The oil and gasindustrywas awash in success in 2022.
With the priceofcrude rising to ahigh of $116per barrel in June, global companies such as ExxonMobil ($59.1billion), Shell ($40 billion) and Chevron ($36.5 billion) posted record earnings forthe year
Crude oil had dropped below $80 per barrel by early February, but optimismfor the sector,both nationallyand locally, abounds for2023.
“The industryitself is very strong, and forthe futureit looksverypositive,” said Dewey Bartlett, aboard member of the Oklahoma Energy ProducersAllianceand president of Keener Oil &Gas Co.“The abilityofthe oil and gasindustrytoact as a bridgetowhatevernew alternative energy sourcescan be used has become moreunderstood, which is good news “It’s alsobeen good that more people areaccepting the fact that bridging and changeover aregoing to take averysignificant amount of time to occur decades.”
Williams is among the local energy companies dedicated to such an environmental segue.
The Tulsa-based firm in 2020 setanet goal of 56%absolute reduction from 2005 levels in companywide greenhousegas emissions by 2030,putting the companyontrack fornet-zero carbon emissions by 2050
But the mantraofWilliams CEOAlan Armstrong is that the countryneeds to do morenow with what it already has,particularly with natural gas. He said during aspeech at the UniversityofTulsainJanuarythat the United States has ample naturalgas reserves but that alack of infrastructure and complex permitting makethose resources difficult to harvest.
“The U.S. is so well-positioned in the right hereand the right now, not waiting on new technologies down the road, not waiting on other resourceswe have in the U.S.,” Armstrong said in January. “Wecan dramatically reduceemissions and lowerpeople’scosts at the utilitylevel if we simplywould allowourselves to build the infrastructurethat we
knowhow to build. It’s not rocket science.”
Thelocal energy industrytook ahit last summer when global oil field services companyBaker Hughes,a fixtureinBrokenArrow, said it would close its facilityin2023.
Tulsa-based McElroy Manufacturing announced last month that it would refurbish that 173,000-square-foot campus and establish a plant there by mid-2024
Manypublic oil companies from Tulsafared well in 2022.
Through the first nine months of the year,Williams reported earningsof$1.37 billion, ONEOK $1.23 billion and Magellan MidstreamPartners$849 million.
Oklahoma’s oil rig count as of early Februarywas 64,a 14-rig increase from the same time a year ago, according to Houston-based Baker Hughes
In early February, theAAA averagegasoline pricefor agallon
of unleaded in the Tulsametro was$2.96,comparedto$3.18 for the same time ayearago
In 2022, the wholesale U.S. natural gasspot priceatHenry
Hub averaged $6.45/MMBtu,the highest levelsince2008,according to the Energy Information Administration basedondata from RefinitivEikon. That price
wasdownto$2.65 at the end of January.
As forliquefied gas, those markets aregrowinginthe United States
Wherenatural gaspipelines arenot feasibleordonot exist, liquefying natural gasisa wayto move naturalgas from producing regions to markets
As of July,the United States ranked thirdgloballybehind Australia and Qatarinliquefied natural gasexportcapacity, producing 73.9 million metric tons per year,according to statista. com.
“The United States is becoming amuch largersource for worldwide consumption of LNG as other countries and economies recoverfromCOVID and the Ukraine war,” Bartlett said. “Asall of that evolvesintoa more positive situation, then demand forLNG willincrease even more. Natural gaswill recoverinavery strong wayeventually.”
The opportunitytotrain more futuremental health providersis certainlyone of aplanned Tulsa psychiatric hospital’sbig selling points.
But what it will mean forstudentsinother medical roles may be just as important, Dr.Johnny Stephens said.
“ER physicians,our surgeons, primarycareproviders—it’sgoing to allowustogive exposurein appropriatemental health care to a number of training physicians,” said Stephens president of OSU Center forHealth Sciences,a partner in the project. “Familymedicine, internal medicine —all of our disciplines on campus will benefit.”
Mental health training is now recognized as important, he said, whatever field of medicine one goes into.
“This is going to be just atremendous teaching and training opportunity,”Stephens said.
Plans forthe newhospital, a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and SubstanceAbuse Services and Oklahoma State University, were first announced in 2021
Theytook their next step recentlywhen officials decided on aname —the Oklahoma Psychi-
atric CareCenter —and setan official groundbreaking dateof
March 30
The $70million, 137,000square-foot hospital will be built on downtown’swestside next to anew Veterans Affairshospital and OSUMedical Center,with OSUCenter forHealth Sciences just amile away The 106-bed facility, targeted fora November 2024 opening, will replacethe current 56-bed TulsaCenter forBehavioral Health on South Harvard Avenue.
The newhospital is projected to serveanadditional 1,000-plus patientsayearand help reduce mental health-relatedERvisits, incarcerations and homelessness.
Carrie Slatto n-H odg es , commissioner for the stateDepartment of Mental Health, said the agencyisexcited to be working with OSUonthe venture.
“OSU has an outstanding rep-
utation forits behavioral health degree programs in Tulsa, as well as itsresearchprograms,”she said. “For us,this is the perfect partnership.”
