. Ken Graham, president of the advocacy group Bike Oklahoma, says one amends a law allowing motorcycles to go through a red light after stopping if sensors don’t detect the motorcycle and the rider deems it safe to go. That law now applies to bicyclists. The other law “helps motorists know when they can legally and safely pass a bicycle rider,” Graham says. “When a motorist is traveling on a two-lane road and they come up behind cyclists and they have a yellow double line … if they deem it safe for them to pass, it’s legal to do that.” KAYLEE CAMPBELL

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The State INSIDER

Standing Through Tragedy Tulsa musician Danny Baker pays tribute to his late wife with songs he wrote for her on his newest record, Love & Blues.

DANNY BAKER DREW ON SONGS HE WROTE YEARS AGO FOR HIS WIFE TO COMPILE HIS NEW ALBUM. PHOTO COURTESY DANNY BAKER

sk most musicians about their latest discs and you’ll more than likely get responses along the lines of, “It’s by far the best thing I’ve ever done” or “Everything really came together for me on this one.” Danny Baker, on the other hand, isn’t at all sure that his new release on Bison Records, Love & Blues, is his best album. Then again, it could well be. The longtime Tulsa bluesman simply can’t say one way or the other – and for a good reason. He began working on it only a few days after the funeral for Natalie, his wife of 15 years. Throughout the process, he says, “I was kind of paralyzed and crippled.” The man responsible for making the recordings happen was David Teegarden, the Grammy-winning

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

drummer and Tulsa Sound figure who owns a studio in the city’s Pearl District. “After the service, David came up to me and said, ‘Why don’t you come down to the studio Tuesday? We’re going to get you in there, get you a project to work on, get something going,’” Baker says. “So the first Tuesday after her funeral, we went down there – David and [bassist] Casey Van Beek and me – and David just turned on the tape and he said, ‘Start playing.’ So I started playing these originals, and we knocked out six or eight songs that first day.” As it turned out, that material ultimately became Love & Blues and consisted mostly of tunes that Baker had composed for his wife. They had never been recorded. In fact, none of them had even been completed. “I had written songs for her throughout our marriage, but I’d

never finished them,” he says. “A couple of ’em I wrote the first year we were married, and when I showed them to her, she said, ‘Oh, I like them, but they sure sound sad.’” He laughs. “So, you know, me being the weirdo I am, I thought, ‘Well, if you think they’re sad, I won’t work on those,’ and I just put ’em on hold,” he says. “And, as time and years went by, I never quite finished the other songs I’d written for her. “But when I went down there [to the studio], they just all came back to me.” He recorded at Teegarden Studios for, he believes, at least four or five months. The subsequent release features Baker with his band of top-drawer Tulsa veterans – Danny Timms on keyboard, Gary Gilmore on bass and Scott Musick on drums – and includes two B.B. King covers, “Everybody Wants to Know Why I Sing the Blues” and “The Thrill Is Gone.” The rest are original Baker compositions. “It’s a labor of love,” he says. “I’m not going to lie. This may not be my best performance or the best album I’ve put out. I was kind of on autopilot; I don’t ever really remember a whole lot of the sessions. I just remember showing up and working. But the album is certainly a tribute to my wife.” Another Baker disc, Mama’s Cookin’, led to Danny and Natalie’s marriage in the first place. As Baker remembers it, a professor at a college in Odessa, Ukraine, had found that CD and wrote to get his permission to use one of the songs for the soundtrack of a movie that her students were making. One of those students was his future wife. Soon, they began corresponding. “I knew nothing about the Ukraine, other than it was a part of Russia. When I got a beautiful photograph and letter from Natalie, it was all in Russian, so I had to go over to Tulsa Community College and get a

Russian professor to translate it,” Baker says with another laugh. “And that’s how it began. She took English lessons, and I took a class at TCC, and after about a year or two of talking, we decided that I’d take a trip over there. I did, and we got engaged.” That all happened around the turn of the century. They were together until her 2017 death. During their marriage, Baker performed with his band and played guitar on a few recording projects, but for one reason or another he never got enough of his own stuff recorded to make up an album. Then, his old friend Pride Hutchison moved back to Tulsa after being a part of the Los Angeles music scene for years. After setting up a recording studio, Hutchison asked Baker if he had any songs. As it turned out, he had a couple of new ones. One, “Whispering on the Wind,” was composed with Tulsa-based songwriter Ron Yates. The other, “Sweet Nicole,” was a Baker original. The former was a country-ﬂavored rock number; the latter Southern-style blues-rock. “Pride said: ‘Hey, man, I like these songs. Let’s do a dual release here, and I’ll pitch it to a couple of movie people I know. If we like the way things are going, we’ll maybe add some songs later and try to put you out a full album. But right now, let’s just do the single,’” Baker says. “So that’s what we did.” In the midst of recording those two songs, Natalie Baker died, so the project languished for a couple of years. Now, along with the Love & Blues album on his own Bison label, Baker has the two songs out on a single out from Explosive Records, Hutchison’s label.

“This may not be my best performance or the best album I’ve put out.… But the album is certainly a tribute to my wife.” For years, Baker has drawn some of the best players around for 23727 Jim Norton Toyota.indd his bands or studio work. For the Explosive Records release, he and Hutchison continue that tradition, with such nationally known names as vocalist Marcy Levy, steel guitarist Jay Dee Maness and organist Lamar “Kronick” Mitchell listed in the credits. “I’ve known Marcy most of my career, and I’ve always been kind of shy around her to be honest,” says Baker, laughing. “She’s a wonderful, wonderful person.” Once again, there’s a connection with Natalie – going back to the 2011 funeral of organist Dick Sims, one of Levy’s close friends. “You know, after she played with [Eric] Clapton, Marcy’s next band was Shakespears Sister,” Baker says. “And at Dickie’s funeral, Natalie said, ‘Look. There’s Shakespears Sister.’ “I said, ‘No, that’s Marcy Levy.’ “‘I know her name, but that’s Shakespears Sister. One of my most favorite songs in the whole world is called “Stay” by Shakespears Sister. It was a huge hit in the Ukraine. Will you introduce me to her?’ “‘Sure,’ I said. ‘She’s my friend.’ And Natalie said, ‘No she’s not.’” He laughs. “So I introduced them. I’d never seen my wife starstruck about anybody, but she thought that was the coolest thing – that she got to meet one of her idols – and it happened to be her husband’s friend. She just couldn’t believe that.” While Baker readily admits that he grieves daily for his wife, he takes some solace that her memory echoes through both of his new recording projects. Pragmatically, he wants the release of the new material to lead to “a few bigger dates” and perhaps a tour for him and his band. “I don’t know if the album’s going to sell well or not,” he says with the blunt wisdom that comes from years of experience in the music business. “I hope it does. But I also hope that it adds to my legacy – that it lets people know I’m still valid, I’m still here and I’m still standing.”

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Life & Style

A M A P TO L I V I N G W E L L

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Merry and Bright

Dress your Christmas tree in stylish ornaments ... and support local businesses, too.

ecorating one’s Christmas tree is perhaps one of the most beloved holiday traditions that brings family and friends together for a festive occasion. Though many an ornament can be purchased from retail behemoths, local businesses also offer a wide variety of accessories for your tree. Richard Neel Interiors and Adorn, both in Tulsa, carry affordable and higherend ornaments, big and small, in a variety of colors and themes. From delicate and classic to colorful and unique, you can find the right ornament by shopping local. Before you fill up your online shopping cart or run to the nearing convenience store chain, consider supporting local businesses first.

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Life & Style INTERIORS

Sleekly Masculine Lance Cheney of Richard Neel Interiors calls a recent high-end project ‘the coolest bachelor pad ever.’ By M.J. Van Deventer Photos by Scott Johnson, Hawks Photography

ance Cheney of Richard Neel Interiors had what he calls “a dream job” – designing an upscale gated condo in Esplanade. The south Tulsa complex features sleek, red-brick, one-story town houses, each accented with great lush greenery and private courtyards that add to the ambiance of these homes. While the town house made a dazzling first impression on Cheney, he also was excited because the homeowner gave him carte blanche to create the interior design and choose the furnishings. It’s seldom a designer has free-range on a project – clients usually have specific checklists of all they want to achieve and often hover over every phase of projects. However, the homeowner in this case trusted Cheney’s instincts and let him take the lead. To start the design process, Cheney visited with his client at his South Shore gated community. Taking note of the furnishings, Cheney got a sense of how his client liked to live. “That condo had been completely redone and it was beautiful,” Cheney says. “I suggested he bring 35 of his favorite things to the new town house and get rid of the surplus.” His client followed Cheney’s advice. He brought a desk, a table, an armoire and treasured family photographs. “It was great,” Cheney says. “After every day’s change in a room, he would call us and say, ‘I love it!’ – a very gratifying response for any designer.” Among the amenities in the town house are an open floor plan with one room blending easily into the next and

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

LEFT: THE SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM FEATURES A LARGE LEATHER SOFA, HEXAGONSHAPED COFFEE TABLE AND CONTEMPORARY ART. A COZY SEATING AREA FLANKS THE FIREPLACE IN THE MAIN LIVING SPACE. WHITE SHELVES BRIGHTEN THE AREA.

DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

Life & Style TOP: THE TAILORED MASTER BEDROOM FEATURES NAVY BLUE AND GREEN ACCENTS. ABOVE RIGHT: THE OPEN CONCEPT KITCHEN IS HIGHLIGHED WITH BLUE AND WHITE CHINESE EXPORTS, ACCORDING TO CHENEY. RIGHT: THE MASTER BATH INCLUDES MARBLE COUNTERTOPS, A TILE FLOOR AND A MODERN RUG.

recessed ceiling lighting. Notable is the specific art lighting accenting the numerous large, modern paintings, adding a dramatic aura to the home. With 2,000 square feet to play with, Cheney started the project in the den, library and study before working in the living room, kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms. The interior pallete is a subtle, masculine color scheme of white, browns and camels. Cheney describes the environment as “amazing, airy with generous spaces and smartly outfitted. It’s a very quiet, masculine space. And the owner is a Tulsa attorney who is very sports-minded and as neat as a pin.” In the library, Cheney kept the design simple. He added a small chest, modern chair and floor lamp. “We kept it sparse but comfortable,” he says. “It is a streamlined, simple style. We wanted to know if we were on the right track. We did it all in one day.” Cheney and his staff were ecstatic when the client called early the next morning to say, “It’s fabulous.” To furnish the living area, Cheney chose a Chesterfield-style sofa and a coffee table of burled wood. Shelves on either side of the fireplace are filled with art and sculpture. Rugs soften the setting. A large flat screen television is perfect for the owner’s sports interests. White linen chairs circle the small dining table. The kitchen’s island is perfect for halftime entertaining. Cheney calls this masculine but sleekly elegant town house “the coolest bachelor pad ever.”

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

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Life & Style

D E S T I N AT I O N S

Edelweiss and Gemütlichkeit

Bavaria’s Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Germany’s leading winter sports wonderland and a popular summer destination.

ABOVE: SKI RUNS ARE SEEN CUTTING DOWN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR GARMISCHPARTENKIRCHEN DURING THE OFFSEASON. PHOTO COURTESY GAPA TOURISM

BELOW: RUNNERS ENJOY SOME OF THE TRAILS IN AND AROUND THE AREA THAT LOCALS CALL GAPA.

PHOTO BY THOMAS MARZUSCH COURTESY GAPA TOURISM

outh of Munich, Germany, and north of Innsbruck, Austria, lies an enchanting ski resort town, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, formed when the two Bavarian communities united to host the 1936 Winter Olympics. Now, the town is Germany’s top winter sports playground and a popular year-round destination. Cobblestone streets, half-timbered homes with intricate cutouts, large wooden balconies and gabled pitched roofs are imbued with a liberal dose of gemütlichkeit, a feeling of warmth and well-being, which surrounds the architecture and radiates from the people. Partenkirchen and Garmisch lie at the foot of the Zugspitze; at 9,718 feet, it is Germany’s highest mountain, accessible by cogwheel train and cable car. Dotted with tiny islands, Lake Eibsee lies just below the Zugspitze, and from its turquoise waters one can almost see edelweiss, the “blossom of snow,” growing in the Alps’ rareﬁed air. With this kind of topography, it’s easy to see that in winter, downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ice skating and sledding abound; in summer months, dry tobogganing, horseback riding, cycling, hiking and swimming (in crystal clear mountain lakes) draw visitors.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

The King’s Castles

The Garmisch-Partenkirchen (what the locals call GaPa) region is steeped in folklore and Bavarian heritage. Nowhere is this more evident than in the castles of King Louis II (often called Mad King Ludwig). He grew up in Hohenschwangau Castle, a Gothic Revival ediﬁce built by his father in the early WATERFALLS AND 1800s near the Austrian WHITEWATER APPEAL TO GAPA VISITORS. border. PHOTO BY MARC HOHENLEITNER Later, Louis II COURTESY GAPA TOURISM built his masterpiece, Neuschwanstein, on a dramatic cliff above the Pöllat Gorge. Probably the most famous castle in the world, Neuschwanstein looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale; it served as the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland. Louis designed his dream castle with the help of a theatrical set designer, and the structure itself was continually under construction for years. The French-inspired Linderhof, the smallest of Louis II’s three castles, is where the eccentric king rowed

THE TIROLER ZUGSPITZ ARENA PROVIDES BREATHTAKING VIEWS. PHOTO COURTESY GAPA TOURISM

his golden swan-boat on an underground lake inside an artiﬁcial grotto. It’s also the home of the opulent Hall of Mirrors, which rivals its counterpart at Versailles in decorative style and elegance. All three castles can be reached via public transportation – but make sure you buy tickets in advance, particularly during the summer, when tours often sell out.

Churches and Icicles

Ettal Abbey, a rococo masterpiece near GaPa and close

to Oberammergau, was founded by Louis the Bavarian in 1330. The pilgrims’ sanctuary is part of the adjacent Franciscan monastery, where a small community of monks still runs a brewery, hotel and publishing house. The medieval Old Parish Church of St. Martin in the picturesque historic district features several elegant Gothic murals and stained-glass windows, including a 23-foot-tall depiction of St. Christopher from 1330. Get a breath of fresh air at Partnachklamm gorge, a geological wonder where constantly dripping water wears away the stone and carves deep canyons. Partnachklamm’s rock faces reach 260 feet tall. In the winter, human-made galleries and passages allow visitors to view the gorge and its delicate, magical icicles. In town, walk along the charming Ludwigstrasse in the heart of Partenkirchen. This chic boulevard is ideal for shopping and strolling. Exclusive stores share the sidewalk with traditional Alpine inns and ﬁrst-class restaurants. In the evening, sample GaPa’s vibrant nightlife. The friendly bars, clubs and discos buzz until the early hours and the casino offers roulette, blackjack and poker. Suggested accommodations are Dorint Sporthotel and the Werdenfelserei.

ABOVE: SKIERS ENJOY A CRISP DAY IN THE ALPS. PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN STADLER COURTESY GAPA TOURISM

DIRECTLY ABOVE: GARMISCHPARETENKIRCHEN EMBRACES BAVARIAN CULTURE.

PHOTO BY MARC HOHENLEITNER COURTESY GAPA TOURISM

CHUCK MAI

DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

Life & Style four most prominent strains.” The impact of influenza throughout the Southern Hemisphere can sometimes foretell what the United States will experience. One It’s difficult to predict the length and severity of this season’s such warning was Australia’s recent strains, but you can get the vaccine to ward off or reduce effects. flu season – it ast year’s flu season set began two months early and reports indicated a high prevalence of a a record as the longestcertain flu strain. lasting season in a Common symptoms of the flu indecade, the Centers clude fever, cough, congestion, body for Disease Control aches, nausea and vomiting. and Prevention reports. This year’s “The virus is self-limiting, meanseason, which began in October, has ing it will resolve on its own without the potential to be just as long … and the use of antibiotics,” Isenberg says. even more severe. “However, secondary infections, “The flu season is very unpredictincluding bacterial infections, can able with time, severity and length develop subsequently to the influenza of season,” says Laurie Isenberg, a virus and may require additional certified physician assistant with the treatment. Common complications Ascension St. John Clinic in Bixby. could include ear and/or sinus infec“The unpredictability is due to the tions, bronchitis and pneumonia.” ever-changing virus strains from year Dr. Kathryn Reilly, with OU to year and even within the same flu season. Every year, the influenza vac- Physicians Family Medicine in Oklahoma City, says most people with cine is updated to cover the three or

H E A LT H

Flu’s Aches and Pains

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

the flu get better within one to two weeks; however, pneumonia is the most common and serious complication. It can be caused by the flu and happen early in the course of the disease or from bacteria after the flu has run its course. “The really bad complications from the flu can include inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or inflammation of the muscles (myositis),” she says. “The worst complication would be multi-organ failure.” When you’re sick at home, you might not know whether you have the flu or a severe cold. “The symptoms can be similar, but usually you’re sick faster with the flu,” Reilly says. “Usually when people get the flu, they wake up and have all the symptoms – cough, fever, body aches. Whereas with a bad cold, it usually comes on a bit slower – your head is congested, you have a headache and don’t feel well.” Isenberg says people with higher risks of complications include children, senior citizens, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems or other chronic health conditions. In most cases, you can recover from the flu at home, but you should seek immediate medical treatment if you experience symptoms causing additional concerns, including shortness of breath, chest or abdominal pain, difficulty in waking up, disorientation, dehydration, severe muscle pain and/or severe coughing. According to the CDC, the single best way to protect yourself is to get the annual flu vaccine, recommended for everyone 6 months and older. While you can still get the flu, the vaccination has been shown to reduce the severity of the illness and reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization. REBECCA FAST

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Life & Style

F YI

•

Time to Winterize

Your house, lawn, pipes, water heater, equipment, tools and outdoor furniture need attention before freezing weather hits.

t’s the season where we don our gloves, hats and heavy coats. It’s also the time to prepare your home and lawn for freezing weather. Before winter arrives, follow these tips to keep the cold out and safeguard your property.

Lawn and garden

Among the many chores to prepare outside for winter are some basics, like cleaning out gutters, trimming trees and bringing in outdoor furniture and potted plants. Allen Robinson, master gardener with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service in Tulsa, has a handy check-off list. • Mow your grass to a height of 2 or 3 inches and leave as-is through the winter. In the spring, the turf can be cut lower to start the growing season. • Apply a pre-emergent to control winter weeds. • Don’t forget to water. “The most common item forgotten in winter is watering,” Robinson says. “If it’s not freezing and it has been dry, provide the lawn and flower beds with about a half an inch of water per week. If new trees have been recently planted, they will need supplemental water above and beyond what the lawns and flower beds need. Provide at least 1 inch of water per week to new/young trees throughout the winter, either by rain or personal watering methods.” • Do not fertilize or prune anything until spring. • Put a protective covering (plastic or otherwise) over the lower trunk of new/young trees to protect them from sun scald (also called southwest injury). Remove the cover in early spring.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

• •

Clean, sharpen and oil garden tools before putting them up for the winter. Plant spring-flowering bulbs.

