Outlook 2014: Quality of Life

SAND SPRINGS

BROKEN ARROW

OUTLOOK 2014 SPECIAL SECTION | SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2014

SAPULPA

JENKS

Quality of life: Tulsa, surrounding communities and the region have much to offer in education, arts and entertainment, recreation, and health BIXBY

TULSAWORLD.COM/OUTLOOK

GLENPOOL

BARTLESVILLE

TULSA

CLAREMORE

CATOOSA

OWASSO

OL 2

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Eye-opening culture

Tulsa’s arts, entertainment venues lauded nationally

I

MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer

n late January, 16 people flew in from New York, California, Florida and Washington, D.C., for the mid-winter meeting of the national Arts Education Advisory Council.

They took a tour of downtown Tulsa with Ken Busby, executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa.

“And they were blown away,” Busby said.

They marveled at the historic Art Deco architecture in the central business district and appreciated the gritty authenticity of the Blue Dome area.

But the revitalized Brady Arts District impressed them the most, with its vibrant art scene and the newly opened Hardesty Arts Center.

It’s known, locally, as AHHA. And it certainly gave Busby’s outof-town guests an ah-ha moment about Tulsa.

“Rarely have I ever witnessed a space as magnificent, humbling and welcoming,” said Alex Sarian, director of finance and new business for Lincoln Center Education at the famous Lincoln Center in New York.

“I wish every city, including New York City, boasted of more worldclass cultural centers like the Hardesty Arts Center.”

Tulsa can sometimes suffer a sort of inferiority complex, worried that its relatively small size can deprive residents of cultural opportunities that people enjoy in bigger cities like Dallas and St. Louis, much less on the East and West coasts.

It can take visitors to remind Tulsa that it has plenty to be proud of.

“The people of Tulsa should consider themselves incredibly lucky to have it,” Sarian said. “It’s truly worthy of national attention.”

Of course, the AHHA isn’t all that Tulsa is lucky to have.

Busby offers just a short list: The Arkansas River and Riverside Drive, the Philbrook and Gilcrease museums, the Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, Oklahoma Aquarium, the Tulsa Zoo and the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

“The arts,” Busby said, “are truly driving a critically important aspect of our economy.”

With construction starting this summer, a $300 million park will transform a stretch of Riverside into the Gathering Place, a massive complex of trails, gardens and playgrounds south of downtown.

Plans include splash fountains, reconstruction of the Pedestrian Bridge over the Arkansas River and a lodge to offer entertainment even in cold weather.

‘

The Hardesty Arts Center, exterior above and interior at right, has been one of the jewels in a revitalized Brady Arts District in downtown Tulsa. CHRISTOPHER SMITH/Tulsa World file (above) and TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World file (right)

Funded largely by donations, especially from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the park should open by 2017.

A few miles south of the Gathering Place on Riverside Drive, Tulsans and visitors also can expect to embrace the Parrothead lifestyle starting in 2015.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation of-

ficials will expand on their River Spirit Casino at 8330 Riverside Parkway with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville brand, complete with a 483-room, 26-story hotel tower.

The tribe announced the $335 million project last March, and construction began in November.

The expansion will also include a spa, theater and several new res-

taurants, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant and casino and a “5 O’Clock Somewhere” bar.

“We enjoy a tremendous quality of life in Tulsa,” Busby said. “And it just keeps getting better.”

Michael Overall 918-581-8383 michael.overall@tulsaworld.com

The people of Tulsa should consider themselves incredibly lucky to have it. It’s truly worthy of national attention.’

ALEX SARIAN, director of finance and new business for Lincoln Center Education at the famous Lincoln Center in New York, on the Hardesty Arts Center

INSIDE

Unique Tulsa attractions............................. 3 ARTS: Key component of quality of life 4 EDUCATION: Society’s best hope for the future ...............................................................4 FAITH: Enables us to respond to difficult situations with strength and hope. .......... 5 HEALTH: New models of health-care delivery are being implemented here ...... 5

THE COMMUNITIES Bartlesville, Bixby........................................ 31 Broken Arrow, Catoosa .............................32 Jenks, Glenpool .......................................... 34 Claremore, Owasso .................................. 36 Sand Springs, Sapulpa ...............................37

ONLINE

Read news about your community on sites dedicated to you. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Share stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free at these sites: bartlesvilleworld.com bixbyworld.com brokenarrowworld.com catoosaworld.com claremoreworld.com

glenpoolworld.com jenks-world.com owassoworld.com sandspringsworld.com sapulpaworld.com

Read any story you missed in this week’s special Outlook 2014 section online, and read all the stories from last week’s section focusing on the Tulsa metro business community. tulsaworld.com/outlook

About the section Tulsa and its surrounding communities offer a high quality of life. Each has something unique, and today, the Tulsa World presents the quality-of-life Outlook for our region. Our 38-page special section features leaders who offer their perspective on arts, education, faith and health care. It also includes stories from reporters and correspondents as well as custom content from advertisers. Last Sunday, the Tulsa World published an Outlook special section that focused on business in the area. To find that section and its stories, go to tulsaworld.com/outlook.

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA ATTRACTIONS From museums to parks to the arts and shopping, Tulsa has a variety to offer visitors and longtime residents. Here is a list of Tulsa’s unique attractions:

Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 3

TULSA — FROM STAFF REPORTS

Cherry Street, 15th Street east of Peoria Avenue: A unique collection of shops, restaurants and historic architecture, the district has become one of Tulsa’s most eclectic neighborhoods.

Brookside, Peoria Avenue around 36th Street: The entertainment district offers some of the best bar-hopping and sidewalk-strolling in the city.

Utica Square, 21st Street and Utica Avenue: Opened in 1952 as Tulsa’s first “suburban” shopping center, it has become one of midtown’s most charming and popular destinations.

Guthrie Green, at Brady Street and North Boston Avenue: The park takes up an entire square block and serves as the centerpiece of downtown’s revitalized Brady Arts District, lined with galleries, restaurants and night spots. The area also includes the Hardesty Arts Center and the Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education.

The Wailers (of Bob Marley fame) perform on the outdoor stage on Guthrie Green as part of the festivities for the opening of the open-air venue in 2012.

MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World file

Golden Driller, 4145 E. 21st St.: A landmark since 1966, it stands 76 feet tall and weighs 43,500 pounds, making it one of the largest freestanding statues in the United States.

The Philbrook Museum has one of the nation’s finest art collections. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file Greenwood District: The area includes ONEOK Field, home of the Tulsa Drillers baseball team, and the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Center, including Reconciliation Park, which memorializes the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and tells the story of African-Americans’ role in building Oklahoma.

The area also includes the Greenwood Cultural Center, which seeks to document and preserve the historic district, once a thriving center of African-American businesses in Tulsa.

Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road: While holding one of the finest art collections in the country, the 72-room mansion itself is one of the main attractions.

STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file Gilcrease Museum, 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road: Founded in 1949 by oilman Thomas Gilcrease, the collection was described by art historian Richard Saunders as “a kind of Smithsonian Institution of the American West.”

River Parks: More than 26 miles of paved trails connect playgrounds, fountains and sculptures along the banks of the Arkansas River. The trail system extends to several area communities, including Broken Arrow, Jenks, Sand Springs, Sperry and Skiatook.

Mohawk Park, 5323 E. 41st St. North: Sprawling across 2,800 acres, it’s one of the largest parks in the country and includes miles of hiking and biking trails, not to mention the Tulsa Zoo. And though not technically part of the complex, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum is just a few minutes away.

TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World aerial BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave.: Designed by well-known modernist César Pelli, the arena is Tulsa’s state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue that opened in fall 2008. The 19,199-seat arena is home to the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock and the CHL’s Tulsa Oilers. It was designed to host major concerts and other entertainment. In 2011, the BOK Center won the prestigious International Association of Venue Managers Venue Excellence Award.

Spartan College of Aeronautics: Where Dreams Take Flight

A

Spartan education has

launched many people into

successful careers. Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology has graduated more than 90 thousand pilots, aviation maintenance technicians and students in the newer disciplines of avionics (aviation electronics), quality control and nondestructive testing. Today, the college offers proFOR MORE INFORMATION:

Spartan College of Aeronautics and Aviation 8820 E. Pine St. Tulsa, Okla. 74115 918-831-5217 Spartan.edu

fessional pilot training, aviation maintenance, avionics technology, nondestructive testing and quality control plus associate degrees in applied science and a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation technology management.

Students have an opportunity to learn real-world, hands-on skills on Spartan’s Boeing 727, which was donated by FedEx last year. Spartan is one of the largest aviation colleges in the country with more than 247,000 square feet of training facilities located at two Tulsa airports, 19 airplanes for maintenance training and more than 40 airplanes for flight training.

Aviation Industry Growth According to the Federal Aviation Administration, new pilots and aviation maintenance technicians will be able to find hundreds of thousands of job openings in the next few years. Boeing predicts that the airline industry will need to hire more than 466,000 pilots as well as 600,000 aviation maintenance and avionics technicians over the next 20 years.

Student Assistance Spartan student services helps students find and secure employment while attending the college and provides nationwide placement assistance after graduation. Spartan graduates

have found employment in the fields of aviation, oil and gas, automotive, wind energy, railway, manufacturequipment ing, medical and many others sectors. Spartan and American Eagle have partnered to provide Spartan College aviation flight graduates a direct track to the regional and then major airlines. Graduates employed as flight instructors

are eligible to participate in the American Eagle Pilot program, which provides a direct track to an airline pilot career.

Financial aid is available to those who qualify, as well as student employment opportunities, housing and graduate placement assistance. Spartan continues to be the pathway to an exciting and rewarding industry.

Spartan is licensed by OBPVS.

WHERE DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT! In addition to being one of America’s largest, oldest and most prestigious flight colleges, Spartan offers training for several related technology careers: • Avionics

• Quality Control

• Nondestructive Testing

• Aviation Maintenance.

www.spartan.edu 1-888-257-8866

Find us on Facebook!

Licensed by OBPVS

•

Consumer information available at: www.spartan.edu/consumerinformation

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

•

Scan with your Smartphone for more information

8820 E. Pine, Tulsa, OK 74115

OL 4

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Arts touch variety of lives

Cultural activities create jobs, aid education, enrich participants KEN BUSBY Executive director and CEO, Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa

I

T GOES WITHOUT saying that the arts are a key component of the quality of life that we enjoy in Tulsa.