The psychiatric hospital “will be among the best in the country,”she said.
“It will increase the ability of all Oklahomans to engagein services when needed, and more will be able to receivethe latest in treatment advancements and access to behavioral health care than ever before.”
The facilitywill alsodouble
as astate-of-the-art teaching hospital.
“I’mreallypassionate about the training aspect,”Stephens said.
“Wefeel that we’ll be able to add close to 15 newresidency slots,”hesaid. “Medical students and nursing studentsfroma number of different universities will train in the facility, as well.”
The original plan wasfor anew 56-bed hospital, but it wasexpanded thanksto$38 million in federal pandemic relief funding secured through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The facilityalsowill add 100 newjobs, with atotal workforce of 270, officials said.
Stephens said the COVID-19 pandemic onlyadded to the strain on the state’smental health system.
“This is going to help reduce some of that strain,”hesaid. “And it’s not just inpatient beds This facilityisforward-looking and will have crisis care beds and chairs(forshorter-term observation).”
Adrop-off facilityfor lawenforcement is another important feature, he said.
“Hopefullythis will reduce the time that lawenforcement is having to trytofind afacility forthose that need mental health care versus incarceration,”Stephens said. “We’re hoping that that’s going to be atremendous partnership.”
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Two2,500-square-foot commercial spaces on the street level have been listed forlease
in construction fieldsthatinclude electrical, plumbing, masonry, and heating and air conditioning.
ANNA CODUTTI
TulsaWorld
With so much development happening in downtownTulsaand beyond, it canbe hard to keep up with the progress of various projectsacrosstown.
After abusyyearofconstruction, there’splentytoreport from multiple residential, retail, office and mixed-usedevelopments. And newprojectscontinue to launch in northeast Oklahoma that will bring businessbenefits foryears to come.
TheView apartments
Asix-storymultifamilydevelopment by American Residential Group opened in March 2022 at 420 E. ArcherSt. Some unitsofferbird’s-eye viewsofthe Tulsa skyline and ONEOK Field.
The View is afollow-up to 161unit The Edge, which opened in theEastVillage in 2016.The complexfeatures 198designer-finished units, twoswimming pools, including one on the rooftop,and an attached parking structure.
ARG, amultifamilyveteran in Tulsa, has alsodeveloped properties including the MetroatBrady, RenaissanceUptownand Tribune Lofts.
SantaFeSquare
The office tower, along Greenwood Avenue between Firstand Second streets, is scheduled for completion in 2023.The facility
contains six floorsofworkspace atop six levels of parking, with the exception of aground floor that includes alobby and about 12,000 squarefeet of rentable space.
The vast majorityisleased,with law firm Hall Estill setto fill the 11th and 12th floors.
Tulsa-based Laredo Petroleum, nowVital Energy,will bring its corporateheadquarterstoSantaFe Square. About local 100 employees started moving in lateJanuary floorseight through 10 of the office tower.
About 25,000 squarefeet of retail and restaurantswill line a pocket park that will include a 30-foot by 50-footdigital screen on which plazavisitorscan watch sporting eventsand other displays
Dirt work began in the fall on an adjacent 189-unit multifamily complex.
No tenant has yetbeen an-
nounced forthe seventh floor which features about aloungeand fitness center.The entirecomplex is expected to be completed in summer 2024.
DavenportUrban Lofts
n2015the project wasannounced. In 2019, officials held agroundbreaking ceremony. In 2023,residentsare settostart moving in at Davenport Urban Lofts, 405 N. Main St. Construction on the shell of the building next to Cain’sBallroom in the TulsaArtsDistrict has been completed. “Aswecompletethe units, we will be moving people in,”coowner Lori Schram said. “It’s going well.”
Of the building’s 29 condominiums,19havebeen sold and areexpected to be completed in thenext threetofour months
The building sitsonwhat used to be Davenport Street, the “D” in the series of east-west north Tulsa streetsnamed in the early 1900s TulsaPremium Outlets
Construction has resumed at the proposedTulsa PremiumOutletsmall after nearly athree-year hiatus,JenksCityManager Christopher Shrout said officials hope fora2024open date.
The 100-retailer mall, planned just south of the Creek Turnpikein Jenks, is expected to generate400 construction jobs and 800 parttime and permanent jobs
“It’s going to mean alot,”Shrout said. “Wehavesomuch development going on,but this just superchargesit.”
TulsaPremium OutletsLLC purchased 51 acres forthe Jenks project for $12 million. Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner, which has an office in Tulsa, is the general contractor/construction manager “It’s good news forthe whole metroarea,”Shrout said. “With the interest rate environment, I think it’s impressive that aprojectofthis sizeismoving forward.”
Cherokee Nation Career Readiness
Cherokee Nation brokeground
Feb. 7ona$10 million Career ReadinessCampus
It will be the newhome of the Cherokee Nation Building Trades Programand will provide spacefor expanded training opportunities
The campus,southwest of Tahlequah on the previous Cherokee CountyFairgrounds location, also will housethe tribe’shigh-voltagelineman and fiber technician training programs
The tribe’sCareer Readiness Actlegislation sets agoalof placing career serviceofficeswithin 30 miles of everyCherokee citizenwithin its7,000-square-mile reservation.
