2012 STAN CLARK
BART CONNER
PAULA MARSHALL
JOHN PENTON
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRESENTED BY THE MEINDERS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND THE LOVE’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER
FEBRUARY 29, 2012 • 8 A.M. TO NOON MEINDERS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
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T H E C H I C K A S AW N AT I O N
UNITED WE THRIVE
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Bill Anoatubby, Governor
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP WELCOME!
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As director of the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center, I am delighted to welcome you to Oklahoma City University and our annual Entrepreneurship Day forum. This year, the Meinders School of Business and the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center present four business leaders whose amazing personal and professional accomplishments promise to make this event motivational, informative, and entertaining. Stan Clark, president of Stan Clark Companies and founder of Eskimo Joe’s; Bart Conner, gymnast and Olympic champion; Paula Marshall, CEO of Bama Pies and author; and John K. Penton, president of Canaan Energy, LLC will share their personal stories along with insights on overcoming obstacles and achieving success. I know we will all learn from this group of outstanding Oklahoma entrepreneurs. Thank you for your support of the Meinders School of Business and the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center. We hope you will enjoy your day at Oklahoma City University.
Best Regards,
Bob Greve, Ph.D. Director of the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center Associate Professor of Information Technology Meinders School of Business Oklahoma City University
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2012
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AGENDA
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
8:45 – 9:30 a.m.
John Penton
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Bart Conner
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
Paula Marshall
11:15 a.m. – noon
Stan Clark
Noon Conclusion
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
JOHN K. PENTON John K. Penton is a principal of Canaan Natural Gas Management LLC (CNGM), the continuation of a management group cofounded in 1987 by Penton and Leo E. Woodard. Penton and Woodard have managed eight prior fully cash realized funds that generated an overall gross IRR of 25 percent and 3.0/1 ROI. CNGM is the manager of Canaan Natural Gas Fund IX, a private equity, natural gas focused limited partnership with $200 million equity commitments. CNGM’s investor group includes university endowments, foundations, corporate pensions, institutional fund-of-funds, insurance companies and institutional-level family offices. The fund is considered fully invested through the
primary investment phase and currently in development of the assets it has acquired. Fund raising efforts were completed in summer 2008 for Canaan Natural Gas Fund X with $300 million equity commitments. Fund X is in its primary investment phase, having deployed 26 percent of equity committed thus far. For the past 24 years, Penton and Woodard’s efforts have focused on the acquisition of predictable, long-lived natural gas reserves that have an extensive, low risk drill-bit component for further development. In addition to Penton and Woodard, Canaan employs a staff of 45 energy professionals, located in Oklahoma City. Penton received a Bachelor of Science in economics from Oklahoma City
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University in 1978 and an MBA from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1980. He resides in Oklahoma City and Florida with his wife, Lisa, and is the father of four children— Jillian, Jerid, Danielle, and Desirae.
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BART CONNER Olympic champion Bart Conner is the only American male gymnast to win gold medals at every level of national and international competition. Conner has been a USA champion, NCAA champion, PanAmerican Games champion, World champion, World Cup champion and an Olympic champion. Conner was a member of three Olympic teams in 1976, 1980, and 1984. During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he made a dramatic comeback from his second torn biceps injury to win two gold medals, one as a member of the U.S. team. Conner earned his second gold with a perfect 10 on the parallel bars. Conner’s interest in gymnastics began in grade-school gym class when he excelled at acrobatic moves. As a child he participated in many sports, but at every opportunity, Conner could be seen trying handstands. By the time he was a teenager, he had a set of parallel bars in his backyard and a pommel horse in his basement. In the fall of 1976, Conner moved to Norman, Okla. to attend the University of Oklahoma, and train with Paul Ziert. While at OU, Conner earned 14 NCAA All-America honors and led his team to two national team titles. After graduating with a degree in journalism in 1984, Conner went into business with Ziert. Today, they own several gym-
nastics-related business interests, including the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, where more than 1,000 gymnasts train at every level, from beginning motor skill development to elite athletes aiming for college scholarships and spots on the U.S. National Team. In 1992, Conner and Ziert took over International GYMNAST, the premier international gymnastics magazine. 2006 marked the 50th Anniversary of IG, which ships to more than 15,000 serious gymnastics enthusiasts in 70 countries. In 1996, Ziert and Conner formed Grips Etc., a gymnastics supply company. That same year they opened up a new office building and factory in Norman, Okla. to produce gymnastics grips, T-shirts, and tumbling shoes. Conner still enjoys high visibility as a TV color commentator and public speaker. He has worked as an expert announcer for every major television network. Conner’s production company, Perfect 10 Productions, has produced gymnastics TV shows for ESPN, Fox Sports Net, Oxygen TV, and the World Championship Sports Network. Conner has appeared in television and feature films, including “RAD,” about BMX Bike racing, “Peaceful Warrior,” and the 2006 Disney gymnastics feature, “Stick It,” starring Jeff Bridges. In 1996, Conner mar7
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ried Romanian Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci in a lavish state wedding in Bucharest, Romania. Today, Conner and Comaneci are involved in several charities including the Executive Board of Special Olympics International and the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 1991, Conner was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and in 1997, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In 2006, Conner’s Olympic gold medal-winning team was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Along with some of their fellow Olympic medalists, Conner and Comaneci contributed a chapter to an inspirational book called “Awaken the Olympian Within.” On June 3, 2006, Conner and Comaneci welcomed their son, Dylan Paul Conner, into the world. Today, Conner and Comaneci continue to travel the world delivering inspirational speeches, as well as promoting their charities, gymnastics, fitness, and healthy lifestyles.