When one considers “the arts,” one should think about them as a whole.

And when I say Tulsa, I mean the Greater Tulsa region.

Tulsa is truly blessed with many wonderful arts and cultural offerings — from the Oklahoma Aquarium to the Tulsa Zoo, from the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse to the Sand Springs Historical Museum.

From music to art to theater, Tulsa isn’t lacking for anything.

And it’s this rich cultural milieu that not only attracts and retains creatives, but also serves as a very real economic engine spurring investment and growth.

The arts are not only job creators, but they are also a critical component of our educational system.

The arts improve student test scores on standardized tests, and they improve analytical and critical-thinking skills.

Students who receive regular arts instruction do better in math and science and are more likely to attend college.

Carole Klein, associate curator of art at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, discusses art in an exhibit at Gilcrease. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World file

That’s why arts instruction is so critical in our school systems and throughout our community through the various arts organizations that provide arts education.

The arts in Tulsa employ hundreds of people.

When you go to a production of Tulsa Symphony or Tulsa Ballet or Tulsa Opera, you see the artists on

stage and the musicians in the pit.

But did you stop to think about all the people employed at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, for example, who take your tickets, show you to your seats, set the stage, run the lights and sound?

And for these organizations and all the other cultural entities in our community, there are employees

who do marketing, prepare costumes, plan exhibitions, build sets, coordinate volunteers, arrange scores, etc.

And then if you multiply the number of people even further by the ancillary employees who are engaged in some way through restaurants, catering, hotels and gift shops, you begin to see the tremen-

dous economic engine that the arts really are!

However, fundamentally, we need to remember that the arts are and should be about art.

Art should be enjoyable or it should make you think, or it should make you happy or sad, or it should remind you of something in your past or give you hope for the future.

Whether attending a concert at the Guthrie Green or BOK Center, seeing an exhibit at Philbrook or Gilcrease Museum, attending a production by Theatre Tulsa or American Theatre Company, seeing a film at Hardesty Arts Center or Circle Cinema, the arts, in all their forms, enrich our lives.

Children see art for what it is.

Children observe and become artists themselves.

They create their own vision and their own worlds.

As adults, not only should we embrace the arts for ourselves, but we should keep them strong for our children — generation upon generation building a love for and appreciation of the arts. Imagine the world without art.

And as British essayist Walter Pater once noted, “Art comes to you proposing frankly to add nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass.”

Ken Busby is executive director and chief executive officer of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa. Previously, he was director of development for Tulsa Zoo Friends and was with Gilcrease Museum for eight years, serving as membership director and director of communication. He holds bachelor’s degrees in communication and French from the University of Tulsa, and a master’s in journalism from Indiana University.

A is for American Dream Public education’s goal: a quality education for all children

American history teacher Dan Spitler teaches his class at Wells Middle School in Catoosa. The 14 school districts in Tulsa County serve more than 115,000 K-12 students. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

and talent to Tulsa-area schools.

The impact of partnerships has encouraged some schools to reinvent themselves as Community Schools with after-school enrichment, inschool medical clinics and expanded parent involvement.

The shared goal of graduating all students ready for college and/ or career has led to expanded opportunities in high school.

A growing number of students now earn high school and college credit through AP courses, Tulsa Technology Center training and concurrent courses from Tulsa Community College, which provides an inexpensive transition to college and the workplace.

Another amazing local benefit is Tulsa Achieves, which enables Tulsa County graduates to attend TCC tuition-free. This makes Tulsa well-positioned to increase the number of college graduates.

Public schools at all levels deserve respect for their role in shaping our region’s future. However, they can’t be expected to produce an educated citizenry without proper investment by the state and the flexibility to innovate.

Public education is society’s best hope for the future. It is the tide that raises all boats and deserves to be the favored cause for all who have hope for the future.

critical thinking and problem-solving skills. That is why schools want to embrace high academic standards, technology and researchedbased methods to expand academic experiences beyond test objectives to make learning meaningful.

Oklahoma leads the nation in one educational benchmark — early-childhood education. With

Cathy Burden is a retired superintendent of Union Public Schools. She spent 41 years in education and became superintendent of Union in 1994. She was named the 2013 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence winner in elementary/secondary administration by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

She began her career as a special education teacher then school psychologist before moving into administrative positions.

CATHY BURDEN Former Union Public Schools superintendent

I

N SPITE OF derogatory rhetoric by those who want to privatize public schools, it is refreshing that a recent Gallup poll found that nearly 75 percent of public school parents grade their child’s school with an A or B. Presumably, these parents see firsthand the caring and commitment of teachers and appreciate the efforts to graduate everyone for college and/or career ready.

However, as less than 25 percent of all adults in the Tulsa area currently have school-aged children, it’s important to highlight why public schools are vital to our community now and in the future.

Our public education system is uniquely designed to actualize the American spirit. Rather than serving only a select few as many other countries do, our democratic way of life values that all children are entitled to a quality education. In fact, publicly funded schools have been the cornerstone of the American Dream, promising the hope of social mobility and success to all who pursue an education.

Educators understand that today’s students are Tulsa’s future.

Our workforce and quality of life depend on every student learning

the greatest number of children enrolled in state-funded preschool programs, our state is capitalizing on this critical period to build academic readiness. CAP Tulsa and Educare Early Childhood Centers are also recognized nationally as models of best practice that provide comprehensive programs for low-income children.

The 14 school districts in Tulsa County serve more than 115,000 K-12 students with a focus of maximizing student achievement.

In spite of state funding cuts, innovative initiatives such as STEM, language immersion and fine arts can be found throughout the area.

Volunteers, community agencies and businesses add valuable time

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

n

n

OL 5

Faith brings fulfillment

Study shows people with faith have brighter outlook on life

I

N APRIL 2003, the Barna Research Group of Ventura, Calif., disclosed that a vast majority of Americans are generally comfortable with the quality of their lives at the moment.

Among those polled, an even larger majority felt being personally connected with other people was a key factor in their perspective on the quality of their lives.

Essentially, this study explored the effect of demographics and faith on their views.

Faith was shown to have a significant correlation with life perspective. People with an “active faith” or “practicing faith” had an even higher assessment of the quality of their life.

God provides faith for the life we are called to build in our homes, cities and communities. Quite frankly, faith fosters a better life for all, contributing to the common good in ways that are immeasurable.

Faith in a narrow context is a journey for some, but in a much broader context faith helps to build and prepare a place in which human beings can live together. A greater appreciation for the architecture of human relationships is forged from a solid belief system.

One of the areas in which faith serves the common good the most is in the stability of our families.

Families are the building blocks of any community. The weaker our family structures the weaker our communities become.

Another area in which faith enhances the quality of our lives is in giving meaning to our existence, by providing a belief system that addresses the ultimate questions of life. Where did I come from? What

Rev. Anthony L. SCOTT First Baptist Church North Tulsa does life mean? And what happens after life on earth?

As we experience unavoidable devastating occurrences in our community from natural disasters like the Moore tornadoes or human-created tragedies like the Good Friday shootings, faith can be a stabilizing and sustaining force. During these periods the mutual interaction that takes place between faith and life becomes painfully and reassuringly evident.

A 2012 Marist poll noted that faith also improves the quality of life for the aging. This research found that those for whom faith is a dominant part of their life view their lives more positively than those for whom it is not. This data is part of a GOLD Indicator (Gauging Overall Life Dimensions).

Highlights from this project found that Americans who practice faith rated their quality of life better across all 10 life dimensions studied: family, neighborhood safety, housing situation, spiritual life, health, friends, work or how days are spent, free time, finances, and community involvement.

The key contribution of faith is in pointing us beyond the individualism pervasive in our culture and to disclose the social (i.e. shared)

Emma Sharp (left) and Melanie Piche sing “The Gift of Love” during a special service at First Presbyterian Church.

CORY YOUNG/ Tulsa World file

quality of our lives. Where has all the disconnection come from? It flows from a worldview that puts all the emphasis on the solitary person.

In his book “Habits of the Heart,” Richard Bellah, a University of California sociologist, takes a look at the primary commitments and core values of American society. Bellah’s research revealed that the two primary commitments of Americans are forms of individualism: Utilitarian Individualism, which says: If it works for me, then it is good; and Expressive Individualism, which asserts: If it fulfills or satisfies me, then it is good. But our commitment to individualism has led to the breakdown of communities and the disconnection of

families and neighbors.

An occurrence of faith impacting life and life situations that most notably stands out in my mind was in the aftermath of the aforementioned Good Friday shootings.

As our community and city found themselves under the microscope of national media attention coupled with insecurity and uncertainty dominating our collective psyche, it was the collaboration between people of faith and civic leaders, who pulled our community together and provided a hopeful perspective of life and our prospects for the future.

That being said, faith enables us to respond to difficult and seemingly impossible situations with a new source of strength and

hope. It gives us a fresh perspective on life and a new understanding of who we are and who we can become.

The quality of our lives in Tulsa, northeastern Oklahoma and the state as a whole can only be sustained and reach full expression as faith and life continue to be connecting links in the chain of factors that determine the quality of our lives together.

The Rev. Anthony Scott has been pastor at First Baptist Church North Tulsa since 2008.

He has preached for more than 18 years. He is active in National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc.; the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention, where he serves as 2nd vice president; and the Creek District Baptist Association, where he serves as vice-moderator-at-large.

Improved diagnosis

Tulsa region succeeding in health care despite numerous challenges much brighter future.

Hillcrest, St. John and Saint Francis health systems have all opened new hospitals, and Saint Francis Hospital will soon open its $200 million, 500,000-square-foot Trauma Emergency Center and Patient Tower.

With the aid of significant public and private support, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and the OU School of Community Medicine are both expanding their medical student and resident physician training programs.

DR. GERARD CLANCY President, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

T

EN YEARS AGO, the Tulsa region began to come to grips with some daunting trends regarding our health.

Over the past 25 years, Oklahoma’s health had improved the least of any state.

We had a 14-year difference in life expectancy between north and south Tulsa. Oklahoma ranked near the bottom in overall health and in physician workforce.

In 2010, an additional layer of challenges were added in the form of the Affordable Care Act, with opportunities for expanded coverage of the uninsured but also new regulations regarding insurance coverage and dramatic changes in how health care would be reimbursed.

It was almost enough for those in the health-care fields to say these problems are just too big to have an impact.