21 NorthGreenwood
A five-story, mixed-use 70,000-square-foot development planned by GreenArch LLCfor the southeast corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street will featurethree stories of office space above aground-floor,retail/office component.
The law firm Pray Walker will occupynearlythe entirefourth floor, about 12,600 square feet. Alsoamong 21 North Greenwood’s tenantsisJuno Medical,backed by investor Serena Williams and Tulsa-based AtentoCapital.
“Therehas not been primary care medical on Greenwood in decades,” developer Kajeer Yarsaid.
The building’s rooftop event space, The Vistaat21, is booked regularly for special events. The deck alsooffersemployees a 5,000-square-foot enclosedarea forarooftop escape during the day.
GH2 Architectsdesigned the building, and Crossland Construction is the general contractor anna.codutti@tulsaworld.com
Juno Medical has signed alease at the 21 North Greenwood building, joining law firm Pray Walker (fourth floor) as tenants in theClass A mixed-used development.
“Therehas not been primary caremedical on Greenwood in decades, developer Kajeer Yarsaid.
allowing restaurant industry professionals to see appliances in action in aneutral space before buying. Restaurant owners, chefs, kitchen architects and designers, manufacturers’ representatives and other business partners can also book the facility.
products,
“We’re already booking events and working with partners throughout our footprint to use the space,” said Cortney Dennis, senior customer program representative for ONE Gas. “We’re excited to continue our legacy of promoting the use of naturalgas for cooking. We know natural gas is achoice, and we want to show people why it’s the best choice due to its efficiency and reliability.”
Learn more about how natural gas can benefityour business at oklahomanaturalgas.com/choose-gas.
Aninstitutionis onlyasstrongonthe foundationonwhich itrests.AndatRCB Bank,itsrootsrun nearly90years deep,anchoringan extremelysound foundation.
RCB Bankwas formed in 1936duringthe Great Depression whenpeople were strugglinginGreen Country. People needed help becauseotherbanks were notmeeting their needs. RCB Bank’s founders stepped in to helplocal citizenskeep their farms afloat and their businessesoperating. RCB Bank madebold movestolendmoney, becauseitknewaperson’s character —not just their accountbalance—was worththe investment RCB Bank is aboutrelationships, community and boldness.Itbelievesinbuildingrelationships withcustomerstohelp better understand and serve their needs, anditbelieves in building stronger communities by providing financial servicestohelp citizens thriveand local businesses grow.Ittakes boldsteps to meetthe needs of its communities, even in tough times.
“AtRCB Bank, we understand that thesuccess of our communities aredirectly tied to the success of all businesses withinthem,” RCB Bank President and CEORogerMosier said.“That’s whyweare deeply invested in and connected to the community.Wetakeprideinthe fact that we areapartofthe local community andnot just a financial institution operating within it.”
RCB Bank regularly participates in community events and sponsors local schools, organizations and charities.
“Webelieve in the powerofeducationto
empowerindividuals and families to takecontrol of their financial futures,”said Skiatook and Bartlesville MarketPresidentGeoff McGoffin.
“Wealso understand the importantrolethat smallbusinesses playinthe community,and we arecommitted to supporting their growth and success. We areproud to be atrusted financial partnerfor manyofthe small businessesand organizationsinour communities.”
In addition to its community involvement,RCB Bank also prides itself on providingpersonalized and responsiveservice to its customers.
Thebank’s customer service is drivenbyits community-based approach.
“AtRCB Bank,webelieve thatbanking shouldbeapersonal and relationship-driven experience,”said Broken Arrow,Coweta and Union Market President RichardWillhour.“We work closelywith our customerstounderstand their unique needsand provide financial solutions that aretailored to meet those needs.Weknow
ourcustomers by name, notjustbyaccount number, and we arealwaysavailabletohelp them with any financialneed theymay have.”
“Small businesses arethe backboneofour economyand we areproud to supportthem through ourlendingprograms,” VP Loan Officer Robin BrownofClaremoresaid. “Weunderstand that startingand running abusinesscan be challenging, andweare committed to providing the resources and supportneeded to help these businesses succeed.
Because of RCB Bank’s progressivespirit to loan in tough times, it hasbuilt loyalcustomers and servedthe needs of multi-generation families.
“Withoutthe dedication of principled leaders andemployees, RCB Bank could notserve as a responsible citizen of thecommunityorprovide high-quality customer service,” Mosier said.
“Aswegrow, we makeitagoal nottolose the personal connection while simultaneously taking
advantage of technologyadvancementstomeet the evolving needsofour customers. We are proud of ourpersonal, individualizedapproach to customerservice.
RCB Bank offersawide rangeof financial servicestoits customers, including personal and business banking, mortgage lending andwealth management.
“Weare committed to providing our customers with afull rangeof financial servicesthatwill help them achieve their financial goals,” said OwassoMarketPresidentSkip Mefford. “We areaone-stop-shopfor all of our customers’ financialneeds.”