Pipes and water heaters

When freeze warnings occur, most of us turn on faucets to drip, but there are more steps to take. Insulating pipes and water heaters can decrease breakages, reduce heat loss and raise hot water temperatures. “Everyone should always stay cautious during freezing temperatures,” says Tom Boyce of Airco Service of Tulsa. “[Frozen pipes] can happen to any home. Crawl spaces need to be covered; any exposed piping needs to be insulated or heat taped to prevent freezing and busting. Outdoor plumbing, like outdoor kitchens and pool houses, should also be winterized.” To prevent pipes from freezing on consecutive cold days, you need to: • Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors; • Turn faucets to a slow drip and make sure outside hoses are detached from taps; • Keep the heat on to the home, especially when vacant;

Flush the water heater and make sure it is well insulated. “Water heaters … exposed to direct cold air [require] you to take precautions,” Boyce says. “If [they’re] well insulated, then tanks should not have any major issues.” If pipes freeze, Boyce says to call a professional to get them un-thawed. Self-remedies could cause water damage.

The warmth of insulation

As winter winds whip around your house, you should stay warm and cozy. However, that may not be the case for all, so before it gets too cold outside, test your heating system and check your insulation. While some older homes may need a little padding, Lance Guilliams, owner of Premier Insulation in Edmond, says that isn’t always an issue. “If your system is struggling to keep you comfortable, nine times out 10, you need new insulation,” he says. “That isn’t a guarantee because your heat and air have to be running right.” Insulation won’t go away; it will settle, but that has to do with trafﬁc or disturbance of the insulation. It’s blown in like cotton candy, and when you step on it, it doesn’t bounce back up, Guilliams says. “Every home should have 12 inches of insulation,” he says. “Most people with a new home will have that, but older homes may need a boost if the insulation has settled or the proper amount wasn’t put in to begin with.” Guilliams says OG&E offers a rebate for customers buying new insulation. ALAINA STEVENS

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Life & Style

originally used by the Philadelphia and Western Railway “It’s a huge draw – about 8,000 to 9,000 ride it annually,” Proctor says. “It’s right off Route 66, so we have people come from all over the world.” The trolley crosses Wade Street, along which, in a twoblock stretch, are Sid’s Diner, Robert’s Grill and Johnnie’s Hamburgers and Coneys. These joints maintain El Reno’s moniker as the Onion Burger Capital. They participate in a festival where a 750-pound onion burger is grilled each May. North of town is Redlands’ innovative Darlington Agriculture Education and Applied Research Center. “Our artificial insemination program draws from all over the OUTSIDE THE METRO country because we let students run the equipment,” says Sam Nusz, manager of the Darlington center. “We have a $70,000 machine called the Cosa, which measures the volume of semen and its movement, that most students wouldn’t touch until they’re in graduate school. Our students The vermiculture program at Redlands Community College is use it as part of their associate’s degree in animal science.” among a host of unusual elements found in El Reno. Vermiculture produces about orms. Onion burgers. 100,000 worms annually in a 100-square-foot An old trolley. Artifi- raised bed, says Julie Flegal-Smallwood, who cial insemination of administers a U.S. Department of Education livestock. These may grant at the school. not seem to add up “Worms are used to enrich our own properto anything, but they do in El Reno. ties,” she says. “We give them to K-12 schools These entities help to make the Canadian for gardening programs. We sell them to the County seat an esoteric town, whether it’s agricultural community and no-till farmers. on the one-mile rail circuit, at a trifecta of We sell the compost to organic gardeners and diners pounding grilled “ingerns” into their people growing medical marijuana.” hamburger patties or in research facilities at Student Casie Hamill of Verden didn’t Redlands Community College. know she would become smitten by red wrigThe Heritage Express Trolley began in glers and night crawlers. 2001 to revitalize downtown and remedy a “I never imagined I would work as a chronic issue, says Vicki Proctor, longtime worm-wrangler, but they are fascinating president of the Canadian County Historical and a vital part of the ecosystem,” Hamill Society and Museum. says. “Their presence is an “The money to fix a drainage problem indicator of soil health, and REDLANDS STUDENTS came through a state transportation grant, but their byproduct, worm castSTETSON RATTERMAN AND attached to it was the condition that we build a ings, is black gold. Regular LACEY WILCZEK WORK compost sells for about $35 WITH THE VEGETATION trolley,” she says. “The city asked the museum GROWING AT DARLINGTON if it would run the trolley and we agreed.” per cubic yard, but vermiUSING AQUAPONICS. Oklahoma’s only rail-based trolley – compost sells for about PHOTO COURTESY REDLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Oklahoma City has rail-based streetcars and $200 per cubic yard. Tulsa’s trolleys drive like buses – runs partly “It doesn’t hurt that they are cute and slimy and can FOR MORE on the old Interurban system going from El DETAILS ABOUT Reno to OKC and other central Oklahoma devour a pumpkin in about EL RENO, VISIT towns. The car, which El Reno converted to a month.” OKMAG.COM/ELRENO propane power, is a 1924 J.G. Brill model BRIAN WILSON

An Oklahoma Wormhole

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

FUN FACTS POPULATION 18,948 FORT RENO During wars against the indigenous plains tribes, the U.S. Army established a frontier camp in 1874. A year later, it became Fort Reno, commanded by Gen. Philip Sheridan and named in memory of his friend Gen. Jesse Reno, who was killed in the Civil War. NO, NOT NEVADA Reno City sprang up near Fort Reno after the Land Run of 1889 on the banks of the North Canadian River. Sometimes, mail got mixed up between the town in Oklahoma Territory and the one in the Sierra Nevada out West. After two major floods within a few years, the Canadian County town moved five miles south and changed its name to El Reno. 98 DEGREES The 98th meridian established an east-west split in El Reno. The eastern unassigned lands opened to white settlement in 1889. To the west were Cheyenne and Arapaho lands, which opened in 1892. The meridian also runs through the Canadian County Historical Museum, housed in the old Rock Island depot. U.S. Highway 81 roughly parallels the 98th meridian through Oklahoma.

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Life & Style

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Amy Butler Dodson, Robert Thomas, Sanjay Meshri, Paula Kuykendall, William Thomas, Helen & Andrew MacKay; Homecoming Honorees event, University of Tulsa

Marty Quince, Matt Pinnell, Jim Thomas, Bill Flanagan; Tourism Summit, Claremore

Cameron Walker, Bo Van Pelt; Bo Van Pelt Golf Classic, Tulsa Habitat for Humanity

Tara Mundell, Shari Holdman, Lynn Flinn; Heart Walk Leadership Breakfast, American Heart Association, Tulsa

Allison Parker, Jillian Neville, Trisha Bunce; Bingo for Babies, Infant Crisis Services Young Professionals Board, OKC

Jerry & Jackie Bendorf, Aaron Ware, Erin Horton, Brandon Erikson; Israeli fare and wine pairing event, Oklahoma Israel Exchange, OKC

The Rev. Edward & Debbie Konieczny, Phyllis & George Dotson; Western Days, Saint Simeon’s Foundation, Tulsa

Scott Spradling, Janet & William Cook, Betsy & Nick Berry; Sustainers’ Exhibition Preview for Renewing the American Spirit: The Art of the Great Depression, OKCMOA

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Becky & Robert Mannel, Chris Jacobsen, George Selby; Peggy and Charles Stephenson event, OU Medicine, Tulsa

Keith Ballard, Mary & Edward Hammond, Mark & Leigh Goodson, Tisa Mason; Fort Hays Alumni Achievement Awards, Tulsa Community College

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GREAT

COMPANIES

TO WORK FOR What makes a company appealing to potential employees depends on who you ask. Some common answers, however, remain consistent across the board: flexible hours; substantial vacation days; quality insurance benefits; retirement packages; a strong pool of coworkers and management. Other draws are the intangible perks: a collaborative work environment; a sense of feeling appreciated; room for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; upward mobility. A great company combines them all, the tangible and intangible, to create a situation where employees look forward to coming to work. Happier employees mean higher retention, better quality work and products, and a generally healthier environment for everyone. DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

OKLAHOMA

STANDARD, GLOBAL IMPACT By Tara Malone

Zeeco is a cutting edge with a storied Zeeco, a leader in company history. combustion technology, This year is the company’s 40th annivercalls Broken Arrow sary in its current iteration, home but touches the although CEO Darton Zink says the principal business industry around the – combustion technology – has been in the family for world. 90 years. The family’s original business, the John Zink Company, was founded by Darton Zink’s grandfather in 1929. Zink’s father, Jack, served as president of that company for several years until the family sold the business and he left to start Zeeco in 1979. (Since then, the Zink family has had no association with the John Zink Company.) In the 1990s, Darton joined the ranks in the research and development area of Zeeco, making him the third generation of the family involved in the combustion technology business. In 2000, he became CEO. Zink says being private and family-owned are part of what makes Zeeco the global powerhouse it is today because it “allows us to focus our thinking in a very longterm way. It also allows us to look at our colleagues and the people working in the company in a long-term way, and while we may not be a small business, the business still has a very family-oriented feeling.” Zeeco is one of the world’s foremost companies in providing combustion products, with equipment operations in more than 100 countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg and Brazil. “We produce ultra-low emissions burners that provide heat to industrial processes, such as oil reﬁning, power and steam generation,” Zink says. “We also supply ﬂare systems for the safe disposal of gases from emergency release in petrochemical plants and large-scale hazardous waste incineration systems, as well as lots of other products and technologies related to industrial combustion.” Zeeco’s global expansion comes down to one priority: the customer.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

“We follow where our customers go and where our customers are located,” Zink says, “so every mark on our global map is a location that has the customer in mind, and to provide better services and support to help our customers in that part of the world.” No matter where Zeeco winds up, the heart of the company is in one place: Broken Arrow. The 250-acre Zeeco campus was purchased in the 1970s by Zink’s father, who put a simple ad in the Wall Street Journal – “Wanted: Cheap land near Tulsa.” “The key to our growth is having land, and room to grow has been really helpful,” Zink says.“It probably makes more sense for us to be in Houston, but our family is from Oklahoma and we love it here. We’re proud Oklahomans. We’re here because we choose to be here, and it’s where our employees want to live and raise families.” Those employees are the other part of Zeeco’s success equation, Zink says. “I’d say if Zeeco has a secret sauce, it’s our people and our culture,” he says. “We are in a business that in many ways is very challenging and hard. We tend to attract people who are doers and who are smart, and we just have a remarkably supportive culture where people want to serve the customer, but also not let their colleagues down.” This atmosphere of team-oriented professionals is crucial when running a global enterprise, Zink says. “About half of our business is outside the United States,” he says. “There are many challenges with language, culture and time. Our customer base has high expectations, and the work itself is hard. But when the team has a great attitude and comes to work ready to go, well, that makes it fun and satisfying if you’re the kind of person cut out for our business.” Zeeco also emphasizes hiring a mixture of experienced industry professionals and recent engineering graduates to tackle industry challenges. “The cool thing about our business is that we have the opportunity and ability to solve the world’s toughest combustion problems from Broken Arrow,” Zink says. “We solve problems not only in the United States and in Oklahoma, but around the world.”

DARTON ZINK TOOK THE HELM OF BROKEN ARROW-BASED ZEECO IN 2000. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW DECEMBER 2019| WWW.OKMAG.COM

GREAT

COMPANIES

TO WORK FOR Unique to every workplace is the combination of its history, its operations and its mark in the community and state. This blend of where a company has been, where it is today and where it will go provides an overview of its success as an operation, whether it’s a supplier of heavy machinery, high-tech human-resource software, health care, financial services, financial guidance or construction. Each company has its story, and we take a glance their experiences, innovations and scopes of influence. Some of these workplaces have been around since before Oklahoma became a state. Others emerged in this century. Each has a culture special to it based upon its evolution. By Brian Wilson ALL PHOTOS COURTESY BUSINESSES UNLESS OTHERWISE MARKED

THE 185 COMPANIES in this list range in

industry from architecture and accounting to manufacturing, health care and transportation. Each business appreciates its employees and helps to elevate them to their full potentials. Accounting/Investing

KKT ARCHITECTS

Charles Schwab

OKC and Tulsa Schwab, established in 1971, guarantees complete satisfaction for any transaction and will refund fees and commissions. Any losses that arise from unauthorized activity are also covered. Schwab combines algorithm-driven technology with credentialed advisers to help customers.

Eide Bailly

Norman, OKC and Tulsa Eide Bailly’s certified public accountants and consultants provide down-to-earth, relevant, straightforward advice to clients. The company, with operations in 15 states, began in 1917. The technology firm Boomi named Eide Bailly as its 2019 North American Partner of the Year.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

HoganTaylor

OKC and Tulsa Unity, service and dynamic solutions comprise HoganTaylor’s core values; the company refers to them as HT3. HoganTaylor grew out of a merger in 2009 and has more than 300 employees, 39 of whom are partners and more than 100 of whom are certified public accountants.

Architecture Butzer Architects and Urbanism

OKC Butzer emphasizes three adjectives in its approach to clients: contextual, tactile and engaged. “Our designs result [from] the dialectic between conditions and client,” the firm says. “Each project sustainably manifests an interpretation of its physical, climatic and cultural contours.”

IT’S A SIMPLE FACT: PROBLEM-SOLVING STARTS WITH LISTENING. At LSL, we take a novel approach to solving client problems–one that starts with letting you do the talking. After honing in on our clients’ needs, we develop a winning strategy for execution. From small local businesses to Fortune 500 companies, every case starts with a commitment to listening.

It’s the same approach that lands us on the “Great Companies to Work For” list year after year–2019 included. Thanks for another year!

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GH2 Architects

OKC and Tulsa In addition to its general practice, with architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and cost estimating services, GH2 has specialty practices in hospitality, equine and historic preservation architecture, which has gained recognition. The firm, which began in 1973, also has a Phoenix oﬀice.

KKT Architects

Tulsa To celebrate its 30th year, KKT underwent a company-wide exercise to project what its work would look like in the next 30 years. Vision 2049 was the result, with a central transportation hub between Tulsa and Oklahoma and a complex corridor of growth stretching toward both cities. From education and health care to historic renovation and multi-family housing, KKT covers myriad industries.

MATRIX Architects Engineers Planners, Inc. Tulsa One of MATRIX’s biggest projects for 2019 has been the renovation of the Cox Business Center; completion is

scheduled for August. Other notable projects include the Glenpool City Hall and Conference Center, and the Tulsa Technology Transportation Center in Broken Arrow. The firm oﬀers everything from architecture and interior design to electrical and mechanical engineering.

wealth-management strategies are built on three pillars: knowledge, process and oversight. “Our philosophy embraces the value of building meaningful relationships,” CEO Steven Bradshaw says.

Banking and finance

Statewide This credit union began in 1939 as Pioneer Bell for telephone workers in Oklahoma City. It has since grown to 23 branches, 80,000 members and more than 200 employees. Bauer Financial Reports has recognized Communication Federal for its stability over the past 27 years.

Arvest

Statewide Arvest began as the Bank of Bentonville (Arkansas) in 1961 and has expanded through growth, mergers and acquisitions into Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Its assets exceed $19 billion. In Oklahoma in 2018, Arvest secured 41 Small-Business Administration loans totaling $35.4 million.

Bank2

OKC Owned by the Chickasaw Nation, Bank2 is one of the nation’s largest lenders to Native Americans, Alaskans and Hawaiians and members of federally recognized tribes, with a focus on housing. Its charitable missions include drilling more than 200 clean-water wells for 60,000 people in Uganda.

BOK Financial

Tulsa As one of the 25 largest banks in the country, BOK has $40 billion in assets. Its

Communication Federal Credit Union

southwest region in the 2019 J.D. Power U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.

Oklahoma’s Credit Union

OKC OKCU, as it calls itself, has operated since 1954. It has joined with the group Keep It Local OK to produce a series of short videos spotlighting Oklahoma businesses. Keep It Local OK says the credit union “chooses to invest time and resources into making a diﬀerence in our community.”

First Fidelity Bank

OKC This family-owned bank, which received its state charter in 1920, has 29 locations and more than 400 employees and contributes more than $500,000 each year to charities and nonprofits. It has capital of more than $153 million and assets totaling more than $1.7 billion.

MidFirst Bank

OKC MidFirst is one of the largest privately owned banks in the United States with more than half a million customers nationwide and more than $20 billion in assets. MidFirst received the highest retail banking satisfaction score in the

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REGENT BANK ARVEST BANK

MIDFIRST BANK

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION CO.

Oklahoma Central Credit Union

Tinker Federal Credit Union

Tulsa Federal Credit Union

Red Crown Federal Credit Union

True Sky Credit Union

WEOKIE Federal Credit Union

Tulsa Oklahoma Central, which began in 1941 with 27 members and $628 in assets, has grown to 34,000 members and more than $574 million in assets. Its Oklahoma Central Foundation sponsors free financial literacy classes and awards annual scholarships of more than $10,000.

Mayes, Rogers and Tulsa counties The Stanolind Oil and Gas Co.’s featured its Red Crown brand of regular lead-free gasoline. When 10 Stanoline employees got the charter to start a credit union in 1938, they adopted the Red Crown name and logo. It has grown to have more than $200 million in assets and 24,000 members.

Regent Bank

Tulsa Regent began in Nowata in 1898 and retains a branch there, along with offices in Oklahoma City and Springfield, Missouri. One of its goals as a regional bank is to help small and mid-sized businesses prosper. The bank has steady, controlled growth with more than $600 million in assets.

OKC Oklahoma’s largest credit union, in operation since 1946, has more than 392,000 members and more than $4 billion in assets. Members include workers at Tinker and Vance Air Force bases and 700 state companies. Tinker has joined Amazon to create seven sets of hub lockers for purchased items. OKC Eight workers at the Civil Aeronautics Administration, forerunner of the Federal Aviation Administration, began the credit union in 1946. True Sky has grown to 52,000 members and $580 million in assets and has branches throughout Oklahoma County and seven nearby counties.