Alignment But that is not how Tulsans get things done. The past 10 years have seen significant investments in our health-care system, with even more improvements on the way.

It began with Tulsa leaders being

Efficiency of health care

X-ray technician Jessica Dossey (left) talks with Dr. Divina Roman at Rockford Medical Access Clinic, a walk-in facility at 1421 E. 13th St. operated by St. John Medical Center. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World file

brutally honest with what was not right regarding our health and health-care system.

Here, the business community was willing to make health-care coverage, access to health-care services and our health-care workforce a priority in the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s One Voice Legislative Agendas year after year.

With this new level of alignment around health, our philanthropic and legislative leaders began investing hundreds of millions of dollars in our region’s health-care system, and the results have been

impressive.

Today, Tulsa is one of the most rapidly improving regions regarding health-care system modernization.

Wellness Our culture of fitness and wellness has grown significantly in the past decade with the expansion of the River Parks trails, the Tulsa Run and the Route 66 Marathon.

The Tulsa Health Department opened the North Regional Health and Wellness Center, and the YMCA is well underway in plan-

ning for a new set of services that integrates health care with wellness no matter your current health status.

Access We have seen the opening of health-care clinics in north Tulsa, including a new Morton Comprehensive Health Services Clinic and the University of Oklahoma’s Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Clinic.

With significant public and private support, OSU Medical Center has been restructured and has a

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

New models of health-care delivery are being implemented in Tulsa that promise to improve access and lower the overall cost of care, including Patient Centered Medical Home teams for primary care, the Sooner Health Access Network that guides patients to the right clinician at the right time and the MyHealth Access Network that assists in the sharing of key medical knowledge across the region.

Tulsans have been honest about what is not right regarding our health and should be proud of the level of public and private alignment we have seen and progress we have made.

These investments will serve us for decades to come.

Dr. Gerard Clancy was named president of OU-Tulsa in 2006 and dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine-Tulsa in 2001. The Oklahoma State Medical Association awarded him the 2003-04 Award for Community Service for the development of a community partnership to improve access to care for the medically underserved.

OL 6

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Meet One of Tulsa’s Best-Kept Secrets

JOHN ZINK HAMWORTHY COMBUSTION 11920 East Apache Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 918.234.1800 johnzinkhamworthy.com

W

orldwide, people look to this Tulsabased company as an undisputed leader in the combustion and emissions control industry. They send their employees here to get the most comprehensive training available anywhere. They come here to see their equipment tested in part of the largest, most advanced combustion testing facilities in the world. But ask Tulsans about this global powerhouse in their backyard, and many couldn’t tell you a thing.

John Zink Hamworthy Combustion flies a little below the radar here locally. It’s not in their corporate culture to brag.

But, for more than 80 years, they’ve been quietly driving innovation in emissions-control and clean-air technologies. And while the company has made a big impact in plants and refineries and shipping docks across the globe, they’ve kept their Tulsa profile low. Unless, of course, you count the more than 700 people they employ at their world headquarters off Highway 169 on East Apache.

Keeping Industries Clean and Efficient Every day, John Zink Hamworthy Combustion emissions-control and clean-air systems are put to work in vital industries across the globe. These customers are the very backbone of industrial infrastructure, producing energy, chemicals and plastics around the world.

And it’s often up to John Zink Hamworthy Combustion to help them heat vital processes, manage waste, destroy pollutants, recover valuable vapor and eliminate emissions.

Here’s how they do it:

FLARE SYSTEMS: Proven in thousands of onshore and offshore facilities around the world, the company’s advanced flare design and clean flare technologies for upstream, downstream and biogas flare industries are known to minimize conventional flaring effects, such as smoke, noise, bright light and emissions.

THERMAL OXIDATION: The company has more than 3,500 installed thermal oxidation systems globally, protecting the environment by destroying up to 99.9999% of a variety of hazardous industrial wastes.

FLARE GAS RECOVERY: Flare

gas recovery systems from John Zink Hamworthy Combustion reduce normal flaring by nearly 100%. This near-zero flaring not only reduces emissions, the recovered flare gas can be recycled and reused as fuel or feedstock.

VAPOR CONTROL: The company has more than 2,000 vapor combustion and vapor recovery installations worldwide.

Their vapor control technologies are recognized as the “Best Demonstrated Technology” and the “Maximum Achievable Control Technology” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

PROCESS BURNERS: The

company offers a broad range of conventional low NOx and ultra-low NOx process burner systems that reduce pollution and maximize efficient heating performance for the ethylene, refining and reforming industries.

BOILER BURNERS: Their customized boiler burners accommodate variable fuels,

emissions levels, boiler types and flame geometry for industrial steam generation, power generation and marine markets worldwide.

BIOGAS: The company has

Headquartered in Tulsa, John Zink Hamworthy Combustion employs more than 1,600 people worldwide.

more than 700 biogas flare systems in operation helping customers meet the toughest environmental regulations. The ZULE® ultra-low emissions flare system delivers the highest destruction efficiency available with the lowest emissions.

Teaching the World… in Tulsa Thousands of professionals from all over the world travel to Tulsa to attend the acclaimed John Zink Institute. This educational program offers accredited, practical instruction from industry leaders on a variety of operating and safety subjects related to combustion.

This is just one way the company actively shares its experience and expertise. In addition, The John Zink Hamworthy Combustion Handbook is an industry standard reference book and has been a top-seller in its category since 2006.

Worldwide office locations.

Investing In Innovation, Investing In Tulsa Continuous innovation is a vital part of the company’s success and position as an industry leader. As a result, they invest heavily in facilities and experts.

One way the company advances is through acquisitions.

Through the years, many recognized brands have joined the John Zink Hamworthy Combustion family. Locally, the company’s investment can be seen in the size of its Tulsa workforce and its one-of-a-kind

International Research and Development Test Center | Tulsa, Oklahoma

facility. The company’s three research and development test centers make up the largest and most advanced testing complex in the industry. The Tulsa center, however, is by far the largest and most comprehensive of the three (the others being in Luxembourg and Poole, England). This location is home to Ph.D. engineers and some of the most respected researchers in the industry.

While it may not be entirely accurate to call a company with such far-reaching global success a secret, it is fair to say many Tulsans don’t know how much they have to be proud of. And while John Zink Hamworthy Combustion is just one of many, many examples, it’s a good place to start discovering the people, technology, success and leadership our great city offers the world.

MARCH 29, 2014

CAREER FAIR We offer great benefits including medical, dental and life insurance, a pension plan, matching 401(k), vacation time, paid holidays and educational assistance. We also have state-of-the-art facilities that include an air-conditioned and heated manufacturing shop.

100+ POSITIONS AVAILABLE INCLUDING ENGINEERS, DESIGNERS, WELDERS, ASSEMBLERS AND MORE. Apply in person, or save time and apply online at johnzinkhamworthy.com/careers.

When: March 29, 9am to 2pm Where: 11920 East Apache Street, Tulsa, OK Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test.

EOE. M/F/D/V

OUTLOOK 2014

Š2014 John Zink Company LLC. JOHN ZINK HAMWORTHY COMBUSTION is a trademark of John Zink Company LLC. JZ, KEU, KALDAIR and TODD are registered trademarks of John Zink Company LLC. HAMWORTHY COMBUSTION is a registered trademark of Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Ltd. COEN is a registered trademark of Coen Company, Inc. AIROIL-FLAREGAS is a trademark of Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Ltd. Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

EOE. M/F/D/V

n

OL 7

OL 8

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Gilcrease Museum, nestled in the scenic Osage Hills overlooking downtown Tulsa downtown, is one of the country’s leading facilities for the preservation and study of American art and history.

Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum Serves as Treasure to World

P

reserving the past requires forward thinking.

That is the legacy of Oklahoma oilman Thomas Gilcrease.

Thanks to his personal interest in securing artwork and artifacts that captured the history of the American frontier and the Native American experience, he left behind an unparalleled portal to the past through which millions of citizens here and abroad have traveled for generations.

Gilcrease amassed a financial fortune during his lifetime thanks to the discovery of oil in the land allotted to him as a member of the Creek Nation, but he invested those petroleum profits in a treasure that Tulsans have cherished and preserved long after his death in 1962.

Gilcrease Museum, nestled in the scenic Osage Hills overlooking downtown Tulsa from the northwest, houses a collection of more than 350,000 items. It is the world’s most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West, including an unparalleled collection of Native American art and artifacts, as well as thousands of historic documents, maps and manuscripts from the Americas.

That total includes more than 10,000 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by 400 artists from colonial times to the present, including 18 of the 22 bronzes created by Frederic Remington. The museum’s archival collection contains more than 100,000 books, manuscripts, documents and maps ranging from 1494 to the present. Among them are a certified copy of the Declaration of Independence sent to Frederick the Great of Prussia and a Thomas Jefferson letter from 1776. The anthropology collection alone features more than 250,000 archaeological objects, historic and contemporary beadwork, ribbon work and clothing.

“We’re very fortunate to have a collection of such size and significance as the Gilcrease collection,” says Executive Director Duane King. “We’re very proud to be part of what makes Tulsa a great place in which

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Gilcrease Museum

1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road Tulsa, Okla. 74127 918-596-2700 Gilcrease.utulsa.edu

Construction is nearing completion on The Helmerich Center for American Research, which will have a public preview in September. to live and work.”

King came to Gilcrease in 2008 after directing museums in Los Angeles and New York as well as Oregon and North Carolina.

He holds advanced degrees in art history, including a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia that focused on researching the Cherokee language.

For local residents who might not yet have experienced the Gilcrease Museum, King invites them to make their first encounter this month to see a new exhibit titled “Focus on Favorites.” As the name implies, some of the museum’s most popular pieces will be brought out of storage and placed on display.

Thomas Gilcrease began collecting art, objects and articles after traveling extensively in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. He was inspired to create his own collection after visiting European museums. Gilcrease focused his efforts on capturing the history of the American West and the pride he had in his American Indian heritage.

“Thomas Gilcrease’s collection serves as both a window and a mirror of the American story,” King says. One offers transparency and the other is about reflection.

“Visitors can see themselves and their heritage in that picture,” King explains. “For others outside the American experience, it serves as a visual recounting of the history of America.”

