Business Building Blocks

Christi Gum

Workforce & Economic Program Developer

Christi Gum is the Workforce & Economic Program Developer at Moore Norman Technology Center. She has worked for more than 17 years in the Career and Technology Education field and over 10 years with business and industry leaders to grow Moore and Norman’s workforce. She lives in Norman with her wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters.

Business Building Blocks Moore Norman Technology Center Offers

What do you do as a program developer for Moore Norman Technology Center?

How Will MNTC be partnering with The Well in Norman? Will MNTC have permanent space at The Well, if so what?

How will MNTC programming enhance the experience at The Well?

I develop some of our licensing programs like Real Estate Sales, HR/SPHR Certification, Special Education Paraprofessional Certification, etc. I’m also developing our Personal Enrichment course where community members can come to Moore Norman and learn to cook, sew, create beautiful stained glass pieces, practice the art of Yoga, etc.

Moore Norman Technology Center is proud to partner with Cleveland County and provides health and wellness-related classes and activities to its residents at

The Well. MNTC is excited to bring some of our healthy living courses such as

Yoga, Mediterranean Cooking, Low-Fat meals, and the list goes on.

Moore Norman will have a designated “Demonstration Kitchen” at The Well along with access to several meeting spaces. The kitchen area will be on the second floor and we plan to include some of the offerings available at our South Penn campus at the new Norman location.

Our goal is to bring the community into a wonderful space and educate them on the value of healthy living and aging gracefully. We want to provide opportunities for citizens to gather, learn, and grow.

We believe that education is a key vehicle for healthy living and a healthy lifestyle, including the individual’s physical, mental, and emotional make-up. I believe our programming can be a positive part of that and I'm excited to watch it grow because I think it will take off.

Preparing for Success, Changing Lives, Building Better Tomorrows.

(405) 801-5000 • mntc.edu Health & Wellness Options at “The Well”

What are you most excited about, this partnership?

If I had to choose, I would say I am most excited to introduce Moore Norman Technology Center in an unexpected way. I think many citizens view MNTC as strictly technical education. They may not realize we offer so many other services and training options. It will be fun to introduce these services and training options to the community at an offsite location. I'm excited about so being able to partner with them because they have a very well-defined vision it's great that they came to us to include us and so we just want to seize the opportunity to branch out and service the community in a new and engaging way. Anything else you would like to share?

"We will continue to update our website with the most current information in regards to the Well and I am always willing to answer questions. The plan is for The Well to open in the Fall 2021 and we are excited to be a part of that along with our other areas partners. You learn more about the progress of The Well and our partnership at mntc.edu/workforce-development/the-well.

The vision for The Well and the reason it was included in the Cleveland County's 5-year master plan to help make residents the healthiest and happiest they can be. When the community approved the plan, The Well's team traveled the country looking at places that are successful at bringing together health resources, community classes, and events that everyone wants to be a part of.

From that time and research, they developed a plan for an inclusive hub to host both indoor and outdoor activities that brings together health, wellness, and knowledge to residents and visitors of Cleveland County. The two-story community building has 14,000 sq. ft. of classroom and meeting space, but residents may also visit The Well in a virtual environment for events and classes. The public will also have access to a variety of health services and professionals through the Norman Regional Health System.

Cleveland County Commissioner Darry Stacy said, “Our vision for The Well and the reason we included it in the master plan is to make residents of Cleveland County the healthiest and happiest they can be...The Well will be a healthy destination for individuals, families and communities, no matter if they visit in-person or from their homes.”

Set for a grand opening in Fall 2021, it is being built in partnership with the Cleveland County Health Department and in 2022 it will also be the new home of the Norman Farm Market.

A SHARK TANK LEGEND COMES TO MOORE AND OKC

ADDRESS: 9201 S. Western Avenue, Suite A PHONE: 405-735-7173 WEBSITE: TOM&CHEE.COM HOURS: Sunday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

About eight years ago, a legend was born on the NBC television show “Shark Tank.” Cincinnati-based Tom & Chee hit the big time with their Grilled Cheese Donut. The restaurant and the sandwich were voted among the best of 2012 by the Today Show and numerous other media outlets. Fast forward to 2021, and we find that Tom & Chee has expanded far beyond that unique offering to give customers a healthy, gluten-free and vegan-friendly menu filled with astounding melts and soups.

Rocky and Lish Iqbal are part of a local family-owned company that has opened a second Tom & Chee franchise on South Western Avenue. So far, Rocky says, the response has been phenomenal.

“Our Tom & Chee restaurants are the only ones in Oklahoma,” said Rocky, “We’ve been very pleased with the way folks here in Moore and South Oklahoma city have responded to this new store.”

The Iqbals opened their first store on the north side of Oklahoma City in 2018. The southside store is the second of a planned expansion across the metro OKC area. Lish Iqbal says one of the things people are really enjoying about Tom & Chee is that it’s a definite step up from fast food.

“We are a fast-casual restaurant,” said Lish. “Our menu isn’t really all that big, but it’s layered in such a way that customers can create their own unique combination. We have fives kinds of cheeses, six kinds of meats, and three kinds of bread. And of course, everyone is fascinated with the grilled cheese donut.”

Among the things that set Tom & Chee apart is the quality of meats and cheeses used by the restaurant and the equipment.

“People are really into healthy eating and cleaner meats,” said Rocky. “We use premium meats and gluten-free products that we buy locally and roast here in the store. We also have these amazing high-speed ovens that cost $10,000 each. And our melts are made with three-to-four slices of cheese and include fresh toppings.”

The other thing that is immediately noticeable at the Southside Tom & Chee’s is the energy found among the employees. It’s something that customers quickly pick up on.

“The primary job requirement we have for our employees is that they be happy to be here,” said Lish. “We work hard to know them as friends and meet their needs.”

Rocky added, “Our employees are truly like our family. We have amazing pay here, and they do well on tips. But it all comes down to this attitude of trust and delegation that they buy into. We all embrace that, and it helps us challenge each other to always be at our best.”

The Iqbal’s are thrilled with the early response to this new concept in the Moore and South OKC area and want everyone to know that they are very much a hands-on ownership team.

“We consider this place our home and are committed to the highest levels of food, service, and cleanliness,” said Rocky. “We truly believe that we are in a league of our own and are willing to go the extra mile to make sure every customer feels like this is their home as well.”