TTCU

Tulsa TTCU began as Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in 1934, when a handful of educators pooled $1,600 and kept the money in a cigar box in teacher Linnie Wilson’s right-hand drawer at Central High School. Eighty-five years later, the credit union has 130,000 members and more than $1.9 billion in assets.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Tulsa TFCU’s widespread community involvement is notably seen as sponsor of the annual Tulsa Run, a fixture since 1978. Six U.S. government employees began the credit union in 1943; that half-dozen has grown to 56,000 members. TFCU stresses trust, integrity, teamwork and making a diﬀerence.

OKC The employees of Western Electric of Oklahoma (hence the acronym WEOKIE) began the credit union in 1969. A half-century later, it reaches throughout Oklahoma County and six nearby counties. In March, the WEOKIE Foundation awarded $50,000 in college scholarships.

Communication AT&T

Statewide This telecommunications giant has a long history in Oklahoma from its days as Southwestern Bell. More than 5,200 employees and another 5,500 retirees live in-state. Steve Hahn, president of AT&T Oklahoma, says the company is one of the largest private-sector employers in the state.

Cox Communications

OKC and Tulsa Cox, with headquarters in suburban Atlanta, has a substantial presence as a cable TV, internet and security provider, and community sponsor in Oklahoma’s two metropolitan areas, with naming rights to the Cox Business Center in Tulsa and Cox Convention Center in OKC.

U.S. Cellular

Statewide In 1969, Chicago entrepreneur LeRoy Carlson launched Telephone and Data Systems under; U.S. Cellular sprouted as a subsidiary in 1983 and became a public company in 1988. Worldatlas. com lists U.S. Cellular as the fifthlargest wireless provider in the country with 5.1 million customers.

Construction Cowen Construction

Tulsa Four generations of the Cowen family have run the company since it began in Shawnee in 1896. Its projects have ranged from Oklahoma State University’s student union and Tulsa Bone and Joint hospital to the Rose District Mixed Use Project in Broken Arrow and the Village on Main in Jenks.

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Crossland Construction Co.

Tulsa The company, founded in 1977 in the garage of Ivan “Red Iron” Crossland, has expanded to 35 states with its own heavy construction company (Crossland Heavy Contractors), in-house precast plant (Crossland Prefab), and a development and holding company (Crossland Realty Group).

Fleming Construction Group

Tulsa Fleming’s list of projects since its 1946 founding include automobile dealerships, schools, churches, banks, bowling alleys, indoor tennis courts, retail centers, industrial warehouses, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers. It oﬀers pre-construction, construction and maintenance services.

Flintco

Tulsa Flintco, founded in 1908, maintains eight full-service oﬀices. The company is registered or licensed in 35 states and has built health-care, education, hospitality and sports facilities. Flintco’s capabilities include concrete, steel erection, excavation, drywall, underground infrastructure and piping.

GE Johnson Construction

OKC With additional oﬀices in Colorado

and Wyoming, Johnson Construction supports more than 320 community organizations and believes in building strong client relationships. In October, the firm joined the National Construction Safety Executives group, which has just 30 members at a time.

Home Creations

Moore Since 1981, brothers Jalal and Mohammad Farzaneh have built houses in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas as well as in Chickasha. All of its homes are energy eﬀicient. Home Creations supports numerous charitable organizations, schools, sports teams and religious groups.

Manhattan Construction Group

Tulsa Pioneer and home-builder Laurence Looney began the company in 1896 in Indian Territory. Since then, Manhattan has developed a diverse portfolio, from sports stadiums to health-care, government and casino facilities. The group recently won several ABC of Oklahoma Excellence in Construction awards.

Nabholz Corp.

OKC and Tulsa Conway, Arkansas-based Nabholz broke ground on the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture in October in the Tulsa Arts District. R.D. Nabholz began the company somewhat by accident in 1949 when a stranger made an oﬀer on a house that Nabholz was building for his soon-to-be bride.

Ross Group

Tulsa Ross Group is a development, engiMAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS

neering and construction firm that has served commercial, private, industrial and government clients since 1979. Ross works hand-in-hand with clients to provide industry-leading solutions on projects across the country. By oﬀering an integrated suite of services to fit any need in any market, Ross commits to making sure each project ends just as the client envisioned it.

Distribution Ben E. Keith Foods

Edmond Ben E. Keith’s sprawling plant, 476,456 square feet on 88 acres, employs around 500 people and includes an inventory of more than 15,000 items housed throughout eight diﬀerent temperature zones. The facility manages the company’s accounts in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

Contractors Supply Co.

OKC Founded in 1956, this family-owned company has clients statewide and provides commercial construction supplies, tools, equipment and building materials. Its factory-trained mechanics also repair scores of machines and construction equipment. Its catalog of products and services is extensive.

Fabricut

Tulsa Fabricut is one of the largest distributors of decorative fabrics in the world. Immigrants Joe Finer and Harry Guterman, two survivors of Nazi Germany, settled in Tulsa and began the company in the 1950s. Fabricut’s dedication to customers is at the center of its business model.

LDF Sales and Distributing

Tulsa In 1983, Chairman and CEO Larry D. Fleming founded the Wichita-based company, which distributes Coors, Miller, Boulevard, other beers, Red Bull and many wines, spirits and nonalcoholic beverages in Oklahoma and Kansas. LDF lists employees as first on its philosophical ladder.

Oilfield Specialty Distributors

OKC Established in 1951, OSD serves the energy and industrial markets. OSD has been a warehouse distributor for Gates Rubber (hose applications and fabrications) since 1976 and a

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

master distributor for Bowie Industries (pump applications) since 1986. It also distributes Rust-Oleum products.

Premium Beers of Oklahoma

OKC Denny Cresap started the company in 1968 as a one-person, one-route delivery service. The firm is one of largest Anheuser-Busch distributorships in the country. In 2012, Anheuser-Busch bought Premium and its 33-acre warehouse and distribution center, which serves about 20 Oklahoma counties.

Red Rock Distributing

OKC In 1937, Barney Brown Sr. and his two sons started a single gasoline station in Oklahoma City. Soon, they began selling fuel throughout town. The business has grown into a company that provides fuel sales and transportation services in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

Republic National Distributing Co.

OKC Republic, with divisions in 19 other states and the District of Columbia, forged a partnership with Central Liquor, one of the oldest liquor license holders in Oklahoma. The 406,000-square-foot Oklahoma City plant serves all of the state’s 77 counties. Republic has more than 9,500 associates.

Energy Chesapeake Energy

OKC Chesapeake is one of the largest oil and natural gas producers in Oklahoma with 1,870 employees and locations covering 768,000 acres. The energy produced by Chesapeake wells roughly equates to powering 1.6 million homes per day. The firm has field oﬀices in Kingfisher and Weatherford.

Continental Resources

OKC Harold Hamm has captained Continental since its inception in 1967. As one of the largest independent energy companies in the continental United States, it is the largest lease-holder of the Bakken field in North Dakota and Montana. Continental also has many plays in western Oklahoma.

Devon Energy

OKC Founded in 1971, Devon is a Fortune 500 company that produces daily about 140,000 barrels of oil, 80,000 barrels of natural gas liquids and 575 million cubic feet of natural

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gas. The company has about 2,900 employees. Its main assets are in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming.

EOG Resources

OKC EOG, based in Houston, has holdings in the Anadarko Basin in western Oklahoma. In 2018, EOG increased its dividend rate 31%, its production rate 19% and return on capital 15%. It also drills in Trinidad and Tobago, and China. It focuses on being a low-cost producer in high-return organic fields.

Magellan Midstream Partners

Tulsa With about 1,300 employees, Magellan has a 9,700-mile refined products pipeline system with 53 connected terminals. It also has 25 independent terminals not connected to its pipeline system and a 1,100-mile ammonia pipeline system. Magellan spun oﬀ from Williams in 2001.

OGE Energy

OKC As the parent company of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, OGE Energy has never reduced its dividend since going public in 1947. It has also increased its dividend for 11 consecutive years. OGE and its predecessor companies have operated for more than 116 years and serves 276 cities and towns.

ONE Gas

Tulsa Divisions of ONE Gas include Oklahoma Natural Gas, the largest natural gas

distributor in Oklahoma; Kansas Gas Service, the largest in Kansas; and Texas Gas Service, the third largest in Texas. Its major markets are Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka, Austin and El Paso.

ONEOK

Tulsa Founded in 1906 as an intrastate natural gas pipeline business, ONEOK is a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company. It has one of the nation’s premier natural gas liquids systems, connecting supplies in the MidContinent, Permian and Rocky Mountain regions with key market centers. WINSTAR WORLD CASINO AND RESORT

Phillips 66

Bartlesville and Ponca City Phillips still has a substantial oﬀice (about 2,000 workers) in Bartlesville, where L.E. and Frank Phillips founded the company in 1917. The Ponca City refinery, begun by E.W. Marland in 1914, is under the Phillips 66 flag after ConocoPhillips split in 2012. That facility has about 960 employees.

SandRidge Energy

OKC SandRidge, with about 300 employees, focuses its drilling on the “stack play” in Major, Woodward and Garfield counties. It also has a large presence in the North Park Basin in Jackson County, Colorado. This year marked a transition as Paul McKinney took over as president and CEO.

SemGroup

Tulsa SemGroup moves energy across North America through a network of pipelines, processing plants, refineryconnected storage facilities and deep-water terminals with import and export capabilities. SemGroup serves CEC

as a connection between upstream oil and gas producers and downstream refiners and end users.

Williams

Tulsa Williams, with more than 5,000 employees, is a leader in the industry. In 1908, brothers Miller and David Williams began a construction and pipeline business. They moved to Tulsa in 1919. The firm, known for decades as Williams Brothers, became Williams Companies and now simply Williams.

Engineering Advance Research Chemicals

Catoosa Dayal T. Meshri recognized the need for high purity inorganic fluorine compounds, so he started ARC with two employees in 1987 to provide these materials at competitive prices. The company, with more than 125 workers, takes up more than 300,000 square feet of space at the Port of Catoosa.

CEC

OKC This company specializes in transportation design and planning; mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering; power delivery design and inspection; surveying and mapping services; construction management; materials testing; airport design; and bridge design and inspections.

Crafton Tull

Tulsa Crafton Tull is a civil engineering, surveying, architecture, landscape architecture and planning firm with more than 200 employees working out of 10 oﬀices across Oklahoma and Arkansas. The firm began in 1963. Among its more notable projects is

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa.

Guy Engineering

Tulsa Guy Engineering Services is a consulting firm with extensive experience in civil engineering and land surveying. Since 1987, the company has been providing quality design work on hundreds of projects with services including highway/road design, bridge inspection, hydrology and subsurface utility engineering.

Linde Engineering North America

Tulsa Linde, based in Dublin, has developed and optimized gas processing, separation and liquefaction technologies for 140 years. Its Tulsa operation provides technology, engineering, procurement and construction services to companies specializing in refining, petrochemicals and deep cryogenics.

Wallace Engineering

OKC and Tulsa This firm, founded in 1981, has oﬀices in Oklahoma’s two largest cities, along with Atlanta, Denver and Kansas City. Among its projects is the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa’s Hardesty Arts Center (known as ahha), a four-story, 42,500-square-foot visual arts venue in the Arts District.

Entertainment ASM Global

OKC and Tulsa In October, AEG Facilities, an innovator in live entertainment venues, and SMG, an award winner in venue management and marketing, merged to become ASM Global. The Tulsa division manages the BOK and Cox Business centers; the Oklahoma City oﬀice manages Chesapeake Arena.

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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

BOK Center

Tulsa BOK Center closed its fiscal year in June with its second-busiest and most profitable year, with the soldout seven nights of Garth Brooks performances in 2015 being the highest. Elton John and Bob Seger stopped at the BOK on their 2019 farewell tours. Metallica drew a record 19,288 fans.

Chesapeake Energy Arena

OKC Originally known as the Ford Center, the Peak is home to the state’s only major professional sports franchise, the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. The facility, opened in 2002, is owned by the city of Oklahoma City and has 581,000 square feet of space. It’s had more than 10 million visitors.

Choctaw Casino and Resort

Durant Visitors have a choice of staying in the Grand Tower, the Spa Tower, the Choctaw

Inn or the elaborate RV park. Gaming, swimming, shopping, dining, bowling, movie-watching and arcade-playing await. A major expansion of the facility is expected to be completed in 2021.

Downstream Casino Resort

Quapaw Tucked just south of Kansas and west of Missouri in the far northeastern corner of Oklahoma, Downstream is owned and operated by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma. Restaurants feature farm-to-table products, including herbs and honey grown on-site, to promote sustainable agriculture.

FlyingTee

Jenks Part of the RiverWalk Crossing owned by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, FlyingTee sits along the west bank of the Arkansas River. The 53,000-squarefoot facility has three levels to drive golf balls, play simulated rounds of golf and other games, and eat and drink at several restaurants. OSAGE CASINOS

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

BAMA COMPANIES

Grand Casino and Resort

Shawnee This Citizen Potawatomi Nation facility has more than 125,000 square feet of gaming space, along with a 14-story hotel tower with 262 rooms and Oklahoma’s only keno lounge. Banquet and meeting rooms total more than 20,000 square feet in area. The FireLake Golf Course is 12 miles east.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

Catoosa Owned by the Cherokee Nation, the Hard Rock has 454 rooms and suites with shuttles to Tulsa International Airport and the Gathering Place. In addition to several dining options are other amenities, such as the Cherokee Hills Golf Club, a spa, a business center, a fitness center and shopping.

Oklahoma City Thunder

OKC Oklahoma’s only major professional sports franchise has begun its 12th DEAN MCGEE EYE INSTITUTE

season in the state capital. The Thunder oversees scores of community outreach programs with Thunder Cares, which strives to create a positive impact on the greater Oklahoma City community.

Osage Casino Hotel

Tulsa The complex’s Nine-Band Brewery features craft beers made on the premises. An additional tower of hotel rooms is scheduled to open in the fall. Paintings in rooms are done by Osage artists. The tribe also has casinos in Bartlesville, Hominy, Pawhuska, Ponca City, Sand Springs and Skiatook.

River Spirit Casino Resort

Tulsa This jewel in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s enterprise combines the quirkiness of Jimmy Buﬀet Magaritaville with architecture, designs and artwork that reflect tribal values. Eight restaurants and bars are spread across the complex, which sits along the east bank of the Arkansas River.

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the two Pool Towers, the Casino Tower, the Inn or Fun Town RV Park (which has its own clubhouse, pavilion and set of walking trails).

Riverwind Casino

Norman The 219,000-square-foot casino, owned by the Chickasaw Nation, has a high-stakes lounge, more than 2,800 computerized games, and oﬀ-track betting on horse races around the country, in addition to traditional gaming tables. The Showplace Theatre features nationally known talent.

Topgolf

OKC Topgolf has 63 U.S. locations and three in England. The Oklahoma City venue features 100 climate-controlled hitting bays, more than 200 large-screen TVs, a rooftop terrace with a fire pit, competitive leagues for various skill levels, golf instruction and classes, and a kids zone.

WinStar World Casino and Resort

Thackerville This Chickasaw Nation facility boasts having the world’s largest casino with more than 600,000 square feet of gaming. Overnight visitors can stay in

Food, beverage, convenience Bama Companies

Tulsa From its origins literally out of the kitchen of Cornelia Alabama Marshall, Bama has earned a B Corp certification, a global recognition that “can transparently benchmark and measure the impact we have with our team members, suppliers, customers, community and environment,” the company says.

Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores

OKC Founded in 1964, Love’s employs more than 25,000 people at more than 500 locations in 41 states. Love’s also owns Trillium, Speedco, Musket Corp. and Gemini Motor Transport, along with storage facilities in Missouri, Nevada and Texas. It sponsors NASCAR driver Michael McDowell.

QuikTrip

Tulsa Fortune magazine routinely rates QT

RIVERWIND CASINO

as one of the nation’s best companies, mainly because of low employee turnover. More than 600 of its 20,000plus employees have worked for the company for more than 20 years. QuikTrip has more than 800 stores in 11 states and is an $11 billion company.

Reasor’s

Tahlequah This employee-owned grocery chain, with Jeﬀ Reasor (son of the founder) at the helm, employs more than 2,500 people at its 17 locations in Northeastern Oklahoma. Reasor’s, proud of its Oklahoma roots, supports more than

120 local farms and small businesses by featuring their products.

Health care Advanced Orthopedics of Oklahoma

Tulsa Advanced diﬀers from physicians’ groups aﬀiliated with a hospital system. By preserving its independence, the organization focuses on a patient-centered approach and the doctor-patient relationship. Advanced has numerous clinics and out-patient physical therapy centers in Northeastern Oklahoma. SAINT FRANCIS HEALTH SYSTEM PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

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Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction & Excellence

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TULSA’S TOP DOCTORS + STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES = THE BEST SURGICAL CARE IN THE AREA

Our Services

CORE’s History: Why work at CORE?

•

The Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Excellence (CORE) is a state-of-the-art orthopedic hospital located in Jenks, Oklahoma. Designed by physicians, CORE is able to provide patients with optimal comfort and safety. Our facility is equipped to serve patients’ every needs with:

Orthopedic Surgery •

Joint repair/replacement

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Fracture Repair

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Back & Spine

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Upper and Lower Extremities

• Six operating rooms

• 25 in-patient beds

• Four procedure rooms

• A physical therapy wing

CORE has the largest operating rooms in the Tulsa area, as well as the latest and most advanced medical technology. Our physicians, surgeons and staff are among the best, providing advanced, personalized care to all our patients.

•

General Surgery

•

ENT Surgery

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Plastic Surgery

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Sports Medicine

•

In-Patient Physical Therapy

Our team has a passion for healthcare. We are efficient and effective without ever sacrificing patient care or comfort. Expert surgeons and staff walk our halls daily, and they are more than willing to lend a helping hand to anyone eager to learn. Working at CORE means working simultaneously with your team to create a unique experience for every patient while gaining the knowledge and support to launch your career into its next phase.

•

Emergency Services

3029 W Main St, Jenks, OK 74037 // (918) 701-2300

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• A 24-hour emergency room

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Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Excellence Ascension St. John Health System

Tulsa St. John’s Hospital opened in 1926 and has grown into a regional network that includes hospitals in Tulsa, Owasso, Sapulpa, Bartlesville and Broken Arrow, along with health clinics throughout Tulsa County. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit Catholic health systems in the United States.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Tulsa The Tulsa facility, one of five hospitals in the nationwide provider’s network, searches for innovative treatments for cancer patients whenever possible. This includes enrolling qualified patients in carefully selected clinical trials. The center also provides genomic testing and targeted therapies.