King says it’s not unusual to be walking through the galleries of the Gilcrease and hear foreign languages being spoken among visitors, especially Japanese, German and Italian. “There’s very strong interest in Europe in the story of American Indians and the American West. Hobbyist groups in Europe recreate Indian encampments. We’re starting to see a similar interest develop in Asia, especially China and Japan,” King adds.

In 2012, King says, the Gilcrease Museum was approached by Italian museum curators and asked to set up an exhibit of American art in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy. During the six months, it attract-

“On Common Ground,” one of the museum’s newest exhibitions, explores the richness of common experiences in the settling of North America.

ed 305,000 visitors who each paid an extra 15 Euros (about $20) to view the exhibit of more than 200 items.

“What it demonstrated for us is that the art from the Gilcrease collection can be appreciated by anyone in the world,” says King, who traveled to Italy to view the exhibit.

Reaching a broader national and international audience is a catalyst for the museum’s latest capital undertaking. Construction is nearing completion on The Helmerich Center for American Research. The 25,000-square-foot facility will enhance scholarship opportunities relating to the collection and create broader interest internationally for the Tulsa museum.

Following a public preview in September, it will house the Gilcrease Library and Archive, containing almost 100,000 rare books, documents, maps and unpublished works. It also will feature a processing laboratory for electronic cataloguing and digitization of the collection so scholars around the world can access it online.

The Helmerich Center for American Research will include a conference center and research offices and classrooms to host visiting faculty and students as well as seminars open to the public. It will be equipped with videoconferencing capabilities to facilitate distance learning.

“Most of the time, you had to come here to study the collection,” King says. “We now can share it much more readily.”

The late Walter Helmerich III, Tulsa businessman and philanthropist, and his wife, Peggy, provided the lead gift for the $18 million research center. It is the latest example of how Tulsans continue to financially support what Thomas Gilcrease began more than a half-century ago.

During the height of the oilman’s art collecting in the 1950s, the price of oil began declining, making it difficult for Gilcrease to continue financing his major art purchases. The businessman considered selling the entire collection so it would remain intact, but a group of Tulsa citizens organized a bond election to acquire the collection so the treasures would remain here.

In gratitude for the community’s support, Gilcrease deeded his collection to the City of Tulsa in 1955. He spent the last few years of his life funding archaeological excavations to add to the collection.

In 2008, a partnership was formed between the City of Tulsa and The University of Tulsa to continue efforts to preserve the collection. Under the agreement, TU manages operations of the museum while the city retains ownership. King holds the title of vice president for museum affairs at TU. “If you live here, you own this museum,” King says. “That’s something to be very proud of. The citizens of Tulsa have been very supportive in using public funds to support the museum owned by the city.”

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Form and Line:

AllAn Houser’s sculpture And drAwings

the ForCe

by Allan Houser Vermont marble, copyright 1990 copyright Chiinde LLC photo by Wendy McEahern

Celebrating the centennial of the birth of Chiricahua Apache artist Allan Houser.

Works loaned by Allan Houser, Inc.

Continues through June 29, 2014 Title sponsor of the Gilcrease Museum 2013-14 exhibition season is the Sherman E. Smith Family Foundation.

Gilcrease MuseuM a university of Tulsa/city of Tulsa Partnership Open Tues. – sun. n 918-596-2700 n Gilcrease.uTulsa.edu 1400 n. Gilcrease MuseuM rd. n Tulsa, OK The University of Tulsa is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action institution. For EEO/AA information, contact the Office of Human Resources, 918-631-2616; for disability accommodations, contact Dr. Tawny Taylor, 918-631-2315.

n

n

OL 9

OL 10

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Oklahoma Heart Institute Clinics Offer Cardiac Care Close to Home C

ardiac specialists at the Oklahoma Heart Institute perform some of the most advanced and innovative cardiac procedures in the nation at the flagship heart hospital in midtown Tulsa, saving patients from life-threatening conditions.

The work performed there by skilled surgeons, however, represents only part of what Oklahoma Heart Institute does to provide high-quality cardiology care for Oklahomans throughout Green Country.

Oklahoma Heart Institute’s outreach extends from Miami to Stillwater to Henryetta where cardiologists work in 17 regional heart clinics to provide preventive and diagnostic services close to home for patients in Northeastern Oklahoma.

The goal is that by providing these services at clinics, cardiac problems can be detected before they become acute, thus saving the patient from requiring invasive surgery.

“People won’t necessarily drive to Tulsa from Vinita for an exam,” says Dr. Eugene Ichinose, one of Oklahoma Heart Institute’s interventional cardiologists. “By providing services at our clinics, we can catch them before they damage their heart.”

Ichinose spends one day each week seeing patients at the clinic in Vinita. The rest of the time he’s in Tulsa at the main hospital. He says more than half of Oklahoma Heart Institute’s 40-plus cardiac specialists go back and forth between the clinics to provide close-to-home care for their patients.

Prevention and intervention are the main components of clinical care, Ichinose says. He will evaluate patients for things such as hypertension, high cholesterol and lifestyle factors that can contribute to heart problems.

Patients who smoke, for example, may come into the clinic because they are experiencing fatigue and a heaviness in their legs. That can be a sign that they are getting decreased blood flow to the legs, signaling a bigger problem is building up.

Other patients might have a family history of coronary disease and therefore need to be evaluated regularly, even before any problems surface such as shortness of breath, chest pains or an erratic heartbeat.

Ichinose and other doctors also are able to perform many tests at the clinics. The Vinita clinic, for example, is located inside Vinita General Hospital. He is one of three Oklahoma Heart Institute cardiologists who each visit three times per week, seeing a combined 20 patients per day, on average.

Other specialists from Oklahoma Heart Institute make regular visits as well, including a cardiac electrophysiologist who is there once a month. He works with patients having palpitations who might be candidates for pacemakers or defibrillators.

“I try to keep everything I do in the clinic in the community,” Ichinose says.

He will screen patients for lifestyle factors and, if necessary, start them on prescription medicines to see how they respond. If there’s evidence of any blockages, he will have a stress test performed and possibly an electrocardiogram (EKG).

Of the 20 daily patients he and the other doctors see at the Vinita clinic, maybe one or two will require a heart catheterization, Ichinose says.

Just recently he saw a male patient for the first time who had been experiencing some chest pains. The patient had experienced them around Thanksgiving, then again at Christmas, but the pains persisted into the new year.

Ichinose performed a stress test and started the patient on medications. Within the next few weeks, the patient experienced two or three more chest pains, so Ichinose sent him to Tulsa for a heart

Courtesy photo

Dr. Eugene Ichinose, above, works four days a week at the main heart hospital, right, and one day in Oklahoma Heart Institute’s Vinita clinic, one of 15 located outside Tulsa.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Oklahoma Heart Institute 1120 S. Utica Ave. Tulsa, Okla. 74104 918-592-0999 oklahomaheart.com

“This also allows the physicians to meet community physicians and develop a plan for patients’ care.”

Leimbach says Oklahoma Heart Institute’s plan is to continue to provide additional clinics in the future.

He says Oklahoma Heart Institute looks forward to continuing to advance the practice of cardiovascular care in Oklahoma by remaining committed to offering our patients the latest and most advanced procedures and technology available.

catheterization because the case was more severe.

That test detected one artery 95 percent blocked, and Ichinose scheduled the man later that day for a stent placement.

“Sometimes you can continue to treat cardiac problems with medicine, but this guy needed more,” Ichinose says. “If he hadn’t come to that clinic, he would have had a large heart attack that would have adversely affected his quality of life and his family.

“We were able to catch him ahead of time. That’s one preserved life and family out in Vinita.”

Ichinose added that he’s not done caring for the patient. “The real work comes in convincing him to make lifestyle changes.”

Ichinose says that’s true for many Oklahomans. “Eighty-five percent of us don’t get enough servings of fruits and vegetables per day. We’re one of the most obese states in the nation, and our smoking rates are higher than most.”

Providing this kind of care in the community is what Oklahoma Heart Institute co-founder Dr. Wayne Leimbach envisioned when all of this began almost 25 years ago.

“Our regional clinics allow us to extend that expertise out into Northeastern Oklahoma,” Leimbach says. “A lot of our patients are elderly, and they don’t have to drive into Tulsa just to see the cardiologist.

“They can see the cardiologist in their local communities, and then if they need access to the high

technology that we have here at the heart hospital, then they can come in. On the other hand, if they just need the expertise and knowledge base, they can get that in their own community.”

Oklahoma Heart Institute has been recognized for introducing a number of “medical firsts” to the community. OHI was the first to percutaneously close holes in the heart (PFO/ASD) in adults. OHI was the first in Tulsa to offer the Impella device, a left-ventrical assist device for patients who are too sick to have corrective procedures without the support device. Oklahoma Heart Institute was also the area’s first hospital to offer the life-saving Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure for those living with diseased aortic valves once considered inoperable.

Oklahoma Heart Institute was also first in the area to offer a Heart Valve Clinic, the Lariat Device for Atrial Fibrillation and a hybrid cardiac catheterization lab to perform a number of specialty procedures not available elsewhere in the community.

The goal, of course, is for patients to not need these services if problems can be detected earlier in the clinics.

“Most of our physicians will spend time in one of the clinics — three in Tulsa and 14 in outlying areas,” Leimbach says.

“People won’t necessarily drive to Tulsa from Vinita for an exam. By providing services at our clinics, we can catch them before they damage their heart.”

—Dr. Eugene Ichinose, interventional cardiologist Clinical research will continue to remain at the forefront of the practice, which allows OHI to provide the latest technology and care to its patients, often five to 10 years in advance of it becoming available to the general market.

On a larger scope, Oklahoma Heart Institute will continue to meet the changing landscape of health care. “We will meet the growing demands for preventative health care by offering life-saving screenings, including the new Cardiac CT Scan which can detect risk of heart disease.

“That’s kind of what you live for,” Ichinose says. “If you want job satisfaction, that’s it.”

Courtesy photo

This is one of 17 clinics that Oklahoma Heart Institute operates around the state that offer prevention and intervention service for cardiac patients. For those patients who need more serious treatment or even surgery, they can be directed to the flagship heart hospital on the campus of Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa.

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

a second chance to

stay in the game.

Something that day told Alice she wasn’t just having a bad day on the tennis court. What she didn’t know was that the symptoms she’d been experiencing — dizziness, shortness of breath, numbness in her arm — were all signs of a heart attack.

After a six-bypass heart procedure and cardiac rehab at Oklahoma Heart Institute, she’s back in the game of tennis.