It’seasy to seewhy so manyofits customers say“RCB Bank, that’smybank!” RCBBankisa$3.8billioncommunitybankwith64locationsin 35citiesacrossOklahomaandKansas.Foundedin1936,RCB Bankiscommittedtoservingitscommunitieswithconservative bankingpracticesandprogressivebankingproducts.Learnmore atRCBbank.comorgiveusacallat855.226.5722.Lendingservices availablewithapprovedcredit.MemberFDIC,EqualHousing Lender,NMLS#798151.
tie your people to one location. Any internet-enabled device, including laptops, smartphones, or notebooks can be used to access and share critical information and documents for strategic business decision-making. The advantages of managed cloud were clear to see during the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses that were already in the cloud were able to adapt to the new remote working norms much quicker and more efficiently compared to non-cloud companies.
The Cloud Enhances Data Security
tighten access to sensitive information in the cloud.
The Cloud Enables Efficient Team Collaboration Cloud computing can also enable significant efficiencies in work processes. The cloud allows collaboration on amuch larger scale among employees within an organization, and it lets multiple users from different departments access required information.
servers are generally more prone to physical damages from disasters like tornados, floods, and fire.
needs without suffering aloss in performance.
The adoption of cloud computing by small businesses is continuing to soar in popularity. With its low upfront cost and benefits that can include increased efficiency, anywhere access, improved cash flow, improved redundancy and back-up, and enhanced data security it’s easy to understand why.
In terms of aCox Business cloud solution, we offer acomplete portfolio of services designed to make the management of IT simple and easy, so you can maximize ROI and stay focused on growing your business. Best of all, the local Cox
Business account team that Northeast Oklahoma companies have relied on to support their traditional technology needs is the same team that’s qualified to create custom managed cloud solutions for your business.
There are many productive reasons why businesses are choosing the cloud over traditional ways of computing and data storage. What follows are a few everyday examples that illustrate why cloud migration is agood choice for businesses of all sizes.
The Cloud is Flexible and Scalable
Akey benefit of using the cloud is its scalability. With an on-site data solution, you need to invest in physical servers, networking equipment, and software licenses to scale up your business. And once that investment is made, it’s hard to scale back. Many businesses leverage the cloud to manage their bandwidth requirements, because services can easily scale up or down based on user requirements.
Cloud services are also exceptionally flexible. They don’t
Amajor concern of every business, regardless of size and industry, is the security of its data. Data breaches and other cybercrimes can devastate a company’s revenue, customer loyalty and brand reputation. The cloud offers many advanced security features that ensure your data is securely stored and managed. Features like permission-only access and specified log-on protocols can restrict sensitive data to specific employees, which reduces the chance of abreach by malicious actors.
Managed cloud providers implement baseline protections for platforms and data, such as authentication, access control, and encryption. Most businesses supplement these protections with added security protocols of their own to bolster cloud data protection and
With the cloud, businesses can overcome physical boundaries by enabling an infrastructure that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. This fosters better collaboration among remote work teams and contributes to business growth.
When businesses combine cloud technology with managed services, they can share information efficiency, prevent human error, and speed up the decision-making. This helps you boost productivity by focusing on the core tasks that matter most.
The Cloud is Cost-Effective Scaling up an on-premises infrastructure can be expensive. It requires additional investment in hardware, network equipment, software licenses and in-house technicians. When you factor in maintenance and installation costs, it can get extremely pricey. Also, on-site
By moving to the cloud, you virtually eliminate the investment that’s required for on-site redundant infrastructure. Although cloud computing does have some initial setup costs and training, you can achieve economies of scale at a much faster rate compared to on-site equipment. Cost-effectiveness is one of the major reasons why businesses across Oklahoma –and around the globe--choose the cloud over traditional systems.
The Cloud Offers Proven-Reliable Technology
Cloud computing technology has been around nearly 20 years, and it’s estimated that over 60% of all corporate data is currently stored in the cloud. By 2025, it’s estimated half of all business IT spending will be for cloud computing. Clearly, both big and small businesses recognize the benefits of cloud computing, and how it positively impacts production, collaboration, security, and revenue.
With amanaged cloud solution, your digital resources remain safe and secure, and are accessible anytime and anywhere. Your IT infrastructure performs reliably and as expected, and the system can seamlessly scale up or down to accommodate business
At the end of the day, the cloud gives your business the ability to leverage powerful computing power and infrastructure –along with added security and redundancy benefits –without the cost and complexity of building and maintaining an on-site solution. The inherent flexibility of the cloud means that you can start small and scale up as needed—and you only pay for the resources you consume. This allows you to expand or reduce your IT infrastructure as your business demands.
Cloud computing has been proven effective for any size business, but small companies can especially benefit from the way it boosts productivity, improves data security, enables automation, and improves workflow. With asolid-yet-flexible cloud strategy, you can create asustainable road map that will help grow and future-proof your business.
For more information about how Cox Business Cloud Solutions can be agamechanger for your company, contact your Cox Business account executive, or email Jason.Ludwig@cox.com. We’ll meet to assess your needs and create acustomdesigned cloud strategy specifically for your business.
