Luxa Enterprises

Founded in 2007, LUXA Enterprises provides small and mid-size businesses accounting, bookkeeping, human resource and payroll services to help alleviate some of the headaches of running a business operation and assists in the increasingly complex parts of managing and scaling a company.

“More than 80% of the Tulsa business community is comprised of small businesses,” says LUXA owner/CEO Frauke Petersen. “Unfortunately, many such businesses experience difficulty — or even fail — because they cannot keep up with their administrative tasks or need ongoing guidance with payroll and other HR requirements. Our goal at LUXA is to help small to mid-size business owners better execute the complex functions of business accounting, including cash flow management and forecasting.”

LUXA Enterprises offers clients 75+ years of experience and is dedicated to providing excellence in the areas of accounting, bookkeeping, human resources and payroll administration services. Team Luxa is committed to partnering with customers to understand their unique needs.

The aerospace sector is second only to oil and gas in terms of economic impact in Oklahoma, generating $44 billion a year, according to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.

A couple of the area’s most prominent manufacturers recently picked up prized industry awards. NORDAM — another of Tulsa’s aerospace leaders — won a Crystal Cabin Award in the cabin concepts category at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Meanwhile, “Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration News” cited AAON for excellence in product design.

AAON’s RQ/RN Series Zero Degree Cold Climate Air-Source Heat Pump earned a Gold award in the HVAC light commercial equipment category.

AAON also saw its founder and long-time leader Norm Asbjornson retire. For more than three decades, Asbjornson helped develop AAON into an innovative HVAC manufacturing behemoth. The company now anchors one of the world’s most concentrated hubs of heat exchanger production, which includes Greenheck and numerous smaller firms. The northeastern Oklahoma hub continues to attract new companies like Hayden Industrial, which is expanding operations to Tulsa and will eventually employ more than 225 people.

“This year Luxa experienced a tremendous amount of growth! Our growth is directly attributed to an emphasis on building strong relationships with the community, our client’s, and our amazing Luxa team. We firmly believe that all three must be aligned to maximize our potential.” says Company President Mike Chromy.

Luxa’s success is largely thanks to our amazing team members who truly live the company’s core values: Integrity, teamwork, passion and excellence. Acting as a partner for business growth, LUXA strives to guide and support small businesses to a point of sustainable and scalable growth.

Elsewhere, Milo’s Tea Co. invested $20 million in the expansion of its Tulsa County factory. The development supports two new production lines and tripled Milo’s gallon-making capacity. Green Bay Packaging opened a new $90 million, 540,000 square-foot manufacturing plant to support growing demand. And Lufkin Industries, which makes oil field equipment, plans to bring at least 70 jobs to its new Oklahoma headquarters in Claremore.

However, as all manufacturers know too well, those jobs are increasingly harder to fill. The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance hopes one solution is its new registered apprenticeship program, that helps firms improve the skills of new and existing employees.

“The initiative is structured specifically for Oklahoma manufacturers and is targeted at the relevant skills needed by individual companies,” said Sharon Harrison, who is leading the program. “A great example is Tulsa’s TAT Limco Thermal Solutions. The manufacturer is in great need of mechanical engineers and welders. Through the launch of a registered apprenticeship program, TAT Limco is able to fill these specific skill needs and grow their workforce to facilitate continued business expansion.”

A plethora of other resources help maintain the city’s proactive atmosphere. Tulsa’s highereducation institutions provide strong support for industry. The University of Tulsa and Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow work closely with area employers to strengthen the workforce. Another valuable resource is the Advanced Technology Center at Oklahoma State UniversityTulsa. The Business and Industry Training Service at Tulsa Tech is among the most effective in the nation.

“Now, more than ever, we should think about how important industry is to our community,” Kouplen said. “We all drive by manufacturing companies every day and most of us never take the time to think about what they do and what a difference they make.”

Dave Rowland is president and CEO of the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, which coordinates a network of experts working with companies to help them grow and evolve.