And life.

To learn more about Alice’s life-changing experience at Oklahoma Heart Institute, visit OklahomaHeart.com.

A

Gift for the

Heart.

Give a Gift for the Heart.

Our heart screening gift card allows you to give the gift of a series of simple screening tests by the trained experts at Oklahoma Heart Institute.

Call 918.592.0999 for the nearest Oklahoma Heart Institute location.

OklahomaHeart.com | 918.592.0999 “Like” us on Facebook.

n

n

OL 11

OL 12

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Leads Way in Community

Courtesy photos

Paula Huck speaks at the celebration of the 100,000th Oklahoma child immunized, thanks to the Oklahoma Caring Van program and its community partners.

Company invests its time and money in partnerships to improve quality of life

P

aula Huck remembers growing up as a child and being encouraged by her grandmother to “spend your time making a difference, spend your time making a mark.”

Huck has been fortunate enough to not only live by that motto individually but to find a career where she gets to help others do that as well.

As director of community affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Huck oversees a dizzying array of channels the company has carved out so its employees can volunteer to make a difference in the health and quality of life in Oklahoma.

“We have a long history of being rooted in Oklahoma,” Huck says proudly. “We serve our friends and neighbors. We are a company that cares. We take it beyond a corporate responsibility. It’s who we are.

It’s what we do.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma starts by encouraging its 1,100 employees to volunteer with nonprofit organizations as part of employee group volunteer projects or organizations of their own choosing. It underscores that with a financial incentive.

The company invites employees to keep track of these hours through a program called Blue Corps. At the end of the year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma will write a check to the nonprofit organization equal to $20 per hour of service that employee has provided.

For example, if a claims representative working at the company’s office at 42nd Street and Memorial Drive logged 76 hours of her own time volunteering in 2013 at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma would donate $1,520 to that organization on the employee’s behalf.

Because so many Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma employees par-

ticipate in Blue Corps, there is a limit of $2,000 a year to each organization.

“By focusing on organizations, we can make a difference,” Huck says while explaining how Blue Corps works. “We take the opportunity to encourage our employees to get involved and make a difference in Oklahoma.”

She likes to point out that the financial contribution by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma doesn’t include the value of the employee contributing his or her time. The Independent Sector, a leadership network for nonprofits, has calculated the value of an employee donating an hour of time in Oklahoma, is $22.14.

When you add that to the company’s actual cash donation of $20, it means the nonprofits are receiving $42.12 per hour in services from the volunteer.

Employees participating voluntarily in Blue Corps have one other incentive. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma does not mail the year-end checks directly to the nonprofits. The employee gets to hand deliver the check to the nonprofit organization where he or she volunteers.

And that’s not all.

At year’s end, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma receives nominations for company volunteers who go above and beyond others, and the company selects a Volunteer of the Year. The winner receives an additional bonus in which Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma makes a separate financial donation to the organization of the employee’s choosing.

In all, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma employees logged more than 5,000 hours of volunteer service statewide in 2013 – most of it in the Tulsa area.

That effort also includes administrators.

“It starts at the top,” Huck says. “Leadership sets the example.”

In 2013, leaders donated their time to

The 2013 Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health award was presented to the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless Free Nurses Clinic.

serve on 86 boards and commissions. the organization they represent, and an Beyond all these individual efforts, overall winner is selected for a gift of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma $15,000 donated by Blue Cross and Blue supports the Oklahoma Caring Founda- Shield of Oklahoma. tion. It was established in 1994 to supLast year’s Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memoport programs that provide Oklahomans rial Champion of Oklahoma Health was access to preventive health services. the Nurses Clinic at the Tulsa Day Center The foundation is funded by commu- for the Homeless in Tulsa. nity contributions and administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of OklahoBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma ma also sponsors health related events as an in-kind donation. Huck serves as and supports organizations with nearly executive director of The $1.5 million a year Oklahoma Caring Founin grants and supdation. port. This includes Among other things, the administrathe foundation owns tion of Healthy and operates five Caring Kids, Healthy FamVans. These mobile units ilies. Grants are travel the state and promade available to vide free immunizations organizations that for children. It has delivfocus on nutrition ered nearly 250,000 imeducation, physimunizations since the cal fitness activiservice began in 1999. ties, disease pre“We try to take away vention, disease the barriers for children management and who might not get imsupport for safe munizations,” Huck says. environments.

“It’s unacceptable for a One example is child in Oklahoma to be the KaBOOM! orunprotected and sufganization, which fer from a disease that works to ensure Paula Huck directs various could have been pre- community outreach efforts by children have safe vented.” places to play. In Blue Cross and Blue Shield of The vans visit 67 Oklahoma to make a difference in each of the last school districts across the quality of life for Oklahomans. three years, Blue the state as well as dayCross and Blue care centers, serving Shield of Oklanewborns to those age 18. homa employees have helped build two Through a partnership with local playgrounds in Oklahoma City and one Health Departments, they also can re- in Tulsa. The construction takes place in spond to people of all ages in times of one day. disaster. Last May, for example, the vans “It literally goes up before your eyes,” provided more than 800 adult tetanus Huck says. “At the end of the day, we cut shots in Moore, Okla., after an EF-5 tor- the ribbon.” nado devastated that community. The Another example of Healthy Kids, immunizations were given to residents, Healthy Families’ efforts is working with volunteers and first responders as they the Regional Food Bank to distribute sifted through the storm debris. fresh fruits and vegetables to children Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklaho- and their families. ma also likes to encourage other people Those are just some highlights of all besides its employees and foundations that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklato make a difference. That’s why the com- homa is doing beyond insuring 750,000 pany invested additional funds to estab- residents across the state. lish the Champions of Health Awards.

Huck recognizes that Blue Cross and The awards were established 10 years Blue Shield of Oklahoma is one of many ago to recognize organizations and indi- private and corporate citizens of Tulsa viduals who are also out there working who are giving back to the community. to improve the lives of Oklahomans. “We “Tulsa remains one of the most genwant to see if these programs can be rep- erous cities in the country,” Huck says. licated in other parts of the state,” Huck “That’s been going on for generations. explains.

Tulsans understand the value of giving Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklaho- back and paying it forward and the value ma partners with a number of groups to of helping a friend or neighbor in need.” identify these efforts: Oklahoma Dental If Huck’s grandmother were alive toAssociation, Oklahoma Department of day, she would be able to look back at Mental Health and Substance Abuse Ser- her with satisfaction, knowing that she vices, Oklahoma Foundation for Medical heeded her advice.

Quality, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, She could say, “Blue Cross and Blue Oklahoma Hospital Association, Okla- Shield of Oklahoma is making a mark.” homa Department of Health, Oklahoma State Medical Association and the goverFOR MORE INFORMATION: nor’s Native American liaison.

Each year, awards are presented in five Blue Cross and Blue Shield categories: Champion of the Uninsured, of Oklahoma Champion of Children’s Health, Champi1400 S. Boston Ave. on of Senior Health, Community Health Tulsa, Okla. 74119 Champion and Champion of Corporate 918-551-3500 Health. bcbsok.com Category winners receive $5,000 for

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

GROWING WITH OUR MEMBERS FOR MORE THAN

70 YEARS

MAKING MEMORIES. MAKING AN IMPACT. A natural extension of our efforts to help improve the health and wellness of our members is to support the communities where we live, work and play. Through community involvement and programs like the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, Champions of Health and Healthy Kids, Healthy Families, we strive to better the quality of life for all Oklahomans, now and for generations to come.

Tulsa, thank you for being part of our family.

bcbsok.com

A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

600964.0214

n

n

OL 13

OL 14

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Tulsa Tech offers high school students from 14 school districts in Tulsa County and beyond the chance to take classes in a multitude of career fields, from construction to aviation and bio-medicine. Programs are open to students attending public and private schools as well as those who are home-schooled.

Tulsa Tech Offers Teens Ways to Make School Cool C

an you name the largest school district in the greater Tulsa area?

Broken Arrow, you say? Jenks? Maybe, Union?

How about Tulsa Tech?

Technically speaking, Tulsa Tech serves more teenagers than any single school district in Tulsa County and its outlying areas. That’s because it’s like a super district that covers Broken Arrow, Jenks, Union and 11 other districts.

Many people might not think of Tulsa Tech as a public school district, but consider this: • Tulsa Tech has a superintendent.

(His name is Dr. Steve Tiger.)

• Tulsa Tech is governed by a school board.

(Seven members represent seven districts and are elected by voters to seven-year terms.)

• Tulsa Tech is funded primarily by property taxes.

(Homeowners living within the district pay for it.)

• Tulsa Tech offers bus transportation to and from school.

(It uses buses from other high schools and reimburses them for the costs.)

• Tulsa Tech operates on several campuses within the district.

(It currently has six learning sites – from Owasso to Sand Springs – and continues to expand.)

Just like any other high school, students do not have to pay to attend classes there, as long as they are of high school age.

Tulsa Tech is open to any teenager living in one of these 14 school districts: • Berryhill • Bixby • Broken Arrow • Catoosa • Collinsville • Glenpool • Jenks • Liberty • Owasso • Sand Springs • Skiatook • Sperry • Tulsa • Union High school students don’t even have to

FOR MORE InFORMATIOn:

Tulsa Tech 918-828-5000 tulsatech.edu

Courtesy photos

Students can take classes for half their day at one of Tulsa Tech’s six campuses around the area and spend the other half of the day at their high school. be attending a public school to be eligible for Tulsa Tech classes. You could live in one of those areas and be home-schooled or attending a private, parochial or charter school.

Last year, Tulsa Tech served students from 27 public high schools and 24 private schools, helping them earn credits toward a high school diploma. What’s more, 289 high school students last year earned a total of 1,719 college hours through Tulsa Tech courses that transferred into Tulsa Community College, Rogers State University and Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology.

What’s really cool is the types of courses offered at Tulsa Tech. Imagine learning about fashion design, graphics art, interior design or television production. How about accounting, emergency medical care or pharmaceuticals? Maybe event planning, hotel management or cosmetology? There are even classes in forensics, law enforcement, aviation and motorcycle repair.

Tulsa Tech actually began in 1965 as part of Tulsa Public Schools, offering vocational skills training through that district’s local high

schools. It became an independent school district in 1973, operating for many years as Tulsa VoTech. The name changed to Tulsa Tech to reflect the change in training.