Atypical impression is if you buyflooring from abig box store it’s going to be cheaper
“Usually,nothing is further from the truth in regardtoflooring,” said PennyCarnino,director of operations at Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile &Hardwood.
Carnino said Grigsby’s offers very competitivepricing on awide varietyofitems. Customerslooking to makeaninvestment in carpet, hardwood, laminate,natural stone, tile and vinylwillfind thatprices at Grigsby’s are consistentlyless expensive.
Priceisjust one of the things thatjumpstothe mind of a customer,building the notion local storescannot competewith larger brands. In reality, there are several aspects to buying flooring that makelocal shopsworth alook
One of the advantages Grigsby’s has is astaff with vast experience in the business
“Wehave astaff thathas tons of experience,”Carnino said. “My average salesperson has beenhere probably20years,sotheyhave awealth of knowledge, not only about the product but experience in regardtohelping the consumer choose what’s bestfor them and their situation. Whether they have kids, pets, there are just lots of flooring options out there and when aconsumer starts to look around, the averageconsumer gets very overwhelmed.”
It is easy forcustomersto become swamped by the myriad of flooring options available. Even if a customer entersthe floor shopping worldprepared, intricacieslikethe differences betweenavinyl plank being waterproof or onlytopically waterproof canbeconfusing.
“There are just alot of different things thatanexperienced salesperson canshare with a consumer so thattheyknowand thattheyhaveall thatinformation up front so theycan makeagood, educated decision on the floor they want to want to purchase,”Carnino
said.
Customerscan take solace in the experienceofGrigsby’s veteran employees
“And while (customers) cando alot of research on the computer and allofthat, there’s nothing better than coming in and talking to somebodyand sharing with them what your ideasare, what your vision is and then getting some feedback about something thatis going to take care of thatfamily well and suit their needs,”Carnino said.
Customer serviceisanother areaitcan be advantageous to shop locally at aplace likeGrigsby’s “You’regoing to getvery personalizedservice,”Carnino said. “When youcallabig store, Ithink youprobablydon’t getasquick a response customer service-wise as youwhen youbuy from somebody locally ownedand operated.”
When acustomer walksinto Grigsby’s,heorshe willencounter an employeewanting to tailor the product to what the customer needs. Theideal flooring option depends on the customer’s situation and desires.
“When youcome in, we’regoing to talk about the type of flooring you’re interested in and the way the room is used, if youhavekids, pets, your lifestyle certainlymakes thatpart of it more personalized cause we’retrying to getwhatkind of flooring would be bestfor you, ” Carnino said.
Carnino said personalizing the customer experienceisan emphasis forher staff.Making sure customershave atremendous experienceispart of the reason Grigsby’s offersfreeestimateson its product.
“That’sa big thing forus,” Carnino said. “Wedofreeestimates and customer serviceisvery important forusand we feel like that’sjust an extrasomething that youshould getwhen youcome to Grigsby’s.”
Thesecurity of knowing a knowledgeable voicewillanswer acallatamoment’s noticeis valuable.
“Wehaveaninstillation manager that, if youhave an issue, we’regoing to getyou takencare of, we’regoing to getsomebodyright out there to look at it,”Carnino said.
“Same thing with the salesperson, Imean, they’re going to getright back to you, and you’ve gotsomebodythere to talk to.I don’tthink that’snearlyaseasy with abig boxstore.”
It doesn’t take long forthe entire Grigsby’s operation to function, from spotting an appealing flooring option to installing it.
“The things we have in stock, thatturnaround time is really quick,” Carnino said. “If you came in earlier in the week,the installation schedule obviously changes allthe time, but the likelihoodofyou coming in and getting it installedthe same week is
fairly good.”
Grigsby’s openedits doorsin 1959.Carnino said, clearly,the store isn’t going anywhere.
“We’ve beeninthe business a really long time, we have agreat relationship with our vendors, Carnino said. “If there’s an issue, we’regoing to be able to getittaken care of foryou in aprobablymore timelymanner.”
Flooring options and inventory won’t be limited if acustomer choosestoshop locally at Grigsby’s Thousands of options in carpet, luxury vinyland tile are listed online.
Carnino said the items kept in stock are the most popular colorsand styles.Ifa bolder option is desired, Grigsby’s can accommodate it as an order, which usually takesaweekto10days. Backordering issues are improving afterstacking up during the pandemic.
“Wehaveatremendous selection,”Carnino said.
Carnino recognizesshopping forflooring canbeoverwhelming. HerhopeisGrigsby’s competitive pricing, knowledgeable salesstaff and freeestimatescan take some of the burdenoff customers.
“Consumerslook fora good valueand IfeellikeatGrigsby’s we offer great value,”she said. “In the end, that’swhatpeople want: Great customer serviceand agreat value fortheir investment.
Jim Light hasn’t forgotten something he learned in his 18 yearsasasmall-business owner “I think the needs of acompany when it comes to employees and retaining those employees is the same,”said Light, now aClient Services Coordinator atTulsaTech.“I found as Igot to know other business owners, no matter what business they were in, we had the same issues and problems and needs as far as doing the best we could to maintain asafe work environment and to do everything we could to find and keep the best employees.”