Jenks The $45 million center is an aﬀiliate of the Bristow Endeavor health-care system. The 51,000-square-foot facility has six operating rooms, four procedure rooms, 25 in-patient beds and a physical therapy wing. The facility, like others in the Bristow system, aims to help patients in rural areas.

Dean McGee Eye Institute

OKC The institute is home to the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Ophthalmology. The facility, near the Capitol, employs more than 300 people in metropolitan Oklahoma City. Satellite facilities are in northwest Oklahoma City, Edmond and Lawton. Subspecialists also see patients in Enid.

Eastern Oklahoma Ear, Nose and Throat

Tulsa Since 1975, this group has grown to be the largest ear, nose and throat clinic

in eastern Oklahoma. The clinic oﬀers ENT physicians, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner and audiologists for a full spectrum of care. Doctors treat patients ranging from newborns to senior citizens.

Hillcrest Medical Center

Tulsa This 620-bed hospital, nearly a century old, has many specialty units, including the Alexander Burn Center, the Peggy V. Helmerich Women’s Health Center, the Spine and Orthopedic Center, the Kaiser Rehabilitation Center, the Center for Diabetes Management and the Oklahoma Heart Institute.

INTEGRIS

OKC This network includes more than 14 hospitals, 1,900 licensed beds and 2,500 doctors. The state’s largest nonprofit, Oklahoma-owned healthcare system promotes wellness and disease prevention. Sixty percent of Oklahomans live within 30 miles of an INTEGRIS facility or physician.

McBride Orthopedic Hospital

OKC In 1923, orthopedic surgeon Earl McBride founded his eponymous clinic in a little red-brick home with four upstairs rooms for patients needing overnight stays. It was the first facility of its kind in the Southwest. The physician-owned group now has 33 physicians and more than 750 staﬀers.

Mercy Hospital

OKC In 1947, the Sisters of Mercy bought the Oklahoma City General Hospital, but the origins of their mission date to Dublin in 1827, when Catherine McAuley created a religious order not bound to the rules of the cloister. Mercy now has nine hospitals in Oklahoma.

Norman Regional Hospital

Norman Norman Regional, founded in 1946, has three facilities, including one in Moore, and has nearly 400 beds and more than 350 physicians among its 3,000-plus employees. The health system’s foundation helps to provide a nurse or health assistant in each of the 24 schools in the Norman district.

Oklahoma Proton Center

OKC This facility’s physicians, Mark Storey and John Han-Chih Chang, have more than 50 years combined experience in radiation oncology. The center, which has successfully treated more than 3,000 patients, was the earliest adopter of proton therapy treatments for cancer in the state in 2009.

The Orthopaedic Center

Tulsa This group’s 11 physicians and nine physician assistants treat patients in four locations. One of its many treatments is stem-cell therapy for those with knee, hip or shoulder osteoarthritis, rotator cuﬀ tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis, chronic bursitis, meniscal tears and degenerative arthritis.

Oklahoma State University Medical Center

INTEGRIS

PHOTO BY ED LACASSE

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Tulsa This complex, begun in 1947 as Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital, is a full-service hospital with 20 clinics throughout Tulsa County. As one of the largest osteopathic teaching hospitals in the country, it trains more than 150 residents each year. Its has

OSU FOUNDATION

CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS OF AMERICA

195 licensed beds and 15 licensed bassinets.

OU Medicine

OKC OU Medicine, with its academic partner, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system of hospitals, clinics and centers of excellence. It has 11,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians and advanced-practice providers.

Saint Francis Health System

Tulsa Founded in 1960, Saint Francis Health System is a private, Catholic, not-

for-profit organization that is locally led and focused on serving eastern Oklahoma. Their 100 locations, 10,000 employees, 700 volunteers and 1,000 physicians are united by one mission: to extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ in all they do.

SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital

OKC Founded in 1898, Oklahoma’s oldest hospital has specialties in emergency, trauma, cardiovascular, cancer, behavioral health, stroke, bone and joint care. St. Anthony is part of SSM Health, which has nearly 40,000 employees and 11,000 providers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Stephenson Cancer Center

OKC Stephenson is the state’s only cancer center to be designated by the National Cancer Institute, a distinction it received in 2018, and just one of 71 such designated cancer centers in the nation. With more than 100 cancer experts, Stephenson houses Oklahoma’s largest oncology practice.

Triad Eye Institute

Tulsa With three facilities in Tulsa, along with clinics in Grove, McAlester and Muskogee, Triad Eye Institute opened its doors in 1986 as Triad Eye Medical Clinic. Among Triad’s services are Lasik, implantable contact lenses, cornea care, glaucoma and cataract treatments, and oculoplastics.

Higher education Cameron University Lawton

A year after statehood in 1907, the state legislature created six regional agricultural high schools. E.D. Cameron, Oklahoma’s first state superintendent, is the namesake of the Lawton campus, which grew into a four-year university by 1966. It oﬀers nearly 50 degrees to its 6,400 students.

Mid-America Christian University

OKC Founded in 1953 as South Texas Bible Institute in Houston, the school moved to Oklahoma City in 1985 and became Mid-America. The university has about 1,200 undergraduates with nearly 90 degree programs in English, education, music, math, science, business and behavioral science.

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah NSU was founded as the Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1846 and its connection to the Cherokee

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ASCENSION ST. JOHN HEALTH SYSTEM

DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

became the first woman to lead the school.

LATHAM | STEELE | LEHMAN

University of Oklahoma

Norman OU is a research university founded in 1890 with more than 170 academic programs. OU’s mission follows that of David Ross Boyd, the school’s first president. When he stepped oﬀ a train to see the prairie that became the school, he is said to have exclaimed, “What possibilities!”

Nation remains intact on the Tahlequah campus, which prides itself as a top four-year institution serving Native students. NSU also has robust campuses in Broken Arrow and Muskogee.

Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee Founded in 1910 by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, OBU sits on 226 acres and oﬀers 10 bachelor’s degrees in 88 areas of study. Its 2,000plus students from 37 states and 40 countries are taught by more than 100 faculty members, a 13-to-1 teacherstudent ratio.

Oklahoma City University

OKC This Methodist university traces its roots to 1904, when city leader Anton Classen helped establish Epworth University. Today, the school, in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Uptown District, has more than 1,700 undergraduate and 600 graduate students and an 11-to-1 student-faculty ratio.

Oklahoma City Community College

OKC Founded in 1972, OCC educates more than 24,000 students each year with many of those being first-generation collegians. In June, the school launched its online speech-language pathology assistant program, the first of its kind in the state. It has more than 80 associate degree programs.

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa ORU, founded in 1963 by its namesake, is one of the largest Christian liberalarts colleges in the country. More than 4,000 students from all 50 states and 106 nations matriculate to ORU. Its top five majors are ministry and leadership, business administration, nursing, psychology and engineering.

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College began Dec. 25, 1890, as a land-grant institution with a mission of making college accessible to as many students as possible. Today, OSU, with

students from all 50 states, takes pride in its designation as one of America’s healthiest colleges.

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences

Tulsa This complex comprises the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Forensic Sciences, the School of Health Care Administration and the School of Allied Health. A primary goal is fulfilling the health-care needs of rural and underserved Oklahomans.

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

Okmulgee As the state’s only applied-technology university, OSU Tech sees nearly 90% of its graduates find jobs upon graduation. The school, founded in 1946, partners with global corporations to develop academic coursework and practical training environments, so graduates hit the ground running.

Rogers State University

Claremore The college on the hill, founded in 1909, has its own public television and radio stations and a 100-acre nature preserve. The Claremore campus and its host city have had a symbiotic relationship for more than 100 years. RSU, with campuses in Bartlesville and Pryor, has about 4,600 students.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Durant Half of Southeastern’s nearly 5,000 students are the first in their families to attend college, and 28% are Natives. These statistics reflect the university’s mission to provide aﬀordable education to a diverse population. Southeastern also ranks seventh in the nation for

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

graduating Native students.

Tulsa Community College

Tulsa Tulsa Community College is the largest provider of transfer students in the state of Oklahoma, with most going to Oklahoma State, Northeastern State, Langston and Rogers State universities and the universities of Oklahoma and Tulsa. TCC has four campuses and educates more than 25,000 students a year.

University of Tulsa

Tulsa TU, begun in 1894 as Henry Kendall College in Muskogee, moved to Tulsa in 1907. The school has more than 4,000 students with 60-plus undergraduate degrees, 40-plus master’s programs and 16 doctoral degree options. In October, it announced an advanced degree in cyber research.

University of Central Oklahoma

Edmond Oklahoma’s third-largest university with more than 16,000 students, UCO has more than 100 undergraduate areas of study and 70-plus graduate programs. This year, Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar was named the 21st president of Central and

CALVERT LAW FIRM

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Chickasha USAO is a publicly funded, small liberal-arts school. Among its programs is the Neill-Wint Center for Neurodiversity, which assists students with autism spectrum disorder in the transition to college. USAO also has pre-professional special programs for dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.

Human resources and employment Express Employment Professionals

OKC This nationwide company, with headquarters in Oklahoma City, has 30 oﬀices in the state. Founded in 1983 by Bill Stoller and Bob Funk, Express annually employs more than 566,000 people across 800-plus franchise locations. According to its website, Express has found jobs for more than 6 million people.

Key Personnel

Tulsa Key, founded in 1978, has an additional oﬀice in Bartlesville. It’s a certified woman-owned business that believes diversity and inclusion is integral to

the success of its clients, workforce and vendors. Key helps workers find administrative, financial, industrial, legal, medical and technical jobs.

Robert Half

OKC and Tulsa Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized staﬀing firm. With more than 325 locations worldwide, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Robert Half places professionals on a temporary and full-time basis in the accounting/ finance, technology, legal, creative and administrative fields.

Insurance American Fidelity Assurance

OKC American Fidelity, founded in 1960 by C.B. and C.W. Cameron, is a familyowned company with more than 1,800 employees. It provides supplemental insurance products to help people, especially in the education, public, automotive and health-care sectors, cover medical expenses.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma

Statewide Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, which has more than 16 million members in Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Montana and New Mexico. The company embraces open lines of communication by its employees, inclusion in all its forms and bold feedback.

CommunityCare

Tulsa Serving Oklahoma since 1993, CommunityCare oﬀers HMO, PPO, Medicare HMO and Medicare Supplemental plans. CommunityCare, owned by the Saint Francis and Ascension St. John health systems, is dedicated to providing cost-eﬀective services to its clients.

Farmers Insurance

Statewide Farmers has hundreds of agents in scores of towns and cities in Oklahoma. Farmers, begun in 1928, sells insurance for vehicles, homes and small businesses. It carries more than 19 million individual policies across all 50 states via 48,000-plus agents and nearly

DITCH WITCH

21,000 employees.

GlobalHealth

OKC and Tulsa GlobalHealth is an Oklahoma-based HMO covering individuals in all 77 counties. GlobalHealth utilizes predictive data technology as a foundation to deliver aﬀordable premiums. The company focuses on federal, educational, state and municipal employees, along with Medicare clients.

State Farm

Statewide State Farm has hundreds of agents across Oklahoma. The company began in 1992, when G.J. Mecherle sold his first auto policy. The nationwide firm has more than 58,000 employees and more than 19,000 independent agents, who manage 83 million policies and accounts throughout the country.

Law firms Barkett Law Firm

Tulsa Barkett represents accident victims and injured consumers throughout Oklahoma, as well as out-of-state clients on referral. Founder Michael Barkett has nearly two decades of experience in personal injury practice and more than 10 years of experience specifically as a plaintiﬀ ’s attorney.

Barrow and Grimm

Tulsa Established in 1976, Barrow and Grimm is a full-service firm known for commercial, civil, construction, surety, estate, employment and labor law. This year, one of the firm’s partners, Brad Heckenkemper, was reappointed to

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. Fifteen of its staﬀ have been named as Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, AV Preeminent Lawyers and Best Lawyers.

state but focuses on clients in central Oklahoma, oﬀers a blend of seasoned knowledge, fresh, young perspectives and strong academic credentials.

Calvert Law Firm

Hammons, Hurst & Associates

OKC Calvert, combining business acumen with legal knowledge, has long-term relationships with a broad base of individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. Calvert is also a resource for out-ofstate attorneys seeking co-counsel in Oklahoma’s trial and appellate courts.

Crowe and Dunlevy

OKC and Tulsa Since 1902, Crowe and Dunlevy has provided comprehensive legal services to clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies across the nation and the world. The firm, with headquarters in Oklahoma City and another oﬀice in Dallas, oﬀers counsel in nearly 30 practice areas.

Doerner Saunders Daniel and Anderson

OKC This firm represents workers who are the subjects of discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation, as well as employees who have been denied unemployment benefits or were wrongfully terminated. The firm also works diligently to redefine, expand and improve discrimination law statewide.

Jones Gotcher

Tulsa Jones Gotcher, in business for more than 50 years, has its lawyers participate in annual development programs. The 30-person firm is large enough to accept any assignment but small enough to deliver personal attention. The firm also stresses community involvement and charitable work.

Latham Steele Lehman

Tulsa Doerner is a diverse, sophisticated, down-to-earth firm in the civil matters it handles and in its personnel. Not a cookie-cutter company, the firm and its employees believe there is always more than one approach to a problem. The firm can handle cases in dozens of industries from aerospace to retail.

Tulsa For a “bet-the-company” case, a complicated financial transaction or a complex commercial matter, LSL lawyers have extensive trial experience (more than 300 jury trials). Its appellate team has participated in numerous published opinions in the state and federal courts of Oklahoma.

Echols and Associates

Mahaffey and Gore

OKC Echols has more than 75 years of combined attorney experience and represents clients in complex family law issues. The firm, which serves the entire

OKC Mahaﬀey and Gore oﬀers a variety of seasoned attorneys in energy law. The firm has focused on oil and natural gas law since its founding in 1980. It also

has clients needing help with general business, civil, product-liability and real-estate law.

McIntyre Law

OKC McIntyre serves clients who have suffered personal injuries as a result of the negligence of another. It is committed to improving the lives of individuals and leveling the playing field against unscrupulous companies. Owner Noble McIntyre focuses on drug litigation and catastrophic injury cases.

Smolen Law

Tulsa Nicknamed the Alpha Firm, Smolen takes cases involving motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic torts, insurance bad faith, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect and abuse, product liability, civil-rights violations, employment law, workers compensation and premises liability.

Stange Law Firm

Tulsa Stange, which also has 19 other oﬀices in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, focuses on family law. Founded in 2007, Stange has ranked as one of the fastest growing law firms in the United States by Law Firm 500. Stange encourages its attorneys to participate in community activities and charities.

Tawwater Law Firm

OKC Tawwater is a personal-injury firm that has represented and litigated on behalf of consumers and workers for more than 36 years in Oklahoma City. It represents the people of Oklahoma and never big businesses, insurance companies or those who injure fellow Oklahomans.

Manufacturing and industrial supply AAON

Tulsa The company began in 1988 with the acquisition of the heating-ventilationair conditioning division of John Zink Co. AAON engineers, manufactures, markets and commercially sells semicustom HVAC equipment. Its Tulsa oﬀice and manufacturing space total 1.51 million square feet and the company employs more than 2,000 people.

Advantage Controls

Muskogee This family-owned-and-operated enterprise, founded in 1994, serves the water-treatment industry locally and

globally. Advantage oﬀers a wide range of controllers, metering pumps and accessories. It takes calculated risks with testing and innovations, and has won numerous awards for innovation and customer service.

AG Equipment

Broken Arrow Founded in 1979 by Grady Ash, this fabrication and assembly firm is privately owned and has grown from five to 400plus employees. With clients around the world, AG builds compressor packages for gas-gathering, transmission, production, process, storage and instrument air applications.

Air Assurance

Broken Arrow Air Assurance began in 1985 with Mike and Narissa Rampey, and was joined in ownership by son David in 2003. The firm oﬀers full service heating, air conditioning, ventilation and plumbing in metropolitan Tulsa. Air Assurance contributes to many Broken Arrow and Tulsa charitable groups.

Airco Service

Langley, OKC and Tulsa Airco, the oﬀicial heating and air company for the OKC Thunder and Oklahoma Costco locations, also works on plumbing and electrical projects and problems. In 1961, John and Louise Boyce began Airco, which has more than 200 employees and oﬀers its services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ZEECO

Alfa Laval

Broken Arrow In June, this Swedish company opened its expanded spiral heat exchanger production unit in Broken Arrow. The unit is adjacent to the air-cooled heat exchanger production space. Together, this Welded Competence Center oﬀers customers access to high-eﬀiciency, heat exchanger expertise.

Boardman

OKC This fabrication company first opened its doors in 1910 as a tank and equipment manufacturer. By 1926, Boardman was the largest Oklahoma-based bridge builder; it also built firetrucks for nearly 70 years. Boardman serves the oil, natural gas, petrochemical, aviation, defense and other industries.

Callidus Environmental and Combustion Technologies

Tulsa Callidus, part of Honeywell UOP, has combustion and environmental solutions by providing: reduced practical emissions for any application; technology for increased eﬀiciency and yield; reduced time from investment to startup; and high-quality, globally sourced manufacturing.

CaptiveAire

OKC and Tulsa CaptiveAire, a national manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems, has integrated kitchen packages that include hoods, exhaust fans, electrical controls, direct-fired heaters, grease duct systems, fire suppression systems, grease filters and utility distribution systems.

Centek Group

OKC This global firm, with an oﬀice in Devon, England, specializes in centralizers, which give drilling teams 360-degree spaces around drill casings for applying cement or other completion materials. This year, Centek received another flawless audit by the American Petroleum Institute.

Dal-Tile

OKC and Tulsa For more than 70 years, Dal-Tile has been a leading manufacturer and distributor of ceramic, porcelain tile and natural stone. The company, known for creating trend-setting styles, is committed to sustainable, eco-friendly processes and practices.

Delco Electric

OKC This family-owned electrical contractor began in 1979. Among its projects in DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

Native American-owned Delaware is an aerospace defense contractor and integrates all training systems to provide critical services and logistics throughout the world. With more than 700 employees in more than 40 locations, Delaware supports Department of Defense and commercial projects.

Oklahoma City are a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, the Devon Boathouse, a Whole Foods Market, Frontier State Bank and the Avana Arts District apartments. It oﬀers a range of services, from engineering to design.

Enviro Clean

OKC Enviro Clean specializes in environmental field services, environmental consulting, civil engineering, surveying and aerial mapping, and proprietary products that provide solutions to complex problems in the public and private sectors. It has more than 150 employees in the Midwest and Southwest.