Tulsa Tech no longer serves just high school students but adults as well who are looking to learn new skills and be better equipped to find better paying jobs and careers. Of the 60,000 teens and adults served by Tulsa Tech last year, about 3,500 of them were high school students.

That’s part of why it feels more like a community college than a high school for most students.

“We help students accelerate their independence,” Tulsa Tech Superintendent Steve Tiger says. “They’re leaving the comfort of their home high school. It can be scary for some, but they find their niche here.”

Another benefit is that high school-age students get to meet new friends who live in other area cities and school districts.

High school students can follow one of three scenarios at Tulsa Tech. Most of them spend half of their school day taking classes

The Pre-Engineeing Program at Tulsa Tech is helping students interested in engineering as a career better prepare for the rigorous study they will find in college, where an estimated 40 percent of engineering students drop out.

at their local high school and the other half at a Tulsa Tech campus taking technical classes to already begin preparing for a career.

One of the other scenarios just started last fall and is open only to students living in the Tulsa Public Schools district. They attend the Career Academy, and what makes it different is they stay there all day to take classes. It’s for students looking for an entirely different school environment than the standard one.

Tiger says he wants to open up the Career Academy to students living outside the Tulsa Public Schools district and continually grow that choice.

The third scenario for high school students is that they can take Tulsa Tech classes right in their home high school without ever being bused off campus. Most of these technical classes are in the STEM area – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

“I predict we’ll see more of this programming,” Tiger says. “It’s difficult for some students to be at a Tulsa Tech campus for half a day because of all the activities they are involved in. Plus, our high schools want to get more involved in technical training.”

They understand more and more that not every high school student is going to take the path after graduation to college. The demand for technical skills is becoming more important to finding a good job or career in many industries.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Education, about 70 percent of high school students enter college, but 40 percent never complete it. As Tiger sees it, that’s 70 percent of all high school graduates in the state who don’t get a college degree.

That doesn’t mean Tulsa Tech is not for college-bound students.

One example of how this works is Tulsa Tech’s Pre-Engineering Program for high school students, which has been quite popular.

Students must take regular courses in algebra, geometry, calculus, biology and chemistry at their local high school while taking classes such as Intro to Engineering Design and Aerospace Technology at Tulsa Tech.

Tulsa Tech put together the Pre-Engineering Program because colleges and universities were finding so many dropouts in their engineering program. Tulsa Tech did this to prepare them before college and allow them a better chance at success.

Tulsa Tech has 409 students in grades nine to 12 enrolled in the Pre-Engineering Program this year with an 85 percent retention rate – more than any CareerTech school anywhere in Oklahoma.

Adults are welcome to take classes anytime, paying a small fee per course, but why wait if you’re a teenager? Tiger asks. Get started on learning some skills you will use on the job in a great career even before you leave high school.

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

HIGH SCHOOL | ADULT | BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY TRAINING

MAKE YOUR OWN PATH Your success determines our success.

At Tulsa Tech we help students get on the path to independence.

Better prepare for your career by getting the help you need right here. For information about our student services and to learn more about our class offerings, go to tulsatech.edu or call 918.828.5000. »Certified Training »Affordable »State-of-the-art Equipment »Financial Aid »College Credit

Broken Arrow Campus 4000 W. Florence St. Memorial Complex 3420 S. Memorial Dr. »BIS Training Center »Health Sciences Center »Lemley Campus »S.T.E.M. Academy Owasso Campus 10800 N. 140 E. Ave. Peoria Campus 3850 N. Peoria Ave. Riverside Campus 801 E. 91 St. Sand Springs Campus 924 Charles Page Blvd.

n

n

OL 15

OL 16

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Courtesy photos

Utility crews work to complete repairs on 36th Street between Lewis and Harvard avenues after a record, 76-mph-wind storm hit Tulsa on July 24, 2013, knocking out power to 100,000 PSO customers in Tulsa. Despite widespread damage caused by the storm, PSO completed major power restoration in three days.

PSO: Value for Customers

P

ublic Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) powers life’s possibilities. The service it provides is used to brew coffee, light our homes, power our appliances, and energize our computers, televisions, battery chargers, and video games. We rely on it to keep homes and businesses safe and comfortable and to power technology that saves lives and brings innovation and convenience to us.

If you’re a PSO residential customer, electricity does all of this and more for you at an average cost of only $3 per day…and it does so with some of the highest levels of power reliability anywhere in the U.S. That’s a winning combination PSO calls value.

Competitive Prices, Excellent Reliability PSO works hard to manage costs and deliver competitive prices for its customers.

PSO’s total average prices are 14.8 percent below the average for Oklahoma, and 34 percent below the national average.

At the same time, PSO provides highly dependable electric service. Due to its reliability enhancement program, PSO’s customers today experience one-third fewer power outages than in 2004, and those outages last half as long on average. Standard industry measures show that PSO customers today receive electric service that ranks among the most reliable anywhere within or outside of Oklahoma.

PSO also works to add value in other important ways, including the following.

Rapid Response When Storms Strike When a severe storm strikes and causes damage that disrupts electric service, the PSO team swings into action to make repairs and restore power to customers safely and efficiently. PSO updates its storm recovery plans annually based on lessons learned in actual emergencies and in storm recovery drills held each fall and spring. PSO and meteorologists at its parent company, American Electric Power, keep a weather eye out for potential storm systems to enable timely mobilization and deployment of resources before severe weather hits.

To facilitate recovery from a major stormrelated power outage, PSO can call on its own resources across the state as well as

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Public Service Company of Oklahoma 212 E. Sixth St. Tulsa, Okla. 74119 888-216-3523 PSOklahoma.com

employee volunteerism and corporate contributions to education, charitable organizations, and local economic development activities.

Grants to education (pre-K through higher), charitable organizations and economic development entities from PSO, and the American Electric Power Foundation, totaled more than $1.3 million combined in 2013. AEP Foundation grants totaled $687,000 for the Foundation for Tulsa A PSO field specialist installs new smart meters at the University of Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma Partnership for campus. PSO will launch a program in late 2014 to convert all of its 540,000 customers statewide to the new meters. The smart meters will provide custom- School Readiness, Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, and Tulsa’s Future Foundation, ers more information about their electricity consumption, which will enable among others. PSO’s charitable contributhem to make better-informed choices about energy usage. tions totaled nearly $576,000 in 2013. It the AEP utility companies in neighboring use the information to make more knowl- also provided more than $71,000 in ecoArkansas, Texas and Louisiana. Through its edgeable choices about appliance opera- nomic development mini-grants to comparent company, PSO also can reach across tion and use of energy. Customer service munity organizations. the U.S. to quickly marshal resources as also is improved by the handling of many Proud to Serve You needed through mutual assistance agree- customer requests remotely.

“PSO is proud of its long legacy of servments with other utility systems. ing customers, communities and the state Power Forward Programs Help with safe, reliable and affordable electric Toward A Storm-Resistant Infrastructure Customers Save Energy and Money Consumers today want better control of service, as well as its contributions to proWeather is the leading cause of power outages in the U.S. The number of weath- their energy usage and electric bills. PSO mote community and economic developer-related electric grid disturbances has is committed to providing customers every ment,” says PSO President and Chief Operbeen rising steadily since 2002, and there tool they need to better manage their fam- ating Officer Stuart Solomon. “PSO is 100 years strong, and we’re looking forward to is a trend toward larger and more powerful ily or business budget.

Through its Power Forward programs the next 100 years of service to our great storms. In response, PSO has begun a program to improve the durability and stabil- PSO offers customers resources to reduce state!”

To learn more about PSO and its cusity of its electric system to withstand severe electricity costs and take advantage of incentives on energy-saving upgrades and tomer programs, please visit PSOklahoma. weather impacts with minimal damage. com, or Facebook: PSOklahoma. services.

For businesses, PSO offers valuable inAutomated Metering PSO is bringing the benefits of auto- centives for reducing peak energy usage mated metering infrastructure (AMI) to all during summer months and for making of its 540,000 customers. Installation will qualifying efficiency upgrades. For resibegin late this year and be completed in dential customers, PSO offers incentives for 2016. AMI provides customers more infor- energy-saving home improvements. mation about their individual energy usage on a near real-time basis, and the ability to WindChoice: Renewable Energy Option WindChoice is a voluntary renewable energy program that allows PSO residential and business customers to purchase 100% Oklahoma wind power for a portion or all of their monthly energy usage.

Customers who sign up for WindChoice help support Oklahoma’s fast-growing wind energy industry. Harnessing Oklahoma’s abundant, infinitely renewable wind to generate electricity makes more sense than ever. It conserves non-renewable natural resources - such as coal and natural gas - for other uses. It helps to protect our environment and is good for Oklahoma’s economy.

Committed to Customers & Community The growth and development of communities and the state is a key priority and a long-standing commitment of PSO. Its PSO foresters proudly display a banner proclaiming PSO’s 20 consecutive economic development and community years of recognition as a Tree Line USA Utility by the National Arbor Day Foun- affairs professionals work with local comdation in April 2013. Each year, the Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with munities, the Oklahoma Department of the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and private utility Commerce, and regional economic develproviders who demonstrate practices that protect and enhance America’s urban opment organizations to promote business forest. To qualify for Tree Line USA recognition, PSO trains workers in quality opportunities to both prospective and extree-care practices, conducts its forestry activities in accordance with industry isting businesses and industries. standards and best practices, and carries out an ongoing effort to educate the PSO also believes it has a responsibilpublic about the proper planting of trees for energy conservation and to avoid ity to provide leadership in its communities and to enhance quality of life through interfering with power lines.

The Lineman statue standing outside PSO’s main office at 6th Street and Cincinnati Avenue sported a United Way campaign T-shirt during the fundraising campaign last fall. PSO has a long history of involvement in community agency fundraising efforts. PSO’s first president, Fred Insull, helped establish the Tulsa Community Chest — a forerunner of today’s Tulsa Area United Way — in the early 1920s.