That is whyLight’swork withTulsa Tech’sWorkforce and Economic Development team benefits Fortune 500companies suchasAmerican Airlines and small mechanic shops: every companyneeds help solving similar problems.
TulsaTech offersmultiple branches of workforce improvement training at an affordable rate. Companies large and small can receive customizable training in areas likesafety,leadership and management.
“The whole purpose of our division is to provide the training for the existing
workforce,”Light said. “There are other parts ofTulsaTech that are training high school students and adults with full-time programs to get them into the workforce. We don’t really work to help companies fill their pipeline with new people. We’rethere to help them with their existing people to help upgrade their skills or get new skills.
Heather Williams is another Client Services Coordinator atTulsaTech She says one of the advantages of TulsaTech’sworkforce training courses is flexibility.Williams said not every business can have training during traditional working hours.
“For instance, Ihave acompany going right now and we have to offer their leadership classes in the evening from 4to8sowecan catchthe first shiftand the second shift,”Williams said. “It’scustomizable. We have clients that we train on Saturdays. We’vehad
our instructorsgoout at 6a.m. so I think that’sone of the biggest factors with us is being very customizable.”
Apopular courseTulsaTech offers is the Front Line leadership course. It coversworkplace culture, conflict resolution and includes employee personality testing.The objective of the course is to transform good employees into great ones.
“It’snot uncommon as companies are growing as fast as they have been these past several yearsinOklahoma, they promote agood employee into a manager or supervisor role, but that employee has never had training to do that job,”Light said. “And so, Ican’t tell you how manystories I’ve heard of this person wasafantastic employee, we moved them up, and they floundered. They weren’t prepared to do the job because they’ve never had training for it.That’swhere we can really help.”
Williams said the course contains 10 modules that eachtakefour hoursto complete. She recommends companies takeall 10 modules and complete them weekly or monthly
Thanks to how it is funded,Tulsa Tech can makeworkforce development courses affordable for every kind of business.
Companies can opt to complete the courses physically atTulsaTech’s Client Service Center,atthe company’s headquarters, online or ahybrid of online or in-person classes.TulsaTech aims to meet the needs of acompany wherever the companyis.
“Weall go in and develop a relationship with the client and find out what their needs are,”Light said. “Every client is going to be different and then we try to come up with a solution, acurriculum that would meet their needs.”
Tulsa Tech helps your employeesgo from good to great
MidAmericaIndustrialParkishome to 80+ employers, 4,500employees and 5Fortune 500employers —includingthe 2ndlargest Google Data Centerinthe world.
GREATLOCATION
•NEOklahoma meetsNWArkansas
•Within300 milesof10metropolitan cities
•Central location in the U.S.
•Next-dayservice capacity to 23%ofthe U.S. population
RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
•1,900 megawattsofreliable, affordablepower
•On-sitewater treatment for 20+million gal/day
•On-sitewastewatertreatmentfor 2+ million gal/day
WORKFORCETRAINING ANDRECRUITMENT
•On-sitecareer andtrainingcenter
•Nationalrecruitment strategy
•Customworkforce planswithregional partners
QUALITYOFLIFE INVESTMENTS
•Regionalplanningfor population growth
•Masterplanningnew housing
•Affordableliving
•Education
PREMIUMLAND
•9,000 totalacres
•Oklahoma’sonlymega-site
•2,000+availableacres
Oklahoma’s MidAmerica Industrial Park has more than 2,000 acres available foramega development project.
Originally amunitions plant duringWWII, Oklahoma’s MidAmerica Industrial Park has arich historyofre-invention and transformation.
Morethan 60 yearsago,the Oklahoma Legislatureformed a public trust authoritytopurchase the land and capitalizeon Oklahoma’s resourcestoattract jobs and investmenttothe state
Today, MidAmerica Industrial Park is the eighth largest of its kind in the world, the thirdlargest in the United States and the number one largest megasite available in Oklahoma.
“Decades of visionaryleaders at the State Capitol and on MidAmerica’s BoardofTrustees have all contributed to its 60 years of success,” said MidAmerica CEO David Stewart.“The continuity of leadership and conservative, strategic investments have laid the groundwork forthe growth we are experiencing.”
With aconsiderable critical mass of morethan 80 companies and an employmentbase of more
than 4,500 people in differentand diverse industrysegments, the park generates morethan $732 million in wages and salaries each year.Itishome to five Fortune 500 companies, includingthe secondlargest Google Data Center in the world.
MidAmerica is centrally located between Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas, which is home to the largest concentration of corporate wealth in the United States. It is within 300 miles of 10 major metropolitan cities and has a next-dayservicecapabilityto23% of the U.S.population. MidAmerica’s transportation, distribution and logistics boasts access to four interstates, on-site Union Pacific rail and switchyard,the nation’s most inland water port, and two
international airports
“Likeany business, an organization must continuously evolve, not only to remain relevant, but also to surpass the competition,” Stewart said. “For the last 10 years, we have methodically positioned MidAmerica as amegasite fora megaemployer.