Ditch Witch

Perry The motto of this 70-year-old company is, “We bleed orange,” which is the signature color of its trenchers, drills, skid steers, fluid-management machines, vacuum excavators and other equipment. Ditch Witch is part of Charles Machine Works, a familyowned company with a global reach.

Fine Airport Parking

Tulsa Mike Fine began the company in 1983 with parking and short shuttle bus rides to nearby Tulsa International Airport. The facility now has five stories, more than 2,200 spaces and more than 90 employees. In 2001, Fine opened a detail shop to have cars cleaned while their owners are out of town.

Goodyear

Lawton This year, the tire manufacturer celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Lawton plant, the largest of the company’s North American facilities. About 2,800 people work at the mile-long plant, which covers nearly 3 million square feet. Its latest expansion was geared toward making 17-inch tires.

John Zink Hamworthy Combustion

Tulsa This long-time Tulsa company, now owned by Koch Industries, is a global leader in emissions-control and cleanair combustion systems. It specializes in burners, flares, flue gas treatment, gas recovery, landfill and biogas systems, thermal oxidizers, vapor control, heat transfer and other services.

Kimray

OKC In 1948, a start-up revolutionized pressure regulation in the energy industry with a 3-inch pilot-operated, backpressure regulator. Now, Kimray oﬀers a broad array of controllers, valves, pumps, relays and monitors, and is a three-time recipient of the Oklahoma Ethics Consortium’s Compass Award.

Kimberly-Clark

Jenks The paper mill makes Cottonelle and Scott bath tissue, and Scott and Viva towels. A $120 million, 270,000-squarefoot expansion, with completion expected in 2020, will produce Kleenex folded tissue and Scott bath tissue and add 50 jobs to the approximately 500 positions already there.

Oklahoma State University Foundation

CHICKASAW NATION

Matrix Service Co.

Tulsa Founded in 1984, Matrix Service Co. and its divisions design, build and maintain infrastructure critical to North America’s energy and industrial markets, including services for chemical and petrochemical plants, natural gas processing, tanks and terminals, and marine structures.

Oilfield Pipe and Supply

Dewey OPS, begun more than 30 years ago, handles tons of new and used steel, in plate, pipe and coil form. It features steel-rolled and welded pipe, from plate pipes for caisson work and steel casing pipe for road boring to piling pipe and pipe for water treatment plants. It also does demolition work.

T.D. Williamson

Tulsa A mainstay in pipeline performance, T.D. Williamson will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020. The namesake founder began an electrical contracting firm to serve the emerging petroleum industry with electric motors, generators and

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

other applications. The company focuses on its “three I’s”: integrity, interdependence and initiative.

Tulsa Plastics

Tulsa Tulsa Plastics was founded in 1941 to make plastic covers for household water coolers and quickly began making military parts during World War II. It has evolved into a state-of-the-art plastics fabricator for the aerospace, chemical, energy, food, retail, convenience store and other industries.

Zeeco

Broken Arrow For more than 40 years, Zeeco has engineered and manufactured ultra-low, nitrogen-oxide burners, gas and liquid flaring systems, thermal oxidizers, and equipment rentals. The privately held company has more than 1,000 employees at 20-plus locations and seven manufacturing plants worldwide.

Miscellaneous Delaware Resource Group OKC

Stillwater The foundation, the private fundraising organization for OSU, unites donor and university passions and priorities and exists for the benefit of the university. From scholarships to community programs, it provides educational opportunities to students, faculty, staﬀ, alumni and friends of OSU.

Senior Star

Tulsa In 1989, twin brothers Robert and William Thomas narrowed the mission of a successful real-estate services firm to focus solely on senior care and living. Senior Star has 15 communities with 2,200 apartments in seven states. Senior Star focuses on the holistic wellness needs of every resident.

United Parcel Service

Statewide UPS has freight service centers in Durant, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Woodward. UPS is the largest package delivery company in the world and a global leader in supply chain solutions. It delivers to and ships from more than 200 countries. UPS was founded in 1907 as a messenger company.

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Stan Johnson Co.

Real estate Century 21

Statewide Century 21 has 16 oﬀices across Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1972. For more than 30 years, Century 21 has partnered with Easter Seals to assist adults and children with disabilities lead eﬀicient, independent lives. In October, Mark Westphale took over as the company’s CEO.

Coldwell Banker

Statewide Coldwell Banker has 10 oﬀices across Oklahoma. Founded by young entrepreneurs Colbert Coldwell in 1906 and later Benjamin Banker, the company is the oldest and most established residential real estate franchise system in North America. It has 3,000 oﬀices in 49 countries and territories.

Keller Williams

Statewide Keller Williams, founded in 1983, has 25 oﬀices across Oklahoma. Keller Williams says it’s the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count with more than 1,000 oﬀices and 180,000 associates. In 2015, the company began its evolution into a technology company to enhance the real estate platform for both buyers and sellers.

McGraw Realtors

Tulsa Founded in 1938, McGraw is the largest independent real estate company in Oklahoma. It has oﬀices throughout Tulsa and Wagoner counties, along with Sapulpa and Grand Lake. It has more than 400 associates. It has alliances with AMC Mortgage, FirsTitle and Winfield Property Management.

Tulsa In addition to traditional real-estate transactions, Stan Johnson provides leasing solutions, investment sales, corporate finance advice, and expertise in deals involving the health-care, industrial, oﬀice-space and retail arenas. The Tulsa-based company has 13 other oﬀices across the United States.

Technology Paycom

OKC Paycom provides complete human management for companies in one application. The company oﬀers customized human-resource and payroll solutions to its clients to make those departments more eﬀicient so that they can focus on institutional goals. Paycom focuses on talent acquisition.

TMA Systems

Tulsa For 30-plus years, TMA has provided maintenance management software to clients. Utilizing WebTMA, the company’s flagship solution, organizations eﬀectively and eﬀiciently manage strategic assets. WebTMA uses input from more than 140,000 users that maintain more than 55,000 facilities.

Transportation American Airlines

Tulsa In terms of employment, 2019 brought significant increases for American’s maintenance hub: More than 500 jobs are being added to the 3.3 millionsquare-foot, 330-acre facility, where 5,200 people already work. American, the world’s largest airline, has its largest maintenance facility in Tulsa.

Melton Truck Lines

Tulsa Founded in 1954, Melton is a national

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leader in the trucking industry by employing more than 1,200 drivers. The company fosters an attitude and feeling of family unity with its employees. Melton’s fleet of Kenworth trucks serves customers from coast to coast, including Canada and Mexico.

Miller Truck Lines

Tulsa Miller Truck, begun in 1983, is familyowned and -operated. Founders James and Bonnie Miller know firsthand the challenges and sacrifices of sitting behind the wheel. Miller also has oﬀices and terminals in Norman, Stroud and Houston, and equipment yards in Oklahoma City and Houston.

Omni Air Transport

Tulsa Since 1983, this high-end charter specialist routinely garners awards for its record. Its fleet holds the top 1% of all flight safety accreditations. CEO Dan Burnstein himself has more than 10,000 flight hours. Omni flies four versions of Lear jets, with ranges between 1,500 miles and 2,300 miles.

Private Jets Inc.

Bethany Private Jets, successor to Oklahoma Executive Jet Charter and founded in 1987, flies Lears, Citations, Hawkers, Beechjets, Challengers and a Cirrus SR22. With bases in San Antonio, Austin and Sugar Land, Texas; and Naples and St. Augustine, Florida, it has Argus and Wyvern safety certifications.

TBS Factoring Service

OKC With more than 50 years of serving motor carriers, TBS uses technology to help drivers succeed and strives to be a leader in transportation-related services. TBS provides cash-flow solutions with simple freight bill factoring because it understands shrinking margins due to fuel costs, load rates and repairs.

Tribal enterprise Cherokee Nation Businesses

Catoosa Cherokee Nation Businesses, the economic engine of the largest tribe in the United States, employ 11,000 people, who work in gaming, hospitality, information technology, health care, personnel, manufacturing, distribution, telecommunications, security, defense and environmental services.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Chickasaw Nation

Ada In addition to its casinos and hotels, the Nation owns newspapers, radio stations, film-video production companies and a vast array of other businesses. ChickasawCountry.com promotes the 13 counties within the Nation’s boundaries for their natural beauty, culture, recreation and entertainment.

Choctaw Nation

Durant Choctaw Nation businesses, which include 18 casinos, generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually while fostering 6,000 jobs for tribal and non-tribal Oklahomans. Revenues from these endeavors support programs for tribal members that include health and senior care, education, housing and other social services.

Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Shawnee With more than 2,200 employees, Citizen Potawatomi Nation operates various enterprises, including First National Bank (with branches in Shawnee, Holdenville, Granite, Mangum and Lawton), the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort, FireLake Discount Foods and Community Development Corp.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation

Okmulgee The tribe’s Muscogee Nation Business Enterprise promotes the health, safety, education, well-being and economic advancement of its citizens. Its primary duty is to act as the Nation’s agency responsible for planning and operating business ventures, and funds from these ventures are used for social services, programs and economic development.

Osage Nation

Pawhuska The Osage LLC identifies and cultivates long-term, strategic partnerships that enhance the tribe’s eﬀectiveness, and expands the economic footprint of the Osage Nation. The Osage LLC supports the education, health and welfare of Osage people, in addition to providing ample job opportunities.

Seminole Nation

Wewoka The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma has casinos in Wewoka, Konawa and Seminole, along with several smoke shops and gasoline stations, and a truck stop, all of which generate revenues for education, housing, public transit and economic development of Seminole citizens.

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Getting By Carol Mowdy Bond

Across the State The holiday season is magical in Oklahoma because local businesses, arts companies, places of worship and community foundations put in the work to make it so. Here are ideas on what to see, where to go and how to lend a helping hand.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Planning and teamwork

Oklahomans work diligently well before the holidays to ensure festive activities and performances abound. One product of such teamwork is The Christmas Show, a Broadway-style production in Oklahoma City. “A year in advance, our music director and show director begin planning a new production,” says Susan Webb with the OKC Philharmonic. “It takes people with many skill sets, and the high quality work is performed by local, high-caliber talent. Following the performance, I love to bake and slow down a bit.” Jo Lynne Jones, executive director of the Oklahoma City Ballet, concurs that it’s a team effort to get holiday performances off the ground. “OKC Ballet’s artist director choreographed our version of The Nutcracker,” she says. “There is also a production team, plus musicians, costumers, box office support, marketing and all the talented children involved. ‘The Waltz of the Snowflakes’ is magical for me. This year we are building a Christmas tree made of pointe shoes. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.” The entire OKC Paseo District also gets into the spirit. “[We trim] the light poles with garlands; shop owners decorate their store fronts; and we have nine reindeer decorated by artists that families can look for throughout the district,” says Amanda Bleakley, president of the Paseo Arts Association. “We have a warm clothes drive for the Homeless Alliance through December with an Amazon wish list set up. Visit thepaseo.org/support. Simple things like gloves and hats save lives during winter.” Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of A Christmas Carol has become one of OKC’s favorite traditions. “There’s a sense of community about the production; Dickens’ story is important to share, and often we find this marks the first theatrical experience for children,” says Michael Bratcher-Magallanez, Lyric’s audience services and public relations manager. “Audiences are invited to contribute to the Regional Food Bank of

Oklahoma. The past eight years, patrons donated over $150,000. The cast, crew and staff have become a family, which makes this time of year special.” On the eastern side of the state, Muskogee’s Harmony House Café and Bakery, located in a 100-year-old house (with lunch served daily), has received Southern Living magazine’s award for Oklahoma’s Best Cookie. “We decorate during the holidays, which are fun for us,” owner Mandy Scott says. “We have great bakers that get to show off their artistic skills. A few special holiday items we offer are cranberry spice tea, decorated gingerbread cookies, and pumpkin and banana nut bread to go with our year-round goodies, like our clover dinner rolls.” Back in Oklahoma County, Bob Benham, owner of Balliet’s in Nichols Hills, keeps the clothing store festive “by having holiday decorations up before Thanksgiving. Vendors do trunk shows. We serve Christmas cookies and cider, and play Christmas music. More men than usual shop during the holidays.”

▲ HARMONY HOUSE CAFE AND BAKERY IN MUSKOGEE RECENTLY WON THE OKLAHOMA’S BEST COOKIE AWARD FROM SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE. PHOTO COURTESY HARMONY HOUSE CAFE AND BAKERY

OKC BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER IS A HOLIDAY FAVORITE. PHOTO BY KATE LUBER PHOTOGRAPHY

DECEMBER 2019| WWW.OKMAG.COM

The weather outside is …

... cold with a good chance of snow. Although Oklahoma weather is just about as fickle as it comes, KJRH Channel 2 chief meteorologist Mike Collier predicts that “we will have a colder Christmas time. We have about 9 inches of snow per season and we’ll get that this year.” So get out your snow gear and prepare for some precipitation. But when can we expect it? “We’ll see a lot of snow up front in December and early January, and begin to wane as we go into February,” says Collier. Perhaps it will be a white Christmas after all.

Holiday movies at home • Home Alone • Miracle on 34th Street • It’s a Wonderful Life • A Christmas Story • Elf

• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

• White Christmas • The Santa Clause • The Polar Express • How the Grinch Stole Christmas

These movies can be found on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Boomerang, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, NetFlix, YouTube and other streaming platforms.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

ALL SOULS UNITARIA N CHURCH VARIETY O OFFERS A F HOLIDAY THEMED E VENTS DURIN PHOTO BY G THE SE ASO JIM GILLIS N. PIE CO AL URTE ITARIAN CH SY URCH

L SOULS UN

Faith-based Giving Numerous places of worship around the state get into the giving spirit with entertainment and philanthropic efforts that you can join. Rabbi Michael Weinstein says Tulsa’s Temple Israel “has a relationship with Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. During Jewish High Holy Days, Temple Israel raised over $57,000 for the Food Bank, along with 1,500 pounds of food.” He adds that the temple has ongoing non-perishable food available. On Dec. 20, the congregation presents the Jammin’ with Judah musical for its Hanukkah Shabbat service. Following is dinner with traditional festive foods, such as potato latkes with sour cream and apple sauce. On Dec. 22 is its ShalomFest First Night of Hanukkah celebration. On Christmas Eve, the temple serves dinner at Tulsa’s Day Center. OKC’s Metropolitan Bible Church has served as a central drop-off point for Operation Christmas Child for ﬁve years, senior pastor John Frawley says. “We load several semi-trailers for distribution around the world,” he says. “Our tradition of telling the Christmas story through song is Dec. 8 at our Christmas Sampler. We also emphasize key biblical concepts of

hope in our Advent series, each Sunday from Dec. 1 to Dec. 22.” Jon Mays, director of local partnerships for Life Church, says the group’s statewide locations have partnered with Tulsa Boys’ Home, OKC Dream Center and City Care to provide food, coats and gifts to those in need. The Rev. Anthony Scott says Tulsa’s First Baptist Church North gives annual college scholarships to its students, and provides lunch, a program and gifts for Jordan Plaza, a senior housing venue. At OKC’s St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral, festivities begin with Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration on Dec. 12, including a mariachi serenade, mass and dinner, secretary Sonia Estrada says. “Nightly from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24, we have the Posadas celebrating the Christmas story, including food, music and piñatas,” she says. Tulsa’s All Souls Unitarian Church, according to communications manager Bonita James, “kicks off the season Dec. 2 with tree trimming and hanging of the greens, canned goods collected for the food pantry, and dinner. Dec. 11 is a holiday memorial chapel, honoring loved ones who have passed. Our Dec. 15 holiday concert features all our choirs.”

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A Helping Hand

Charitable organizations need your help and efforts during the holidays. The Rev. Steve Whitaker, CEO of Tulsa’s John 3:16 Mission, says the homeless community’s needs keep increasing. “Now is the time to make an impact,” he says. “Imagine being under a bridge on Christmas Eve, shivering and hungry. Support the charitable organization of your choice. Every day, we’re serving nearly 600 meals and providing overnight shelter for over 100 people. The mission has an abundance of volunteer opportunities.” Visit john316mission.org or call 918-587-1186 for information on how to help. The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma command has an easy way to get involved. “Take an angel off our Angel Trees at Penn Square Mall,

THE SALVATION ARMY IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS ... BUT ESPECIALLY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. PHOTO COURTESY THE SALVATION ARMY

Quail Springs Mall and Sooner Mall and fulﬁll the needs of the angel,” says Traci Jinkens, development coordinator. For other volunteer opportunities, call Liz Banks at 405246-1107 or email liz.banks@ uss.salvationarmy.org. Dan Straughan, executive director of OKC’s Homeless Alliance, says donors can adopt families during the season. “We also do a party for our day shelter guests, supported by donations of winter hats, gloves, hand warmers, blankets and hygiene items,” he says. “I’d suggest folks check with their local United Way, their faith home, or call 2-1-1 to ﬁnd out what’s going on in your community. Shelters provide Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for clients. OKC has the annual Red Andrews Dinner. Volunteers are needed for all of them.”

Town Celebrations Claremore West Bend Winterland Dec. 2-31 Expo Center The West Bend Winterland oﬀers a 65-foot Christmas tree, ice skating and visits from Santa. visitclaremore.org/240/west-bendwinterland

Guthrie’s Territorial Christmas Through Dec. 14 Downtown Territorial Christmas includes tours of Guthrie’s most distinctive homes and buildings, plus themed walks around Guthrie’s main street. guthriesterritorialchristmas.com

Durant Christmas Parade Dec. 3 Downtown Bundle up and visit Main Street Durant. The theme of this year’s parade is “Who’s Holiday: How Durant Stole Christmas.” durantchamber.org/events

Chickasaw Nation’s Holiday Events Through Dec. 31 Ada, Sulphur, Ardmore, Tishomingo and Oklahoma City Themed movies nights, children’s events, light displays and an art market await. chickasawcountry.com

Cherokee Nation’s Christmas on the Square Dec. 13 Cherokee National History Museum, Tahlequah Explore the museum, enjoy free cookies and hot chocolate, take photos with Santa and listen to carols. visitcherokeenation.com

Chickasha Festival of Light Through Dec. 31 2400 S. Ninth St. Explore 43 acres of lights or visit the ice skating rink. chickashafestivaloflight.org Elk City Christmas in the Park Through Dec. 31 Ackley Park Jump on the Mistletoe Express to enjoy millions of lights in Ackley Park. visitelkcity.com

’Tis the season with the mayor

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum kicks off the holidays with “the LaFortune family Thanksgiving celebration, which started in the 1950s with 10 adults. Today, we usually have around 100 people from all over the country. It’s so many people that we use LaFortune Park, named after my greatgrandfather. It is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with family.” WHAT STARTED AS AN INTIMATE HOLIDAY CELEBRATION IN THE LAFORTUNE FAMILY HAS BLOSSOMED INTO A 100+ PEOPLE EVENT AT LAFORTUNE PARK. PHOTOS COURTESY G.T. BYNUM

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

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

‘All the World’s a Stage’

By Brian Wilson

Brian Presley has taken lessons from his days as a Jenks football star to the big screen with his company, P12 Films.