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

HIGH-POWERED VALUE AT YOUR LOCAL BARGAIN OUTLET. Keep a CFL on for 418 hours: $1

(27-Watt CFL – equivalent to 100-Watt incandescent)

Brew 754 cups of coffee: $1 (900-Watt 10-cup coffee maker)

Watch 75 hours of HD TV: $1 (150-Watt 40” LCD TV)

Drill for 15 hours: $1 (750-Watt power tool)

Spend 37 hours on your computer: $1 (300-Watt desktop computer and monitor)

Play 188 of your favorite 2-hour movies: $1 (30-Watt DVD player)

Wash 22 loads of laundry: $1 (500-Watt washer)

Count on PSO for real value, every day. Just consider how much you can do with just one dollar’s worth of electricity at PSO’s average price – currently more than 34% below the U.S. average and nearly 15% below the average in Oklahoma. Delivering value all our customers can bank on: It’s been a PSO commitment for more than a century. And counting. Learn more at PSOklahoma.com

n

n

OL 17

OL 18

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Courtesy photo

The new development will make River Spirit more than a locals destination for gaming and will draw out-of-town visitors, adding tourism revenue to the community.

River Spirit Casino Making River Development a Reality

M

aking the transition from a local’s

casino to a destination resort is

the next milestone for River Spirit Casino, owned by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Phase II broke ground last October with plans for a luxury hotel, convention and meeting space, upscale spa, new theater and the Margaritaville complex that will include a casino and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant. This is a $335 million investment that will take around two years to complete.

“This is a game changer for the casino, its owner, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the city of Tulsa and the entire region. This is the largest private development project that has happened in the Tulsa area in quite some time.”

- Pat Crofts, CEO of Muscogee (Creek)

shows go hand-in-hand with integrated resort casinos such as the one River Spirit Casino is planning. Integrated resort casinos become destinations that attract investment from around the country and world and become a great boon for the local economy.

“These type of hotel properties are about much more than gaming,” said Ray Hoyt, senior vice president of VisitTulsa. “Guests can often enjoy much more on the site, including world class entertainment, top ranked restaurants, spa treatments, and all kinds of other leisure activities.”

The Tulsa area will directly benefit from this significant investment, not only from tourism dollars, but also from the direct and indirect jobs it will create. River Spirit plans to hire 800 to 900 full-time positions with the opening of Phase II. With the increased tourism dollars, it will enhance the quality of life for the entire community.

“Building this luxury resort will not only inspire first-class river development to Tulsa, but will also be a huge boon to the tourism industry for our region,” said Hoyt.

River development is a decades-long dream for the city of Tulsa and the surround-

ing region. The tribe is willing to make the investment in river development by the building of Phase II and they look forward to working with local and federal entities to help this dream become a reality.

River Spirit Phase II hopes to open to the public in late 2015 or early 2016.

FOR MORe INFORMaTION:

River Spirit Casino 8330 Riverside Parkway Tulsa, Okla. 74136 918-995-8518 riverspirittulsa.com

Courtesy photo

River Spirit is more than just gaming. It offers a complete dining experience.

Nation Casinos Up until now, River Spirit has been considered a “locals” hotspot, with approximately 90 percent of its customers made up of frequent return visitors traveling less than 50 miles to get there. However, there has been a demand for hotel accommodations since the day the casino opened.

“We have guests from all our other casinos that come to Tulsa frequently for shopping, entertainment and visiting relatives,” Croft says. “They have all asked when we will have hotel amenities so that they can stay here.

There are many business travelers and gamers who come during the year, and we have just not been able to satisfy that need.”

Travel, tourism, conventions and trade-

Courtesy photo

Phase II will feature a luxury hotel, convention space and the Margaritaville complex with a restaurant and casino.

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

G A M I N G • E N T E R TA I N M E N T • D I N I N G

Join Our Birthday Bash March 27 – 31

5 Audi A5’s in 5 Days One Car Giveaway Each Day • Earn entries daily starting March 1 3 Winners in Table Games Pit and 2 in Electronic Games See Table Games and Players Club for details.

5 Days of Play & Earn Prizes Earn a New Prize Every Day Beginning March 27 While Supplies Last.

Earn 5X Points March 31 Only See Players Club for details.

81ST & R I V E R S I D E | T U L S A | R I V E R S P I R I T T U L S A .C O M

n

n

OL 19

TULSA OL 20

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Courtesy photo

Cancer Treatment Centers of America opened in Tulsa in 1990 at CityPlex Towers, then constructed and moved into this 195,845-square-foot facility in 2005 near 81st Street and Highway 169.

CTCA advancing cancer treatment technology

W

hen cancer strikes, patients want treatment options so they can fight back. For residents of northeastern Oklahoma, that means not having to travel any farther than south Tulsa to find it.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) operates a medical center at 81st Street and Highway 169 that is part of a national network of cancer hospitals with additional locations in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois and Pennsylvania. The Tulsa location serves primarily the Southwestern region of the country, but last fiscal year it saw patients from 40 states (including Alaska) as well as the Virgin Islands.

CTCA is focused solely on treating cancer. Its highly qualified staff is committed to delivering “the Mother Standard of care – the same responsive, compassionate care you would want your own family to receive.”

CTCA combines advanced forms of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and imaging services with scientifically supported therapies such as nutrition, spiritual support, mind-body medicine and naturopathic medicine, all under one roof. CTCA has programs for treating neurological, gastrointestinal, hematologic, head and neck, lung and breast cancers, among others.

“As part of our mission we constantly seek to implement recent technologies and treatments whether in surgery, imaging, medical oncology or integrative medicine,” says Dr. Daniel Nader, who serves as CTCA’s chief of staff in Tulsa as well as national clinical director of pulmonary and critical care.

CTCA prides itself in offering advanced radiation tools such as CyberKnife VSI, TomoTherapy HDA, deep tissue and superficial hyperthermia, and brachytherapy.

Nader says that over the last few years, CTCA has: • Added a Stem Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy Program to conduct stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients, • Hired a clinical geneticist to help patients with molecular tumor profiling, which may help determine targeted therapies for their cancer, • Developed a Quality of Life clinic to help address patient’s health concerns outside of cancer (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) during treatment, and • Invested in new technologies such as intraoperative radiation therapy and interventional radiology equipment.

CTCA also offers chemotherapy services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and medical oncology services every day, including weekends, to provide treatment at the patient’s convenience.

In 2003, CTCA bought 20 acres at 81st Street and Highway 169 and began constructing a 195,845-square-foot facility.

During the development phase, more than 100 patients were surveyed about what they wanted in a hospital. They recommended things such as larger rooms and wider corridors with abundant natural light, which were incorporated into the design.

The new hospital building officially opened in April 2005.

Since then, the Tulsa hospital has continued to grow to include a full-service spa, an on-site fitness center, 153 outpatient accommodations, an expanded Inpatient Pharmacy and Infusion Center, more surgery suites, a Stem Cell Transplant and Cell Therapy unit, and an operations building.

Today the hospital has 335,237 square feet and employs 800 workers who are focused on delivering quality service and empowering patients to achieve wellness.

CTCA in Tulsa was named one of the “Best Places to Work in Oklahoma” in 2007, 2011 and 2012 by the Best Companies Group. It also won an Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Award in 2012 and 2014.

Beyond being recognized for its work environment, the local hospital has received numerous awards from health professionals, including: • Outstanding Achievement Awards from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons in 2004, 2007 and 2010 • Sunquest Annual Excellence Award for Laboratory Solution Success in 2010 • Friend of ODA Award from the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2008 CTCA provides more to the Tulsa community than top medical care and treatment for cancer patients. It also supports a variety of local organizations, including • Susan G. Komen and the Race for the Cure

• American Cancer Society and its annual Relay for Life event • Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its Light the Night walk • Pancreatic Cancer Action Network • Tulsa Zoo • American Heart Association, and • American Lung Association.

With many of these organizations, CTCA employees put together teams for races and walks, raise funds and participate in activities to help raise awareness.

A formal volunteering program, HopeWorks, also was created to assist employees who want to find ways to help the community. Through this program, CTCA volunteers have worked with Junior Achievement, Community Food Bank of Eastern OK, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Neighbors Along the Line, Tulsa Children’s Museum, SPCA and others.

CTCA also participates in Hire Heroes, a program to assist disabled veterans with finding jobs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Cancer Treatment Centers of America 10109 E. 79th St. Tulsa, Okla. 74133 800-515-9610 cancercenter.com

cer treatment available.

“Moving forward, our goal is to build upon our incredible foundation and evolve even further to meet the growing demands of patients and their families,” Dr. Nader says.

“Our integrative patient-centric model embraces caregivers and families, the communities in which they live and we serve, and our most valuable assets — our clinical teams and employees.”

In order to evolve into the “next generation” of providing top-notch medical care, CTCA will focus on four key cornerstones of “CTCA combines advanced care: forms of surgery, radiation, • Quality and Safety • Compassionate Care chemotherapy and imaging • Creation of Memorable Experiences services with scientifically • Efficiency “Another commitment to tomorrow is supported integrative therapies our focus on including a deeper emphasis including nutrition, spiritual on wellness,” Dr. Nader says. “It is incumbent upon the health care community to support, mind-body medicine seriously address the overall well-being and naturopathic medicine, all not only of patients, but the community at large, and our employees.” under one roof.”

Nader says CTCA’s new president and — Dr. Daniel Nader, CEO, Richard Haldeman, is eager to partner with leaders in the community to help CTCA chief of staff open the access to patients and provide the best health care to Oklahomans and Preparing for the future others in the region.

CTCA will soon celebrate 24 years of be“We want,” Dr. Nader says, “to help caning in Tulsa, and its leaders plan to continue cer patients see a future for themselves growing here and providing the finest can- that they may have thought they had lost.”

Invested in the community CTCA in Tulsa formally opened May 7, 1990, as the second site in the national network of hospitals. It was originally located in the CityPlex Towers, leasing 15 floors of the 81st and Lewis Avenue complex. The Tulsa operations opened with 80 employees.

Through the 15-year lease at CityPlex, CTCA grew from about 70,000 to 300,000 square feet. Over time, structural limitations led hospital leaders to consider buildCourtesy photo ing a new facility that would be easier for Dr. Daniel Nader is chief of staff at Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s Southwestern Regional Medical Cenpatients to access. ter in Tulsa. He also serves as national clinical director of pulmonary and critical care.

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 21

“Triathlon training during cancer treatment.

That’s the power of a second opinion.”

– Melanie Cooke Uterine Cancer Patient

“My doctor said I had a rare form of uterine cancer that required immediate action.

I’m a triathlete, I couldn’t stand the idea of treatment side effects making me too sick to train. I needed a second opinion fast. I went to Cancer Treatment Centers of America® and within days I had a new care plan including a type of chemo that allowed me to continue training.”