Paula Marshall’s newest book is now available on Amazon.com!
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PAULA MARSHALL Paula Marshall was named the CEO of her family’s business, The Bama Companies, in 1985. Bama provides frozen baked goods to largescale restaurant chains including the nation’s largest hamburger chain, the nation’s largest pizza chain and the nation’s largest retailer. Marshall received her Bachelor of Science in business and her Doctorate of Commercial Science from Oklahoma City University. With Marshall at the helm, Bama has grown into a $300 million organization while putting a precedent on quality. Bama won the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge Award for Quality in 2004 from the United States Department of Commerce and has been hailed as a
leader in the baking industry. Marshall has served as chairman of the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce and is active on many boards such as the Tulsa Education Fund, Philbrook Museum of Art, Girl Scouts, Ronald McDonald House, the Salvation Army, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Oklahoma City University, and the University of Tulsa. Marshall was one of the first women asked to join the Young Presidents Organization Oklahoma Chapter in 1990 and she was named as one of the 1992 Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1993, she was named one of the Top Ten CEO’s by Industry Week Magazine. She was selected Entrepreneur of
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the Year by Ernst & Young in 1997. In 1998, she was named to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. In 2009, Marshall wrote her first book, “Finding the Soul of Big Business” and in 2011, her fourth book, “Sweet as Pie, Tough as Nails: How a Teen-Mom Turned CEO Faced Giant Obstacles in Her Life and Business” was released.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
STAN CLARK Stan Clark, a native of Tulsa, Okla., graduated from Oklahoma State University in May 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Stan is married to Shannon Clark and is the proud father of three, Maguire, age 8, and twins Gabi and Hudson, age 6. Clark had a mere $1,200 to his name when childhood friend Steve File suggested he might open a bar. Clark eagerly chimed in, “I’ll go in partners with ya!” and the two opened Eskimo Joe’s on July 21, 1975. Clark was 22 years old at the time. From these humble beginnings, Clark has built a restaurant and retail brand that has gained national and even international notoriety. After two-and-a-half years as partners, Clark bought File’s half interest to become the sole proprietor of Eskimo Joe’s. The bar business was good and Eskimo Joe’s sold a lot of T-shirts from the beginning that put smiles on the chests of patrons and generated lots of word-ofmouth advertising. Stillwater Bay was opened in 1984 at the edge of the OSU campus. In 1986 it relocated downtown at the corner of Seventh and Main where it operated until June 2005. Mexico Joe’s opened in 1987. It was wildly successful in its original location and in 1987, Clark built a new, larger facility on Hall of Fame.
Eskimo Joe’s opened their first retail location, Joe’s Clothes World Headquarters, in the fall of 1987. Still located next door to the original Eskimo Joe’s building, Joe’s Clothes sport the famous smiling Eskimo and his loyal canine companion, Buffy. Eskimo Joe’s Clothes have been spotted around the globe and have been featured on television, in movies, magazines, and newspapers. On Nov. 28, 1988, the Tulsa World described Eskimo Joe’s T-shirts as one of the most collectible in the country, second only to the Hard Rock Café. Beginning in 1990, Eskimo Joe’s Clothes began their own screen printing operations. In addition, Eskimo Joe’s cheese fries became the restaurant’s signature item when President George Herbert Walker Bush endorsed them during his May 1990 commencement address at Oklahoma State University. Sixteen years later in 2006, President George W. Bush told the commencement audience at Boone Pickens Stadium that Laura was disappointed she couldn’t join him on his trip to Stillwater, especially when she heard that he had planned a “romantic dinner for two at Eskimo Joe’s.” In 1993, Governor David Walters appointed Clark to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. He was reap-
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pointed by Governor Frank Keating twice and served for nearly nine years under three governors. Clark opened Joseppi’s Italian Kitchen in May 2000 next door to Mexico Joe’s and in September of 2002, Clark incorporated his latest operating company, Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group. Unlike all of the retail operations, this is a direct-selling business model that utilizes an outside sales team and provides terrific graphic design, creative and screenprinting services, as well as a full-line offering of promotional products. Clark credits all of his companies’ successes to the people who create the magic every day for their guests. “Our people truly are our business,” he has said for years. “We should create a good feeling with every interaction with every guest, everyday!” One of the company’s legacies is their support of the Stillwater community, particularly the Stillwater Area United Way.
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Master of Science in Energy Management Master of Science in Energy Legal Studies Energy company executives are looking to cultivate current employees for leadership positions and employees are searching for opportunities to advance within the energy industry by developing relevant skills and industry knowledge. The Master of Science in Energy Management and the Master of Science in Energy Legal Studies addresses these needs by offering courses in an evening accelerated program format that employees can complete while continuing to work. Developed by the Meinders School of Business and executives from Oklahoma’s largest energy companies, the Master of Science in Energy Management and Master of Science in Energy Legal Studies deliver the education and skills required for future energy leaders. With OCU’s proximity to top energy companies and state governmental agencies, you can combine academic study with practical experience and exposure to top decision makers in the energy industry today.
Call (800) 633-7242, e-mail gadmissions@okcu.edu or visit us at www.okcu.edu/business today! OCU pledges to recruit, select and promote diversity by providing equality of opportunity for all persons. • BU60011
GOLD SPONSORS:
THE MEINDERS FOUNDATION DICK AND JEANNETTE SIAS
SILVER SPONSOR:
BRONZE SPONSORS:
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