BRIAN PRESLEY AND HIS WOLF-DOG HYBRID, OOTEK, TAKE IN THE SCENERY OUTSIDE DURANGO, COLORADO. PHOTO COURTESY P12 FILMS

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

aques, in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, isn’t a football player, but his most famous monologue could apply to gridiron standouts ﬁnding glory in other arenas. “All the world’s a stage … and one man in his time plays many parts,” the French nobleman says in Act II of one of The Bard’s greatest comedies. Over the decades, some American football stars have followed that axiom with success as Hollywood actors: Mark Harmon and Dewayne “The Rock” Johnson today; Alex Karras, Fred Dryer and Carl Weathers from yesteryear. Brian Presley, a state champion quarterback at Jenks High School, is part of that troupe

of athletes trading one costume … er, uh … uniform for another. The 1996 graduate sang in the choir and trod the boards in many theatrical performances … even while leading the Trojans to the Class 6A title in 1993. “I was always drawn to acting in school,” says Presley, whose latest ﬁlm, The Great Alaskan Race, premiered in October. “I was fortunate [because] I’d leave football practice and go to musical practice. It’s a different platform but still a platform for performance.” Presley writes, directs, produces and acts in movies made by his company, P12 Films. His next project, The Orphan Train, is in post-production and will be released in 2020. He makes frequent trips to Oklahoma to promote his

DECEMBER 2019| WWW.OKMAG.COM

LEFT: BRIAN PRESLEY, EMMA PRESLEY AND BREA BEE ACT ON THE SET OF THE GREAT ALASKAN RACE IN SILVERTON, COLORADO. BELOW LEFT: IN OTHER SCENES FROM THE GREAT ALASKAN RACE ARE HENRY THOMAS, TREAT WILLIAMS, BRAD LELAND, BRIAN PRESLEY AND EMMA PRESLEY. PHOTOS COURTESY P12 FILMS

films, speak with students and visit his parents, Darla and Dave, who still live in Jenks. Whether he’s capturing the drama of the diphtheria antitoxin run by Alaskan sled dogs in 1925 or depicting a Civil War veteran searching for his children, Presley sees making a movie in football terms – teamwork, assignments, specific roles, camaraderie, sacrifice, intensity and learning new positions. “Football is the backbone for my discipline in the movie business and surviving the down times,” says Presley, who’s lived in Los Angeles for 22 years. “Hollywood is tough; it’ll chew you up and spit you out. You have to persevere, just like in football.” P12 symbolizes Presley’s name and the number he wore as quarterback and “it always reminds me of the fourth quarter of a game and you want to win it,” he says. Of the multiple hats he wears during a production, Presley says he prefers creating a film more than acting in it. “I like storytelling, crafting the story,” he says. “That’s what I have a passion about.” In The Great Alaskan Race and The Orphan Train, Presley screened, cast and directed his children in parts that he wrote. His middle child, 10-year-old Emma, is in both movies and has a significant supporting role in the sled-dog film. “It was a magical experience,” Presley says of their days on location in the Colorado Rockies at Silverton. “I auditioned a lot of kids and she knocked it out of the park. It was special to make a movie with my own daughter.” He says directing Emma didn’t expose any father-daughter tensions “because she’s seen me coach her brother’s football team, so she knows how the drill goes. But there was one time when she and I were on the dog sled and it tipped over. She wasn’t happy with me then.” That brother, nearly 13-year-old Jack, and the youngest Presley, 6-year-old Ruby Rose, will appear with Emma and their dad in The Orphan Train, in which “a father comes back from the Civil War and discovers that his wife has died and his children have been put in the foster-care system and taken out West,” Presley says.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Presley, through P12 Films, stresses community involvement. With The Great Alaskan Race, “we give about 1% of our distribution fees to five nonprofits. With the next film, we want to do more. We want to be a light in a dark place.” With The Great Alaskan Race, Presley spotlights two figures – musher Leonhard “Sepp” Seppala and his lead Siberian husky, Togo – not featured in 1995’s Balto, a Disney animated feature about sled dogs taking 300,000 units of antitoxin from Nenana to Nome during a diphtheria epidemic. Balto, memorialized in a statue in New York’s Central Park, led his team on the final leg into Nome. However, Seppala and Togo covered more than twice as many miles (170) as any other sled team during the 674-mile trek, which became known as the Great Race for Mercy. The journey is commemorated with the annual Iditarod, a 938mile sled-dog race from Anchorage to Nome. Togo’s stuffed body is displayed at the Iditarod Trail Headquarters Museum in Wasilla, Alaska. An annual humanitarian award named for Seppala is given to those who excel in the care of sled dogs. “I wanted to tell the story through Sepp’s point of view,” Presley says. “He and Togo, who was 12 years old and past his prime as a sled dog, are the forgotten heroes. They had the most captivating part of the story.” Comparing Seppala’s favorite dog to an NFL Hall of Famer who came back twice out of retirement, Presley says: “Togo was the Brett Favre of mushing. Togo was in his prime in 1917 and the best dog then, but the epidemic broke out in 1925. He had one last race in him.” Presley’s film, in a sense, won a race with Disney, which will release Togo, starring Willem Dafoe, in 2020. “We knew we were first into production and felt a little pressure to get it done first,” Presley says. “Our film is character-driven and tugs on the heart strings. “People want more movies like this. And you can support nonprofits in the process. We can all help one another, and movies are a big platform to do that.”

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

If you only experience depressive symptoms during this time of year, it could be related to seasonal affective disorder or SAD. Symptoms may AMY KESNER include: feeling depressed most of the PHD, LPC, LADC/MH day, nearly every day; losing interest in activities previously enjoyed; low energy; problems with sleeping; changes in your appetite or weight; feeling sluggish or agitated; difﬁculty concentrating; and feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty. Causes of seasonal affective disorder remains unknown, but a factor may include reduced levels of sunlight in fall and winter that disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression. Decreased sunlight can also lead to less serotonin creation, a brain chemical that affects mood. Disruption in the balance of the body’s level of melatonin also plays a role in sleep patterns and mood. Treatment includes light therapy (phototherapy), talk therapy and medications.

Amy Kesner, PhD, LPC, LADC/MH Neurofit at Recovery In Oklahoma 4835 S. Fulton Ave Suite 100, Tulsa, OK 74135 918.591.3071 amy.kesner@recnok.com www.recnok.com

LEGAL SERVICES What are the laws in Oklahoma regarding disabled or emergency vehicles on the side of the road? The driver of a motor vehicle, when approaching a stationary emergency vehicle, law enforcement vehicle, Department of Transportation or Turnpike Authority maintenance BRAD BEASLEY vehicle, wrecker or any other stationary vehicle displaying ﬂashing lights, shall, if on a highway with four or more lanes, and if safe to do so, change lanes into a lane not adjacent to the stationary vehicle on the side of the road. If it is not safe to change lanes, or if traveling on a two-lane highway, the driver shall proceed with caution and reduce to a safe speed with regard to the road, weather and trafﬁc conditions. This law was amended, effective Nov. 1, 2019, to include all vehicles and not just emergency, maintenance and law enforcement vehicles and wreckers.

Bradley K. Beasley Boesche McDermott LLP 110 W. 7th St., Suite 900 Tulsa, OK 74119 918.858.1735 (Direct Dial) 918.583.1777 telephone 918.592.5809 facsimile

The Federal Reserve serves as the nation’s central bank and is accountable to Congress. It provides oversight of banking services and establishes monetary policy. Here are five ways the Federal Reserve impacts you: 1. The Open Market Committee sets the fedDAVID KARIMIAN CFP®, CRPC®, APMA® eral funds interest rate – a rate charged when banks borrow and lend funds from one another. If the Fed changes interest rates, a similar trend will follow for other types of borrowing. 2. The Fed tries to manage the inflation rate for the cost of living and has succeeded in maintaining that in recent years. 3. The Fed attempts to attain “full employment,” an environment where most who are seeking work can find it. The Fed manages monetary policy to create favorable conditions so employers can hire more people. 4. The Fed’s monetary policy stances, including interest rate policies, are closely watched, particularly by investment professionals. Stock and bond markets can fluctuate depending on expectations of Fed actions. 5. Banks will adjust the rates they pay for certificates of deposit (CDs) or interestbearing accounts based on the Fed’s interest rate policy.

David Karimian, CFP®, CRPC®, APMA® Prime Wealth Management A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial 7712 S. Yale Ave. Suite 240 Tulsa, OK 74136 918.388.2009 • David.x.Karimian@ampf.com www.primewealthmgmt.com

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST For years now, I have heard of your Christmas sale. Can you tell me more? Our ninth annual 12 Days of Christmas Sale is the best time of the year to stock up and save on all of your favorite products and procedures. During the month of December, all of our patients’ MALISSA SPACEK favorites are heavily discounted, more than any other time of the year. With unlimited pre-purchasing available, it gives you the opportunity to buy now while they are on sale and use them throughout the new year. This year’s features include: Botox®, Juvederm®, Voluma®, Bellaﬁll®, Emsculpt®, HCG, B12 and B-Complex injections, Coolsculpting®, permanent makeup and much more! To ﬁnd out more about this special and to schedule your consultation, call us today at 918-872-9999.

Dr. James R. Campbell D.O. and Malissa Spacek, Founder BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center 510 N. Elm Place Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012 918.872.9999 www.baweightspa.com Views expressed in the Professionals do not necessarily represent the views of Oklahoma Magazine, Schuman Publishing Co. or its affiliates.

Taste

F O O D, D R I N K A N D O T H E R P L E A S U R E S

It’s All Alfred A one-man kitchen fuels a Mediterranean restaurant that provides southeast Tulsa with a hole-in-the-wall gem.

ALFRED’S OFFERS A VARIETY OF MEDITERRANEAN DISHES INCLUDING KABOBS, SANGAK AND SABZI. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

o south on Tulsa’s Mingo Road, and, after you pass Gardner’s Used Books, it’s nothing but ﬂat land, train tracks and sprawling factories. At lunch time, workers from those businesses stream into a tiny restaurant in a small strip mall between the Carousel Lounge and the Spaded and Jaded Tattoo parlor. A few years ago, this place was

Porky’s Kitchen (its slogan: “A working man’s burger joint”). Today, it’s Alfred’s Mediterranean Grill. Its ﬁve or six tables are always packed at lunch, and, in the tiny kitchen next door, Alfred Lazar is in constant motion. He moves from refrigerator to counter, skewers tomatoes, takes phone orders, shapes kebabs and mans the grill with balletic grace.

“I do everything myself,” says Lazar, who also sells a variety of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern goods on small grocery shelves in the store. “I don’t like anyone else touching my cooking. Once in a while, I’ll hire someone for a few hours to wash dishes.” He studied to be an engineer and uses that training to organize his work. DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

Taste

“I do a lot of catering,” he says. “I once did an order for 80 people all by myself, and I delivered it on time.” He pulls out a photo of a long line of kebabs cooking, and, next to them, skewers of vegetables, all placed efﬁciently. He’s proud of his work, and he should be. Those kebabs are koobideh, Iranian ground beef skewers, which are notoriously difﬁcult to make. “It took me four years to learn to make them right,” he says. “You must have the right proportions of ingredients or the kebab will fall apart. Lazy people put in baking soda to make them hold together, but it doesn’t taste right. “I use nothing but ground beef, onions and salt. I can make one kebab a minute and I’m famous for footlong kebabs. But please don’t tell people how good my koobideh are – they are too much work to make and my hands are sore already.” A customer and friend – a rotund, jovial professor of computer engineering who has stopped by for a snack – cuts in and says: “Don’t worry. He really wants you to tell people.” Lazar doesn’t joke about the work. He starts at 7 a.m. and makes yogurt and hummus fresh every day. He makes fresh TOP: ALFRED’S SPECIALITIES ARE KABOBS, WHICH COME WITH SIDE CHOICES, INCLUDING RICE, PITA, YOGURT, HUMMUS AND TABBOULEH. ABOVE LEFT: ALFRED LAZAR EXPERTLY OPERATES A ONE-MAN KITCHEN. LEFT: ALONG WITH AUTHENTIC EATS, ALFRED’S ALSO SELLS A VARIETY OF MEDITERRANEAN/ MIDDLE EASTERN HERBS, SPICES AND OTHER FOOD ITEMS. PHOTOS BY JOSH NEW

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

tabbouleh every few hours. And it’s not fast food – each kebab is made after the customer orders, and it takes about 20 minutes. (You can phone in your orders in advance.) His customers, the ones who used to go to Porky’s, accept the wait. They’ve learned to love the food, and this makes Lazar gleam. “At first, I sold mostly cheeseburgers, but after a while people changed their orders,” he says. “First they’d try the gyros, then the kebabs. American people love my chicken kebabs. I use thigh meat, flavor it with lemons. It’s so juicy.” Even the burgers and fries are special. “I use the same meat as the kebabs and I change the oil frequently in the fryer,” he says. Lazar has always loved and been fascinated by cooking. “Even in baby time, I started cooking,” he says, and then apologizes for his rare error in diction. “I speak Arabic, Turkish, Armenian and, of course, Farsi, but English is so difficult.” Lazar grew up in Tehran, Iran, and learned to cook by helping his mother and his maternal grandmother. “We used to have meals for the whole family – uncles, cousins, everyone,” he says. “In the Middle East, families are always coming together to sit and talk and eat.” He wryly adds, “But in America, that’s only on Thanksgiving.” He uses his grandmother’s recipes today. “The first time I cooked by myself, I was 9 years old,” he says. “My mother was sick and I made chelo rice. I made it correctly and I was so proud.” Chelo rice is not easy to make, and, in Iranian cooking, special care is taken with it. Varieties are used that one can’t find in America, and the rice is soaked, boiled and then steamed. “Sometimes I take shortcuts when we’re busy,” Lazar says, “but I bet you can’t tell the difference.” Lazar left Iran 14 years ago. After a three-year wait in Turkey, he was accepted as a refugee and came to Tulsa. He’s a proud U.S. citizen. He studied to be an agricultural engineer, but he can’t practice that profession in the United States without re-doing all his university work. “I had always liked cooking,” he says, “but it was not the profession I wanted to pursue. But in Tulsa, I had the opportunity.” As many people before him have done, he managed to build from necessity a life that gives him pride and satisfaction. BRIAN SCHWARTZ

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Taste

C H E F C H AT

A Refreshing Change of Space

ABOVE: CHEF DE CUISINE SHANNON GOFORTH PRESENTS HER POPULAR PARISIAN GNOCCHI. BELOW: THE PARISIAN GNOCCHI IS A HOUSE SPECIALITY AT LUDIVINE, WITH JUST A FEW INGREDIENTS – BUTTER, FLOUR, EGGS, WATER, HERBS AND OLIVE OIL. PHOTOS BY BRENT FUCHS

TO SEE CHEF GOFORTH’S RECIPE FOR PARISIAN GNOCCHI, VISIT OKMAG.COM/

GOFORTH

klahoma City’s beloved Ludivine raised stakes from its original north Hudson Avenue location in April and relocated to a swanky, remodeled mid-century structure in the heart of OKC’s midtown. Chef de cuisine Shannon Goforth moved with the restaurant and enjoys the new digs and increased trafﬁc, along with welcoming additional clientele to the Ludivine family. “It was a little harder at the original space,” Goforth says. “We were kind of tucked in off the street – parking was a challenge and [there

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

Shannon Goforth uses Ludivine’s new midtown OKC location to welcome additional patrons into the restaurant’s family. was] no real outdoor patio vibe. Here, we have greater exposure on a busy street in the middle of midtown. I love it.” Goforth’s path to Ludivine was like that of many other chefs – earning stripes through education and experience. An Edmond native and University of Arkansas graduate, Goforth set her sites on the state of New York and the Culinary Institute of America. During an externship at The Hil On The Hill by chef Hilary White in Georgia, Goforth learned how to build a robust, confident team. “My biggest challenge with the move, and finding my way as chef de cuisine, was building my team,” Goforth says. “I have that now and [am] pretty happy with this kitchen. Russ [Johnson, chef and owner of Ludivine] was a big help with that, too.” When Goforth found her way back to the 405, she worked her way through some heavy-hitting dining spots – Vast, Flint and Oak Tree Country Club – before finding her home at Ludivine. “I started at Ludivine five years ago and have really learned a lot working with Russ,” she says. “I’ll

come up with ideas and run them by him, or go foraging through the walk-in, seeing what he’s brought in, asking if I can use it. He’s been a great mentor.” With the holidays, Goforth and her power team tackle the seasonal rush. Ludivine has reprised its beloved A Christmas Carol dinner, inspired by the Charles Dickens novel. The fourcourse setting sold out last year, and Goforth plans for the same this year. “It was so much fun,” Goforth says. “Russ likes a lot of the old school approach to food, so we’ll have some classic holiday items, some with a twist.” As for ﬁggy pudding, Goforth laughs. “I’m sure there will be; we did it last year,” she says. “In fact, when we were playing around with the idea, Russ had an old recipe for ﬁggy pudding, one that we made months ahead of time. We kept it in the walk-in and had to feed it every so often with rum.” If you are in Oklahoma City or plan to visit in mid-December, check out Ludivine’s website (ludivineokc. com) for reservations. Goforth and her team will expect you. SCOTTY IRANI

ALBERT G’S BARBECUE

BACK PORCH DRAFT HOUSE

Back Porch Draft House, with two locations in Lawton, promises to be the “cure for what ales you.” Appetizers include the Real Deal Nacho with house-fried corn chips, house specialty queso, green onions, pickled jalapeños, pico de gallo and Back Porch charred salsa with a choice of brisket, pork or chicken. Burger favorites include the Urban Cowboy on a butter-toasted brioche bun with Jack Daniel’s whiskey glaze, bacon, sharp cheddar, caramelized red onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and secret sauce. Create a burger masterpiece with choices that include shaved ham, hickorysmoked pulled pork, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, crispy fried onion strings, bacon, queso, fried egg, Red River chili or brisket. 1925 W. Gore Blvd.; 5370 N.W. Cache Road, Suite 1; Lawton; bpdrafthouse.com

PHOTO COURTESY NAPOLI’S

Albert G’s Barbecue has slow-smoked tasty barbecue and made side dishes from scratch since 1992. With two Tulsa locations, meat lovers can choose lunch, dinner and carry-out favorites, including the Route 66 Nachos, a concoction of tortilla chips smothered in white queso, topped with either chopped brisket or pulled pork, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions and jalapeños with salsa on the side. Other can’t-miss choices are smoked chicken wings with housemade “roughneck” sauce. House specialties include the Sweet G’s Potato, a large sweet potato loaded with butter, brown sugar and sour cream, topped with chopped brisket, pulled pork or hickory bacon chunks. 2748 S. Harvard Ave.; 421 E. First Street; Tulsa; albertgs.com

PHOTO COURTESY BACK PORCH DRAFT HOUSE

TA S T Y T I D B I T S

PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

NAPOLI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Napoli’s Italian Restaurant beckons diners to downtown Enid in a historic building where ambiance and award-winning cuisine mingle to create a memorable dining experience. Lunch, dinner, wine and a full bar are available with a menu boasting time-tested recipes and prepared by chefs with more than a decade of experience. With music and sports television for entertainment, Napoli’s is also known for its kid-friendly staﬀ and child-approved menu. In addition to classic dishes and craft cocktails, be sure to leave room for world class desserts like tiramisu, cannoli, a variety of cheesecakes and the truly Italian Limoncello Mascarpone. 225 S. Grand Ave., Enid; napolisofenid.com

HOPSCOTCH BAR AND KITCHEN

PHOTO COURTESY HOPSCOTCH OKC

For lunch, happy hour, dinner and late-night snacks in Oklahoma City, check out Hopscotch Bar and Kitchen, where you’ll ﬁnd fun ways to work up an appetite with billiards, dart boards and patio games. Appetizers include cherry wood-smoked salmon with toasted crostini, dill cream cheese, red onions, capers and cornichon sweet pickles. Entrée choices include from-scratch chicken pot pie, burgers. wings. Specialties include lamb chop lollipops with red wine reduction and a side of mashed potatoes and a 14-ounce prime ribeye with herb mushrooms in a red wine demi-glace and a large side of mashed potatoes. With craft cocktails and large selection of wine and beer, beverage choices are vast. 10909 N. May Ave., OKC; hopscotchokc.com DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

Where & When

G R E AT T H I N G S TO D O I N O K L A H O M A

State Greats Share a Stage Kristin Chenoweth and Sandi Patty converge at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center for a holiday performance.