MidAmerica’s considerable competitiveadvantages arealso responsible forexplosiveprospect interest
On-site partner,the Grand River DamAuthorityprovides reliable and cost-effectiveelectricity from adiverse portfolio of powergeneration. MidAmerica’s investmenttoexpand its ownwater and wastewater treatmentplants ensures the Park can be nimble and responsivetoanew employers
growth and infrastructureneeds.
The evolution of MidAmerica Industrial Park into amulti-faceted employmentcenter is even more evidentasitprepares forpopulation growth in anticipation of anew, major employer. MidAmerica is attractingand incentivizingnew housingdevelopments, recruiting newretail and entertainmentand investinginparks, biketrails and natural resources.
“In recent years, our focus has been on turninginnovation into implementation and reducing barrierstoour region’s economic advancement,”Stewart said. “Weare at atippingpointwhere amajor projectwill complete the transformation of not only MidAmerica, but positively impactall of Oklahoma.”
MidAmerica Industrial Park is thethird-largest industrial park in theUnited States andthe eighth-largest in theworld.
Even people who live close toTulsa Portsare often unaware of the barges steadily moving millions of tons of goods across the country
Andrew Ralston, theTulsa Portseconomic development director,said manypeople think the iconic Blue Whale is the biggest thing in the water around Catoosa.
“It’saunique story in that people around us don’t know we exist but people outside of Tulsa do know we exist,”he said. “Everybody who interacts with shipping on the inland river system knows about the Port of Catoosa.”
Despite its quiet outside appearance,Tulsa Ports is known nationally and internationally for its presence on the Oklahoma Waterways and eventual connection to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.
There are two locations in the Tulsa Ports’ operation, one just north of Catoosa and the other, muchnewer one, in Inola.The Port of Catoosa is a 2,500-acre shipping and industrial park complex that houses 70 businesses and about 3,000 workers collectively.The Port of Inola has asimilar total acreage footprint but is still being developed, with 2,200available acres.
Only about 17 of the companies situated on the Port of Catoosa use the waterway
or railroad infrastructure.The other companies lease that land to have prime position that is close to asource of raw materials.
“Weship about two million tons of materials in and out by barge every year,” Ralston said.
Ralston said about 90% of goods that come through the Port of Catoosa are agricultural. Pelletized fertilizer, liquid fertilizer,and grain (mainly soybeans and wheat) from manydifferent states, are some of the most-shipped products.
Steel makes up muchofthe rest of the traffic. “Wealso ship oversizeand over dimensional products,”Ralston said.
Sometimes, waterways are the only waytotransportmassive, heavy objects suchaswindmill towers.
“When large machinery is
fabricated, we ship it out via our main dockaswell as our low-water wharf.Those are products that can’t necessarily be shipped over the road.
“A lot of those structures are built inTulsa, but the only wayitgets out is through the waterways because of the size of the product.”
Tulsa Portsare built to handle massive shipments efficiently
“One regular hopper barge can carry 1,500tons and is approximately 195feet long,” Ralston said. “That’sthe equivalent of approximately 60 (18-wheeler) trucks. One towboat can move 12 barges on our system. Eachtowboat, with three diesel engines, can move the equivalent of 720 trucks in one movement.”
The Port of Catoosa opened in 1971.Inanormal shipping year,about 1,000 barges pass
“We’ve done alot of work to makePortofCatoosa one of the premiere and largest inland port/industrial park in the nation,”Ralston said.
With Catoosa going strong, focus is shifting towards building up the Port of Inola, whichTulsa Portsacquired in 2019 from Public Service CompanyofOklahoma.
“Now we’reworking to fill that site with job creation and manufacturing,”Ralston said. “Weare looking at companies that want anywhere between 100acres to 1,500acres for one project and could create thousands of jobs in each development.Tulsa Port of Inola is the future of economic development for the Tulsa Region.
Green Country Habitat for Humanity (Tulsa) is driving ambitious plans to address the dire need for new affordable housing in Tulsa’sunderserved communities.
We partner with anetwork of community-based financial institutions so familiescan receiveabelow market fixed-rate mortgage paired with forgivable down payment assistance based on need.
Beneficiaries of Green Country Habitat for Humanity (GCHFH) are engrained everywhere in the Tulsa community.They are nurses, public school teachers, and delivery workers: Amuch more diverse population than people may realize.
But whether the new homeownerstreat sicknessor teachhistory,their reactions after closing on ahome with amortgage below marketrate tend to be similar.“Iliketo jokethat we’rethe only home builder where there are tearsof joy guaranteed in every home closing,”Green Country CEO Cameron Walker said.
GCHFH is focused on addressing the dire need to build more affordable homes inTulsa’s underserved areas.There are about 900branches in the United States. Success is measured in houses built, and GCHFH is well on its waytocompleting its 250-house initiative in NorthTulsa.
“We’re on tracktomakea splash,”Walker said. “We’re proud of it because we’rekind of out here in flyover country.When you
think of large markets around the country with more resources, we’redoing awhole lot.”
GCHFH is on pace to build more than 80 homes this year.Walker said people who qualify —and manyworking peopleinTulsa do —can get amortgage below marketrate, move their family in and startpaying offtheir future home. It’snot ahandout, but it provides achance at stability for people and families who may otherwisebebouncing from apartment to apartment.