OKLAHOMA NATIVE KRISTIN CHENOWETH RETURNS TO BROKEN ARROW IN DECEMBER FOR A FESTIVE PERFORMANCE.

PHOTO COURTESY BROKEN ARROW PAC

illed as a “powerhouse duo for the ages,” Oklahoma natives Sandi Patty and Kristin Chenoweth take the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 in a presentation of yuletide carols and classics. “It is astounding that these two have never been in concert together, and that these two Oklahoma natives and award-winning artists will be side by side here in Kristin’s hometown of Broken Arrow,” says Kim Vento, the center’s executive director. ArtsOK: Regional Arts Alliance

of Broken Arrow presents the show, entitled Kristin Chenoweth and Sandi Patty Christmas. Foundation president Mark Frie had the inspiration to approach Patty, the famous soprano known worldwide as “the Voice,” and Chenoweth, the movie and Broadway star, to see if they would perform together, Vento says. “For Kristin, Sandy was an icon and inspiration for her when she was growing up, so she is very excited and honored to perform with her,” Vento says. In 2012, Chenoweth joined with the Broken Arrow PAC Foundation

to create the Kristin Chenoweth Theatre and the Kristin Chenoweth Arts and Entertainment Fund. This alliance was born in both celebration and recognition of Chenoweth’s vision to elevate the arts in young lives via immersion in the performing arts, arts boot camps, workshops, educational outreach, master classes, visiting artists and other services and arts opportunities. The Broken Arrow PAC, on the south end of the Rose District, is an easy walk from many nearby restaurants. TRACY LEGRAND

DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

101

PERFORMANCE

EPIC LOVE AND YULE TIDINGS

The holiday spirit abounds in December. Tulsa Ballet oﬀers the timeless magic of The Nutcracker from Dec. 7 to 22 at the Tulsa PAC. Signature Symphony spotlights Tulsa Sings! winner Sam Briggs and the Signature Chorale in Pops: Christmas in Tulsa at Tulsa Community College’s Van Trease PACE on Dec. 13 and 14. Celebrity Attractions brings the stirring romance of Miss Saigon to the Tulsa PAC from Dec. 31 to Jan. 5. In OKC, join Scrooge and his ghosts in the magical Lyric Theatre’s A Christmas Carol at Lyric at the Plaza from Nov. 29 to Dec. 24. Watch Santa, the Pops Chorale and Broadway star Max von Essen perform for OKC Philharmonic’s Pops: The Christmas Show from Dec. 5 to 7 at Civic Center Music Hall. Devon Energy and OKC Ballet present The Nutcracker in all its yule glory at the Civic Center Music Hall on Dec. 14-15 and 20-22.

PHOTO COURTESY TULSA BALLET

Where & When

READY FOR AN EXCITING DECEMBER? READ ON FOR OUR TOP CHOICES THIS MONTH.

TULSA BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER PHOTO COURTESY DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY PARTNERSHIP

2 DOWNTOWN IN DECEMBER

IN TULSA PERFORMANCES BROWN BAG IT: TULSA

FESTIVAL RINGERS Dec. 4 Tulsa PAC The Brown Bag It free noontime concert series at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center happens the first Wednesday of the month.

tulsapac.com

CHRISTMAS WITH THE PETERSENS Dec. 7 Tulsa

PAC The Petersens are an

award-winning bluegrass band in their ninth season of shows. tulsapac.com

TULSA BALLET PRESENTS: THE NUTCRACKER Dec. 7-22

Tulsa PAC Set in 1920s Paris,

the birthplace of classical ballet, Marcello Angelini’s vision of The Nutcracker has been a Tulsa favorite since 2003. tulsaballet.org

AMERICAN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Dec.

12-23 Tulsa PAC Robert

Odle and Richard Averill’s

102

musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved novella about the joy of giving has been a Tulsa tradition for more than 40 years.

americantheatrecompany.org

SIGNATURE SYMPHONY PRESENTS: POPS – CHRISTMAS IN TULSA Dec. 13-14 TCC Van Trease PACE

Kick off the holiday season with the annual Christmas in Tulsa concert featuring holiday favorites performed by Sam Briggs, winner of the 2019 Tulsa Sings! competition, and the Signature Chorale.

signaturesymphony.org

A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS Dec. 18 Brady Theater Enjoy a magical (and hilarious) evening of holiday performances featuring contestants from the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race. bradytheater.com

BRENDAN SCHAUB Dec. 28

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Brendan Schaub is an

American stand up comic, podcast host, TV personality

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

COMMUNIT Y

LIGHTS, NOSTALGIA, NATURE

Enjoy music, Santa sightings and merriment at Tulsa Botanic Garden’s natural Wonderland, Garden of Lights through Jan. 5. Philbrook Museum and its illustrious gardens are decked out for Philbrook Festival through Dec. 31 with Santa, train rides, a Lego village, interactive games, live music and shopping. The month dazzles in Oklahoma City with Downtown in December, an extravaganza replete with ice skating, a holiday run, a free water-taxi and performing arts. The ﬁfth annual Red Earth Treefest, from Dec. 4 to 13 at the Oklahoma State University-OKC Student Center, features dozens of Christmas trees decorated by tribal members. Carol and mingle in Guthrie’s Downtown Historic District at the Victorian Walk on Dec. 7 and 14. The Chickasha Festival of Lights runs through Dec. 31 with ice skating, carriage rides, food trucks, a Ferris wheel and light displays.

and retired mixed martial artist based out of Los Angeles.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com PAW PATROL LIVE Dec. 28-30 BOK Center Don’t

miss your chance to see all your favorite pups in Tulsa. bokcenter.com

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS PRESENTS: MISS SAIGON Dec. 31-Jan. 5 Tulsa PAC

Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical Miss Saigon.

celebrityattractions.com

CONCERTS TRAVIS TRITT Dec. 5 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa

Travis Tritt first stepped on the country scene with his 1990 platinum debut Country Club, and he’s been rockin’ ever since.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com HAYES CARLL Dec. 6 Cain’s Ballroom Enjoy this

indie crooner at Cain’s.

cainsballroom.com

CODY JOHNSON AND FRIENDS Dec. 7 BOK

Center Texas native Cody Johnson returns to BOK Center with some of his closest country friends including Joe Diffie, The Steel Woods and Jesse Raub Jr. bokcenter.com

IL DIVO: A HOLIDAY SONG

CELEBRATION Dec. 10 Brady Theater Enjoy holiday favorites from this multinational classical crossover group. bradytheater.com

GARY ALLAN Dec. 13 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa

Since his 1996 debut, Allan has released nine studio albums that have sold more than 7 million copies.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com JOSH ABBOTT BAND Dec. 14 Cain’s Ballroom See one of

the world’s favorite country bands at Cain’s Ballroom. cainsballroom.com

DIAMOND RIO Dec. 15 Hard

Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa

The band known for playing every note on every album recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Dec. 20 BOK

Jan. 26 108 Contemporary

JACKSON BROWNE Dec. 30

108contemporary.org

written and performed some of the most moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty and emotion.

Through Dec. 29 ahha Tulsa

Center The multi-platinum, critically-acclaimed rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings its highly anticipated winter tour back to Tulsa. bokcenter.com Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Jackson Browne has

hardrockcasinotulsa.com COLTER WALL Dec. 31 Cain’s Ballroom Ring in the new year

with country singer Colter Wall. cainsballroom.com

ART FIRST FRIDAY ART CRAWL

Dec. 6 Arts District This year-round, monthly event features works from galleries, artists, studios and museums. thetulsaartsdistrict.org STATE OF CRAFT Dec. 6-

Included pieces are constructed from fiber, wood, ceramics, metal and glass, with installations that present a diversified look at contemporary artistic talent in the region.

TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT FIBER ART Whether sewing, weaving, quilting or embroidery, fiber arts continue to engage new generations of artists.

ahhatulsa.org

DORTHEA LANGE’S AMERICA Through Jan. 5

Gilcrease Art and suffering

are often connected. The Great Depression was a catalyst for an outburst of creative energy from America’s photographic community. gilcrease.org

SHADOW OF TIME: ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA Through Feb. 16 Philbrook Anila

Quayyum Agha uses simple elements – light, shadow, space and pattern – to create

CHARITABLE EVENTS PEGGY V. HELMERICH DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR AWARD GALA Dec. 6 Tulsa

City-County Library This is a dinner and award presentation event for the recipient of the annual Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. helmerichaward.org

GIFT OF HOPE FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON

Dec. 6 TU’s Chapman Great Hall C This is an opportunity

to hear about the great happenings at Tulsa Boys’ Home. Enjoy lunch and help with financial support.

PHOTO COURTESY TULSA OILERS

tulsaboyshome.org

SPORTS

IN OKC

PERFORMANCES

TULSA OILERS

DOGS, ICE BATTLES AND ROARING THUNDER

Check out the competing canines at the Tulsa Dog Training Club Agility Trial from Dec. 6 to 8 at Expo Square. The Tulsa Oilers play some rousing hockey matches at home Dec. 1, 6, 13-15 and 19. The American Quarter Horse Association and Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association dazzle the eyes at the Tulsa Holiday Winter Circuit at Expo Square from Dec. 28 to 31. The Oklahoma City Thunder play eight home games in Chesapeake Energy Arena throughout the month – Dec. 4, 6, 16, 18, 20, 22, 26 and 31. For races and equine thrills, check out the OKC Barrel Futurity from Dec. 10 to 15 at the state fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

armstrongauditorium.org

Music Hall Join the OKC

Philharmonic, Santa, the Pops Chorale and the Mistletoes as well as Santa’s jolly helpers and Broadway star Max von Essen. okcphil.org

CANTERBURY VOICES PRESENTS: HANDEL’S MESSIAH Dec. 8 Civic Center Music Hall In this grandiose

TULSA DOG TRAINING CLUB AGILITY TRIAL fresco with 21st century digital photography. gilcrease.org

RECALL/RESPOND: TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP AND GILCREASE MUSEUM COLLABORATION (PHASE II)

SPORTS

SHELBY MUSTANG CLASSIC CAR AUCTION Dec. 7 Expo

USA BMX GRAND NATIONAL PRO SERIES FINAL Through

classic cars and speak with experts. exposquare.com

philbrook.org

Through March 15 Gilcrease

MEXICAN MODERNISM: REVOLUTION AND RECKONING Through Aug. 30

Gilcrease This exhibit

features a rotation of works representing a pivotal time in Mexico’s history. gilcrease.org

THE EXPERIENCE Ongoing

ahha Tulsa This artist-driven,

large-scale, fully immersive installation invites participants to explore a fantastic multimedia environment.

ahhatulsa.org

AETHER AND EARTH

Ongoing Gilcrease Aether

and Earth is the description that Mazen Abufadil uses to describe his feelings behind the innovative photo-fresco process he developed, combining the ancient art of

Dec. 1 Expo Square Enjoy

professional bicycle motocross athletes competing for top prizes. usabmx.com

TULSA OILERS HOCKEY

Dec. 1, 6. 13-15, 19 BOK Center

Cheer the city’s hockey team during a bevy of home games.

bokcenter.com

OKLAHOMA STATE DANCE TEAM ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIPS Dec. 13-14

Cox Business Center Watch as

some of the best dance teams in the region compete for top honors. coxcentertulsa.com

BOK CENTER BASKETBALL SHOWDOWN DOUBLEHEADER Dec. 21

BOK Center Calling all Oklahoma basketball fans: Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa host Minnesota and Colorado State during this showdown. bokcenter.com

COMMUNITY TULSA DOG TRAINING CLUB AGILITY TRIAL Dec. 6-8

Expo Square Enjoy an exciting canine event as numerous

arrangement, the stage is full of musicians and the impact is unforgettable.

okcciviccenter.com

VITAM MUSICA FOUNDATION PRESENTS: SCHUBERT AND DUSSEK

Dec. 14 Civic Center Music Hall

breeds compete.

communal experiences of beauty and wonder.

gilcrease.org

PHOTO COURTESY OKC THUNDER/GETTY IMAGES

3 Armstrong Auditorium

Praised for “precision and complete dedication” (Audio Society), the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo garnered wide attention as the second prize winners of the Sixth Biennial Ellis Duo Piano Competition.

OKC PHIL PRESENTS: POPS – THE CHRISTMAS SHOW Dec. 5-7 Civic Center

The Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Gilcrease Museum present the second iteration of Recall/ Respond, a multi-phased contemporary arts exhibition that includes works by both current Tulsa artist fellows as well as fellowship alum.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

ARMSTRONG AUDITORIUM PRESENTS: LOMAZOV/ RACKERS PIANO DUO Dec.

tulsadogs.com

Square Explore a variety of

TULSA FARM SHOW Dec.

12-14 Expo Square As

Oklahoma’s largest indoor farm show with over 400,000 square feet of exhibits, the Tulsa Farm Show is a great end-of-year opportunity to view all the latest in agricultural and ranching equipment.

tulsafarmshow.com

PHILBROOK FESTIVAL

Through Dec. 31 Philbrook

Enjoy a wonderland of lights along with various community activities during the holiday season. philbrook.org

RHEMA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Through Jan. 1

Rhema Bible Church Enjoy a massive Christmas lights display.

rhemabiblechurch.com

GARDEN OF LIGHTS

Through Jan. 5 Tulsa Botanic Garden View dazzling lights at the garden. tulsabotanic.org WINTERFEST Through Jan. 5 Downtown Tulsa Lace

up your skates and take in what has become one of Tulsa’s favorite holiday traditions. tulsawinterfest.com

The Vitam Musica Foundation presents Franz Schubert’s Sixth Symphony and Jan Ladislav Dussek’s G minor Piano Concerto featuring pianist Igor Lipinski. okcciviccenter.com

OKC BALLET PRESENTS: DEVON ENERGY’S THE NUTCRACKER Dec.

14-22 Civic Center Music Hall Celebrate the season

with Oklahoma City’s favorite holiday production, The Nutcracker. okcciviccenter.

com

LYRIC THEATRE PRESENTS: LYRIC’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL Through Dec. 24 Lyric

at the Plaza Go on a magical journey with Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. lyrictheatreokc.com

CONCERTS TRAVIS TRITT Dec. 6

Riverwind Casino, Norman

See this famous country crooner in the Showplace Theatre. riverwind.com

FLATLAND CAVALRY Dec. 6 Tower Theatre A spirited

country-folk and Americana outfit based out of Lubbock, Texas, Flatland Cavalry draw inspiration from contemporaries like

DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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PHOTO COURTESY SAM NOBLE MUSEUM

HONEY, TOYS, TRAINS AND TWINKLING STARS

All aboard the Polar Express Pajama Party at Oklahoma City’s Oklahoma Railway Museum on speciﬁc dates through Dec. 31. Train lovers can also trek to the OKC Train Show at State Fair Park on Dec. 7. Magic beckons with a light and sound extravaganza at Illuminations – Starry Starry Night at Myriad Botanical Gardens Crystal Bridge Conservatory through Jan. 5 in downtown Oklahoma City. For gifts, fun and honey-hunting, visit the Minco Honey Festival on Dec. 7 with more than 90 crafters, a quilt show and made-in-Oklahoma products and games.

ART EXPERIENCES TO RING IN 2020

Check out a juried members exhibition, The State of the Craft, at 108 Contemporary in downtown Tulsa from Dec. 6 to Jan. 26. With an alternate view of ancient lore, Illustrated Bible Stories Reimagined: Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection is presented at Mabee Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee from Dec. 14 to Jan. 19. The enduring allure of American Western culture in various media is explored in Find Your Western at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, running Dec. 14-May 10. Created by the National Air and Space Museum and Arizona State University, A New Moon Rises is a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition on display at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman from Dec. 21 to March 15.

Turnpike Troubadours, Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers. towertheatreokc.com

TRANS-SIBERIAN

ORCHESTRA Dec. 8 Chesapeake Energy Arena

See this lauded band during a breathtaking concert. chesapeakearena.com

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND Dec. 13 Riverwind Casino, Norman Witness this

collection of talented musicians. riverwind.com

IN FLAMES Dec. 18 Tower

Theatre Sweden’s leading

metal band has never stopped moving forward during the more than 20 years it has been active in the scene.

towertheatreokc.com

ANGELS AND AIRWAVES Dec. 21 The Criterion Rock

out with this indie band with Blink-182 front man Tom DeLonge. criterionokc.com

ART FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK Dec. 6 Paseo Arts

District More than 80 artists

and more than 25 businesses,

104

all within walking distance, stay open late the first Friday of each month. thepaseo.org

WEDDING CLOTHES AND THE OSAGE COMMUNITY: A GIVING HERITAGE Through Dec. 8 Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, Norman See

the newest exhibition, featuring authentic Osage wedding attire.

samnoblemuseum.ou.edu

FIND YOUR WESTERN Dec.

14-May 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Consumption

of the West through popular media has been a mainstay of Western culture.

demonstrate, Native artists and writers have grappled with the same misperceptions of their communities for more than 100 years. ou.edu/fjjma

CABALLEROS Y VAQUEROS Through Jan. 5 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum The iconic

Western cowboy can trace his roots to north and west Africa, up through Spain and then to the New World.

nationalcowboymuseum.org

PASSPORT Through March 1

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Though

nationalcowboymuseum.org

often defined by their most well-known work or style, artists experiment and evolve throughout their careers.

Dec. 29 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman In April 1966,

TWO GRITS: A PEEK BEHIND THE EYEPATCH

HAROLD STEVENSON’S THE GREAT SOCIETY Through artist Harold Stevenson began The Great Society, an ambitious series of portraits depicting residents of his hometown, Idabel. ou.edu/fjjma

MISUNDERSTOOD! Through Dec. 29 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman As these works

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

nationalcowboymuseum.org

Through March 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Two Grits: A Peek

Behind the Eyepatch examines similarities and differences in the two versions of the film True Grit.

nationalcowboymuseum.org

PHOTO COURTESY OKC TRAIN SHOW

ART

FA M I LY / K I D S

OKC TRAIN SHOW

PHOTO COURTESY MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS

Where & When

A NEW MOON RISES

ILLUMINATIONS — STARRY STARRY NIGHT RENEWING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT: THE ART OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Through April 26 OKCMOA This exhibition explores the physical and social landscape of the United States during the Great Depression through paintings, prints, photographs and other media. okcmoa.com

COLORS OF CLAY Through

May 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Colors of Clay explores the cultural and regional diversity of indigenous ceramic vessel traditions in North America.

nationalcowboymuseum.org

SPORTS OKC THUNDER BASKETBALL Dec. 4, 6, 16,

18, 20, 22, 26, 31 Chesapeake Energy Arena The state’s only

major professional team hosts regular-season NBA games. chesapeakearena.com

NRHA FUTURITY SHOW

Through Dec. 10 State Fair

Park Enjoy this equine competition with numerous talented riders.

nrhafuturity.com OKC FUTURITY Dec. 11-15 State Fair Park Even more

equine entertainment awaits, with cash prizes for winners. statefairparkokc.com

COMMUNITY BOTANICAL BALANCE FREE YOGA Dec. 3, 7, 10, 14,

17, 21, 28 Myriad Botanical Gardens Practicing yoga in

the gardens has the added benefit of connecting you with nature and offers a space of beauty and tranquility to help relieve stress and quiet the mind. myriadgardens.org

RED EARTH TREEFEST Dec. 4-15 OSU-OKC Student Center

chance to hear their names called and “come on down” to win. chesapeakearena.com

OKC TRAIN SHOW Dec. 7-8 State Fair Park Explore a

variety of model trains and talk to conductors at this annual event. statefairparkokc.com

BRICKTOWN LIGHTS CHANUKAH CELEBRATION Dec. 22 Downtown OKC

Experience a giant menorah lighting and local entertainment to celebrate the season. jewishokc.com

ILLUMINATIONS: STARRY STARRY NIGHT PRESENTED BY OGE ENERGY CORP. Through Jan. 5 Myriad

Botanical Gardens The entire conservatory bridge serves as a canvas for moving lights choreographed to music.

This holiday attraction, held in a new location at the OSU-OKC Student Center, features 25 Christmas trees adorned with handmade ornaments created to show diverse Native cultures. redearth.org

myriadgardens.org

Dec. 5 Chesapeake Energy Arena Price Is Right Live is the

downtownindecember.com

THE PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE

hit interactive stage show that gives eligible individuals the

DEVON ICE RINK Through Feb. 2 Downtown OKC Enjoy a skate around the rink with friends and family during the holidays.

DOWNTOWN IN DECEMBER

Through Feb. 2 Downtown OKC

IN CONCERT

COUNTRY, LAUGHS AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Penn and Teller elicit mystiﬁed laughs at Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville on Dec. 6, and the guffaws continue with Jerry Seinfeld on Dec 7 and Jim Gafﬁgan on Dec. 8. Classic rock rules with Steely Dan on Dec. 27, Jackson Browne on Dec. 29 and John Fogerty on Dec. 31. Choctaw Casino in Durant offers A Charlie Brown Christmas on Dec. 7 and Styx is featured Dec. 13. Charlie Daniels performs Dec. 14; Lanco and Diamond Rio hit the stage Dec. 27; Steve Miller Band “keeps on a-rockin’’ Dec. 28 and ZZ Top rocks in the new year Dec. 31

Spend your holidays experiencing fun activities as downtown Oklahoma City is turned into a winter wonderland during the annual Downtown in December celebration.

downtownindecember.com

CHARITABLE EVENTS VISIONS: A CELEBRATION OF NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP Dec. 3 Skirvin

Hilton Hotel Visions is an

annual event that recognizes leadership in nonprofit service, volunteerism and philanthropy. okcp.org

YWCA’S WOMEN WHO CARE SHARE LUNCHEON

Dec. 4 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum This

luncheon raises critical funds

CONCERTS

RISING STARS CALF ROPING Through Dec. 1 Lazy

THE PROPHECY SHOW Dec. 5 Stride Bank Center, Enid St. Louis powerhouse the Prophecy Show brings its signature and highly energized rock opera to the Stride Bank Center. stridebankcenter.com

CHRISTMAS WITH THE ISAACS Dec. 12 Stride Bank Center, Enid Make

plans to join the Isaacs for a memorable night of praise. stridebankcenter.com

STEVE MILLER BAND Dec. 28 Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant This classic rock band comes to Durant. choctawcasinos.com

PHOTO COURTESY BOK CENTER

out 2019 with John Fogerty at the Global Events Center.

winstar.com ZZ TOP Dec. 31 Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant Rock

straight into the new year with ZZ Top. choctawcasinos.com

ART

FINAL FRIDAY ART CRAWL

CRYSTALS IN ART: ANCIENT TO TODAY Through Jan. 6

AROUND THE STATE PERFORMANCES

PENN AND TELLER Dec. 6

Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville The magic

gaslighttheatre.org

JERRY SEINFELD Dec. 7 Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville One

of the world’s most popular comedians comes to Thackerville. winstar.com

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Dec. 7

Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant Enjoy a theatrical

duo of Penn and Teller come to the Global Events Center for one night only. winstar.com

re-telling of a beloved story.

Theater, Enid Scrooge! is

man Jim Gaffigan returns to the Global Events Center.

GASLIGHT THEATRE PRESENTS: SCROOGE! THE MUSICAL Dec. 6-15 Gaslight the musical retelling of the classic tale. From the tender “Live While You Can” to the

choctawcasinos.com JIM GAFFIGAN Dec. 8 Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville Funny winstar.com

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.

Crystals, one of the world’s most enigmatic natural materials, transcends time, the visible and the invisible.

Dec. 12 McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, Stillwater

crystalbridges.org SMALL TALK Through March 2 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.

mcknightcenter.org

crystalbridges.org TEMPERA Ongoing Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark. Tempera

HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS VARIETY SHOW Dec. 14-15

Herron’s Crown Copry Theatre,

Collinsville This Dickensianthemed variety show features 80 performers to thrill audiences with holiday songs and dance routines. facebook.

com/herronscrownopry

POLLARD THEATRE PRESENTS: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY Through Dec. 22

Pollard Theatre, Guthrie This beloved American holiday classic is re-imagined as a

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Dec.

3 Frisco Ave., Clinton Taste test

decadent chocolate creations at the annual Chocolate Festival. travelok.com

MINCO HONEY FESTIVAL Dec. 3 Minco High School

Don’t miss an opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth at this annual event. minco-ok.com

POLAR EXPRESS PAJAMA PARTY Through Dec. 7 Three Rivers Museum, Muskogee All

aboard the Polar Express for this family-friendly event.

3riversmuseum.com

CHOCTAW NATIONS ANNUAL POWWOW Dec. 7-8

Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant Watch traditional

Through Dec. 14 Historic District Downtown The

Inspired by First Friday events in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, this lively art crawl is on the final Friday of every month and celebrates the art culture of the community.

Come see all your favorite characters from the 1964 special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snow Monster and, of course, Rudolph.

visitmiamiok.com

COMMUNITY

exhibition from MGMOA.

mgmoa.org

Dec. 27 Downtown Stillwater

raucous “Thank You Very Much,” the music invites the audience on Scrooge’s journey to enlightenment.

Dec. 8 Miami Multi-Purpose Sports Complex This exciting

dances and enjoy a crowning of the newest princess at the Choctaw Nations Annual Powwow. choctawcasinos.com

museum.okstate.edu

to support YWCA programs and services benefiting victims of domestic violence in Central Oklahoma. ywcaokc.org

com

ILLUSTRATED BIBLE STORIES REIMAGINED: WORKS ON PAPER FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION Dec. 14-Jan. 19

Mabee Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee Enjoy the newest

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA

adrenaline-pumping arenacross action for two nights. hoosierarenacross.

NJCAA-sanctioned event includes a heart-pumping day filled with football.

Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville Round

Claremore Expo Center Enjoy

choctawcasinos.com

and Resort, Durant Iconic rock band Styx visits the Choctaw Grand Theatre.

JOHN FOGERTY Dec. 31

THE PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE

HOOSIER ARENACROSS NATIONALS Dec. 6-7

MIDWEST CLASSIC BOWL

Browne is an American singersongwriter who has sold over 18 million albums. winstar.com

CODY JOHNSON

E Arena, Guthrie Witness the action as 500 of the most talented young ropers from across the country compete at the 18th annual Rising Stars Calf Roping. travelok.com

STYX Dec. 13 Choctaw Casino

Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville Jackson

PHOTO COURTESY CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA

JACKSON BROWNE

SPORTS

thepollard.org

JACKSON BROWNE Dec. 29

PHOTO COURTESY BOK CENTER

PHOTO COURTESY WINSTAR WORLD CASINO

Downtown Tulsa’s BOK Center features Texas country music singer-songwriter Cody Johnson on Dec. 7. The excitement continues Dec. 20 with Christmas Eve and Other Stories from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. On Dec. 21, the BOK Center Basketball Showdown has Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa hosting the universities of Minnesota and Colorado State, respectively, in a doubleheader. Closing out the month is Paw Patrol Live, perfect for children and families Dec. 28-30. Tulsa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino hosts Travis Tritt’s classic country crooning Dec. 5; country music artist Gary Allen performs Dec. 13; country music band Diamond Rio arrives Dec. 15; comedian Brendan Schaub brings down the house Dec. 28; and singer-songwriter Jackson Browne closes out the year Dec. 30. In Oklahoma City, come on down and win Dec. 5 with The Price Is Right Live at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The fun continues Dec. 8 with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

live 1940s radio broadcast.

This free, focused exhibition considers how artists employ text within their work.

painting (also known as egg tempera) has a rich history as a medium of choice for artists from ancient times to today, and is an older form of painting than oil. crystalbridges.org

GUTHRIE’S TERRITORIAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

celebrations have four main events: opening night, the Distinctive Homes tour, the Victorian Walks and numerous theatrical performances.

guthriesterritorialchristmas. com

WOOLAROC WONDERLAND

OF LIGHTS Through Dec. 22 Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, Bartlesville The grounds and buildings of Woolaroc are covered with more than 750,000 lights as the historic ranch transforms into a winter wonderland.

woolaroc.org

ARDMORE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Through Dec. 30

Regional Park, Ardmore This

1.5-mile drive through endless, vibrant Christmas lights is one of the largest holiday light displays in southern Oklahoma.

travelok.com

CHICKASHA FESTIVAL OF LIGHT Through Dec. 31 Shannon Springs Park,

Chickasha For 27 years, the Festival of Light, a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization, has transformed 43 acres into a magnificent display during the holidays. chickashafestivaloflight.org

FOR MORE EVENTS IN TULSA, OKC AND AROUND THE STATE, HEAD TO OKMAG.COM. DECEMBER 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

105

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Around Town

Happiness increases when film festivals emerge in Oklahoma, especially those highlighting sectors of the business too often neglected in the mainstream. That’s certainly true of the Oklahoma Black Film Festival, running Dec. 13-15 at Ice Events Center in Oklahoma City. Established to shine a light on the bustling, diverse world of films made by black artists, this festival’s debut has a variety of films, both short and feature length, with each of the latter category topping out at 60 minutes, ensuring you never get stuck sitting for too long. There’s even a music video category to keep the choices lively. The $10 pass to the whole festival is a great deal. I’d also recommend spending another $20 for the Vintage Cinema screening Saturday night, which has films from the 1920s and zeroes in on the difficulties imposed on the African-American community by segregation and other forms of discrimination.

At Home

From her debut in the 1950s until her death in 2005, Anne Bancroft was one of Hollywood’s most distinct, though often underused, actresses. This month, Shout! Factory releases a box set of her films, starting with her first film, Don’t Bother to Knock, a stylish noir starring Marilyn Monroe. Also included are the film with her most famous role, Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, and The Miracle Worker, for which

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she won an Oscar as Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s tutor. The collection’s strength is its depth: oddities like Fatso, a film Bancroft wrote and directed for star Dom DeLuise, and the remake of Ernst Lubitsch’s classic To Be or Not to Be, directed by Bancroft’s husband, Mel Brooks. The real jewel of the collection, arguably, is 84 Charing Cross Road, in which Bancroft plays the brash New York writer Helene Hanff, opposite Anthony Hopkins as a mild-mannered British bookseller. Told through a series of letters (the two characters never meet), the film is quiet, lovely and devastating – a gentle portrait of friendship and a shared love of the written word. It’s a fitting tribute to a subtle but vivacious actress.

In Theaters

You’ll most likely rush to see the new Star Wars film, so there’s neither a recommendation for it nor a plug for Cats, which has trainwreck potential. Instead, focus on two American masters. Terrence Malick, one of the most elliptical filmmakers today, tackles the life of an Austrian farmer who defied the Nazis in A Hidden Life. Expect lots of breathy voiceovers. Meanwhile, no-nonsense Clint Eastwood spotlights another actual American with Richard Jewell, about the suspected Olympic bomber in 1996. One element these radically divergent directors have in common is an impeccable grasp of filmmaking grammar. ASHER GELZER-GOVATOS

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Ma Pinnell

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell is also Oklahoma’s ﬁrst secretary of tourism and branding. One of his missions is to increase the number of outof-state visitors to Oklahoma. We caught up with Pinnell and got his thoughts on …

… state investment in tourism.

How much money is appropriated for marketing is an ongoing discussion with the legislature and the governor’s ofﬁce, but … our marketing budget must be competitive with other states. There is a clear return on investment for money spent to market your state. Many studies over a number of years prove this. Michigan and Texas have had success with both domestic and international visitors by spending money on effective marketing campaigns to tell potential tourists why they should visit. Tourists have a range of options of where they can visit. If we aren’t selling them on why they should visit Oklahoma, we will lose out to other states that do.

… his recent marketing summit.

We are getting buy-in from individuals across industries and from all over Oklahoma, and that’s a huge accomplishment. We had over 150 of the best creative minds in Oklahoma together in one room [in August] to work on what the Oklahoma brand should be. I am told by national branding experts that this approach is truly one of a kind. Typically, a state selects a marketing firm and that firm then creates your brand. We are essentially creating our own marketing firm with experts from all across Oklahoma. We have individuals who are often competitors all working together on this [and] I’m really excited. A state branding effort should be released early next year. Stay tuned.

… Oklahoma as a tourism destination.

… Route 66 and fishing.

We need to play to the strengths that we have in Oklahoma. Let’s not … be something we’re not; let’s focus on the assets we have that we can sell to visitors. Route 66 is the most iconic and famous road in the world. People from across the country and the world already plan trips around experiencing Route 66. We have the most drivable miles of Route 66 in America, so why would we not promote that? Similarly, the outdoors and ﬁshing are a huge strength that we have in Oklahoma. Fishing is a multibillion-dollar industry. We have some of the most diverse ﬁshing … in the country. To promote that … is a no brainer. I’ve focused on these areas because we can effectively market [them] to visitors.

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019

FOR MORE WITH PINNELL, VISIT OKMAG.COM/PINNELL

… other Oklahoma draws.

The fact that you can be in a major metropolitan area and then experience rural America within minutes is a real selling point. There is [also] a strong interest internationally in Native American culture and western heritage. That is something that we clearly offer all across our state.

… his dual roles.

When I ran for lieutenant governor, tourism was one of the primary issues I campaigned on. The lieutenant governor has historically served as the chairman of the Oklahoma Tourism Commission. I asked Gov. [Kevin] Stitt that I be considered for the cabinet position of Secretary of Tourism and Branding. The branding component is a new … position on the cabinet. Effectively branding and marketing the state goes hand in hand with promoting tourism, so this portfolio was added to the position.

… tourism as an industry.

Agriculture, energy and aerospace are all vital industries to our state, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. We want those sectors to remain vibrant and strong. I am less interested in seeing tourism overtake these successful industries in Oklahoma than I am seeing our tourism industry become competitive nationally [because of] our state’s geographic diversity and rich history.

PHOTO COURTESY MATT PINNELL

Partnerships between the state of Oklahoma, local convention and visitor bureaus, and chambers of commerce are vital to helping push us into the top 10 in tourism. Tulsa and Oklahoma City are doing a very effective job with their convention and visitors bureaus, and we need to do a better job of … encouraging visitors to branch off and visit other areas of the state. Many visitors are looking for an authentic American experience. Come to Oklahoma City or Tulsa to experience vibrant urban life, then drive 30 minutes to experience Main Street and small-town charm. One of the fastest growing sectors … is agritourism. Visitors want to experience small-town life and enjoy great farm-to-table cuisine. There is no state better positioned to take advantage of this than Oklahoma. The key … is having a uniﬁed, cohesive vision for what we want to do. We … must do better on this front.

CHICKA SAW

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