“These are not peoplethat have recently experienced homelessness that are getting offthe streetsand into ahome,” Walker said. “The families we are helpinggenerally have asteady solid source of income.These are gainfully employed people who simply don’t makeenough to walk into abank independently
and qualify for aloan.
It’swhy Walker and his team focus on building aperson’s relationship with abank, not just their home.
GCHFH works with anetwork of local bankstoprovide a30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Most of the people moving into the homes are first-time homeowners. His team works to dissolve banking apprehension among them.
“Weinvest in educatingour homeowners about the power of owning real estate and building equity and how it can translate into building generational wealth.”These well-built homes can range from $135,000 to $185,000
Walker said his team is moving beyond traditionalone-house builds and starting to build entire residential developments in
neighborhoods.That creates jobs for companieswhen installing infrastructure suchassewersthat go beyond avolunteer’s scope. Green Country is not the sole group responsible for lifting these neighborhoods. But we can be the organization that galvanizes renewal. For-profitbuilders often follow Green Country in areas to orchestrate acomplete turnaround.
“We’re being intentional in working with Blackand minorityowned contractorstodoall of this work,”Walker said. “It really creates apositive ecosystem when dollarsare being invested into NorthTulsa...our hope over time is we’ll see more sustainable businesses crop up with more and more new homeowners moving in, whichwill elevate this vibrant partofour community.
Alot of Tulsa’s workforce qualifies fora mortgage below market rate.
Inbusiness,budget demands are nonstop.Staffing,materials and products sales and marketing,insurance, facilities, benefits,travel, taxes—thelist goes on. Meanwhile,the cost of IT continues to increase,drivenupbysecurity, software, training,hardware, and other associated costs.For this reason, manyexecutives tend to look at IT as a“necessaryevil.”However, if done properly,ITcan have apositiveimpact on your bottom line Hereare six IT best practices thatwill make ahuge difference:
1. People When IT worksproperly the people within your business can be as productiveaspossible Good IT is standardized,secure, and stable. Solutions and processes are documentedsothatpeople no longer have to wait forthe resolutionofan impediment. MetricNet reports thatthe mean time to resolution foranITissue is 8.9 work hours.Evenifthe employee is still working via other tools,therewill be frustration at their productivitybeing hampered foroverafull business day. If youhavehighly motivated people in your organization and they do not have access to stable IT,eventually,they will get frustrated enough to leave.
2. Data managementand control. When IT operates well,your data is stored in aconsistentstructure, with the proper securitycontrols documentedand standardized.This ensures time is not wasted searching,reproducing,or waiting forthe necessarydatatoget something done.Additionally,your business will not end up with“data sprawl,”which leads to headaches if thereisemployeeturnover.
3. Performancemanagement. Properly investing in IT helps your infrastructure perform as expected. Many organizations tryto“squeezealittle bit morejuice”from IT investments they
made long ago; however, this almost alwaysresults in lost productivityin the shorttermand eventually leads to technical debt thatwill catchuptoyou during an upgrade or migration. Tight lifecycle managementincreases the stabilityand speed of the environment without needing to have adisruptive, expensivereconciliation every five years or so
4. Application optimization. Most organizations only use about 30% of the capabilities of their software, primarily because of aknowledge gap due to lack of training.Toincrease thatpercentage optimizeyour core applications with assigned system owners,ongoing training,and performancetuning.By managing your applications properly youcan reduceduplicate expenses,get moredone with fewerpeople,provide better service, and increase the velocity of your business
5. Risk management. Astrong risk
managementplan helps mitigate the risk of losing data or having significant downtime because of afailureorsecurity issue.Ifthe worst happens,proper risk managementcan be the difference between keeping your doors open and losing everything
6. Outsourcing Outsourcing to amature managed serviceprovider (MSP) is one of the best ways abusiness can improve profitabilityfromIT. AmatureMSP will focus on standardizing,streamlining, documenting,and managing technology lifecycles.Incontrast,low-maturity MSPsand/orinternal IT departments arealmost alwaysa“best-effort” situation, oftenlacking proper oversight, governance, or the capacitytoperform projects effectively.When abusiness has guaranteed outcomes in IT,the entire organization speeds up,increasing profitability.
JMARK is an independently owned and managed IT services provider with
morethan 120 employees supporting clients in Oklahoma and throughout the country. In our 35+ years of serving greatclients,we’ve learned manythings along the wayand have evolved our offerings and practices to provide industry-leading managed IT services.But our simple focus hasn’t changed –tomanage IT forour clients to protecttheir business and help them grow It’s an honor to support our clients with an arrayoftechnology services,from cybersecurityand strategic technology planning to network/servermanagementand help desk services.Our missionistoempower people to do work thatfacilitatesgrowth, spurs innovation, increases opportunity, and createslasting success We create unrivaled technology outcomes thatreducerisk,increase businessvelocity, and let our clients focus on whatmatters.To learnwhatkind of time youcould gain back by optimizing your IT strategy,giveusacall at (918) 496-4223.
Written by Thomas H. Douglas,CEO,JMARK