If you or a loved one has complex or advanced-stage cancer, call 1-800-515-9610 or visit cancercenter.com.

Appointments available now.

Hospitals in: Atlanta | Chicago | Philadelphia | Phoenix | Tulsa

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.

© 2014 Rising Tide

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS CT_(Cooke)_TW_FullAd.indd 1

2/24/14 3:44 PM

OL 22

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Primeaux Expands to Meet Growing Demand for Kias I

t’s difficult to keep up with the progress and excitement that Kia Motors brings. Just ask Henry Primeaux of Tulsa. He’s been involved in the automotive business for more than 40 years, selling various makes, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he truly discovered the Korean car manufacturer.

David Moritz, Primeaux’s former partner, purchased two Kia dealerships in the Fort Worth, Texas area in the early 2000s. Moritz spoke so highly of the Kia product that it spurred Henry’s interest in a Kia dealership. Primeaux was invited

by Kia Motors to go to Korea and see the products for himself. He returned to Oklahoma and purchased the Kia franchise in Tulsa.

He just finished a $2.8 million expansion of his Yale Avenue dealership, just south of Interstate 44.

“We were selling vehicles faster than we could get them,” Primeaux says. “We’re selling 90 vehicles a month out of a hundred car inventory.”

When Primeaux committed to build a new facility large enough to showcase seven cars instead of the tight quarters that housed only two new vehicles, Kia Motors promised to increase his inventory by 400 vehicles.

In addition to the showroom, the service department has been expanded, making service more convenient. The upgraded service area also features a digital car wash so each time a Primeaux

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Primeaux Kia 4747 S. Yale Ave. Tulsa, Okla. 74135 918-622-3160 primeauxkia.com

Kia customer comes in for service, he can drive away with not only a finely tuned vehicle but a shiny finish as well.

Primeaux says having a clean car is one of the top three things his customers said they wanted in a service department, and he was happy to deliver on their request.

More people are taking notice of our new presence on Yale,” Primeaux says. “It’s going to be a showplace for a long time.”

Primeaux says Kia built its reputation on great price, great value and a great warranty (10 years or 100,000 miles), but the manufacturer hasn’t stopped there. “They’re not sitting still,” Primeaux says. “We have rolled out seven brand new or redesigned body styles in the last year and a half.”

Kia has entered the luxury market with the introduction of the Cadenza and K900, creating a whole new corporate culture … another reason for a new facility.

Primeaux is excited to be part of what’s happening with the Kia brand. “We’re looking to double our sales this year,” he says.

Courtesy photo

The Korean automaker also likes what Primeaux is doing in Tulsa.

Primeaux Kia has earned the Kia Dealer Excellence Program Award each year since its existence. The award recognizes Kia sales and customer satisfaction and is not

easily attained.

“They send an outside consultant to grade us each year,” Primeaux explains. “It’s not just a buff up the showroom thing. You can’t just dazzle them.”

The inspection involves a thor-

ough review of every aspect of operating a dealership from sales to service.

“We’ve won that every year it has been offered,” Primeaux says.

“We’re proud of that. We couldn’t do that without our customers.”

STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY AND SHOWROOM New WE WILL BEAT ANY KIA DEAL!

With all the amenities you deserve!

New

With all the amenities you deserve!

PRIMEAUX KIA

4747 S. Yale • 918-622-3160 • www.primeauxkia.com PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OL 23

TULSA n

n

Airco Has Kept Residents Comfortable for 53 Years

Courtesy Photo

Brothers John and Tom Boyce, left to right, are carrying on the HVAC business their parents started in 1961. Airco now employs 143 people and services heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical needs in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

T

o say that Airco Service customers feel a little like family is not an overstatement.

It’s merely an extension of the Tulsa heating and cooling business that three generations of Boyce’s have kept running smoothly for more than a half-century.

John R. and Louise Boyce started the company in 1961 with Louise answering the phone and John running service calls. Sons John C. and Tom were still in diapers when the business was born, and it didn’take too many years before they

started tagging alongside their father while he worked.

“We never considered doing anything else,” says Tom. “Dad used to pick us up from school and have us crawl under houses and put in duct work. It’s just been in our blood.”

Tom has four adult sons of his own, and each one works for Airco. John’s daughter works in the Airco office while his son owns his own HVAC business in Arkansas.

The company has grown from a single pickup truck to a fleet of a little more than

100 service vehicles, and the one-time mom-and-pop operation now employs 143 people in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

John and Tom have a simple way of sharing their leadership roles in sales and service. “I market to get the business,” Tom says, “and John runs operations and makes sure we can do the business.”

Keeping customers cool in summer, warm in winter and comfortable in between those seasons remains the core of Airco’s business. The company also provides plumbing and electrical services.

“If you’re one of our customers, we can do anything take care of any of your mechanical and electrical needs,” Tom says.

“We just kind of rolled into it naturally.”

Airco Service has been recognized continually in the industry for its service.

It was named the top performer by Public Service Co. of Oklahoma, who nominated Airco to the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency for the Home Performance with Energy Star “Century Club Award” in 2012.

“We’re one of the few contractors nationwide that has met the guidelines established by those department,” Tom says, “and we’re the only one in Oklahoma that was nominated and received the award.”

He recently learned that Airco is in line to receive the award again for its efforts in “Home Performance with Energy Star” services during 2013.

As an authorized Lennox dealer, Airco has been named one of the manufacturer’s top 25 dealers out of 8,000 nationwide in each of the past six years, receiving the “Dave Lennox Award.” In each of the seven years prior to that, Airco Service earned Lennox’s “Circle of Excellence” award, given

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Airco Service 11331 E. 58th St. Tulsa, Okla. 74146 918-252-5667 aircoservice.com

to the top 1 percent of dealers in North America. Oklahoma Natural Gas has recognized Airco as a Top Performer as well.

Each of those honors is important because together they represent all the aspects of keeping a home’s mechanical systems running efficiently.

“We’re no longer just an HVAC business,” Tom says. “We’re in a whole house performance business.”

Besides a mortgage payment, the second biggest bill most people pull from their mailbox is for heating and cooling, he says. Homeowners can save 50 to 60 percent on their cooling costs and 25 to 35 percent on heating expenses by installing and maintaining the proper equipment.

For installation, that means getting your house properly sealed, insulated and weatherized to stop leaks. Then it’s all about maintenance, having your systems checked each fall and spring. Those checkups can save the average homeowner $30 to $40 per month in utility costs, Tom says.

“It absolutely pays for itself.”

That, in turn, makes for happy customers – something both John and Tom love to hear and often do.

“When we get you as a customer, we keep you as a customer,” John says. “That’s our goal.”

INCREDIBLE REBATES AVAILABLE • Up To $1,700 Rebate On Select Equipment HOME COMFORT SYSTEMS Innovation never felt so good

• Up To $5,000 Rebate On PSO Home Perfomance Program • Up to $550 Rebate From ONG

= HUGE SAVINGS! Call Airco for details!

“The Company You Know” • Heating • Cooling • Electrical • Plumbing

918-252-5667 www.AircoService.com OK Mech. #598 Plumbing #94510 Electrical # 73798

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA OL 24

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Holland Hall Private School Invests in Community’s Future

– Arjun R.,

Holland Hall Junior

Courtesy photo

“We want our students to learn how to think and how to interact successfully with other people,” says J.P. Culley, who became Holland Hall’s head of school last June.

“ WHERE

ARJUN

H

GETS HIS

DRIVING A M B I T I O N .”

An avid golfer, Arjun is nationally ranked and recently finished 12th in an American Junior Golf Association tournament. He says that Holland Hall has uniquely prepared him to be a college student-athlete.

“It’s rigorous,” he says. “It’s demanding. The modular schedule teaches you to manage your time. That’s important because when you go to tournaments, the work can pile up, and you have to be ready to handle it.”

With this balanced approach, Arjun even found time to establish a golf-related charity, named after his grandmother, to help feed and educate Ugandan orphans.

Make sure your education is on par with your potential.

Contact Olivia Martin, Director of Admission, at

(918) 481-1111.

www.hollandhall.org

olland Hall boasts a proud 91-year history of educating and empowering students to become leaders in the Tulsa community and beyond while remaining a progressive independent school in the ever-changing educational landscape.

That principle is embodied by the new head of school himself, J.P. Culley, who took charge last June of the Pre-K through grade 12 college preparatory school on 81st Street.

Holland Hall opened in 1922 after a group of prominent Tulsans recruited Ms. Winnifred Schureman, a camp director in Minnesota, to move to Oklahoma. They wanted her to lead the way in preparing their children to gain acceptance into selective colleges.

Last year, Holland Hall’s current board didn’t have to go as far to find their new leader. They convinced Culley to leave behind a landmark independent school in Memphis, TN where he helped triple the enrollment in his 15 years there as a teacher and administrator.

During his first year at the helm of Holland Hall, Culley has infused the school with new energy.

He says the school’s national reputation for academics and desire to engage deeply with the broader Tulsa community attracted him.

Culley shared, “Many schools like Holland Hall in other cities don’t have a student-centered approach, one that really demonstrates caring for students. Here, it’s about a great academic experience and nurturing individual

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

gifts and talents. The faculty live and breathe it.”

Holland Hall’s studentcentered approach means, “we form close relationships with our students so we can best serve them.”

With almost 1,000 students, the school offers an average student-teacher ratio of 10-to-1. Culley says some advanced upper school classes have teachers working with as few as five students so they can master specialized skills.

“We prepare students so they have as many options as they can for college and beyond,” Culley says.

In addition to being grounded in rigorous academic standards, Holland Hall seeks to foster in each student a strong moral foundation and a deep sense of social responsibility. Rooted in the Episcopal church, Holland Hall is an ecumenical body that seeks to engage its students in helping understand and meet social needs throughout the Greater Tulsa area.

Culley says community service learning experiences are not limited to quick, one-time exposures to a social need. Instead, students dig deep into an issue and invest themselves in an experience that sometimes stretches over a few years.

“We want our students to learn how to partner and learn from one another,” Culley says. “A Holland Hall education is a life-changing experience, which means we have a responsibility to give back in meaningful ways.”

Culley acknowledges that many leaders in the Tulsa community are Holland Hall graduates, and he

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Holland Hall

5666 E. 81st St. Tulsa, Okla. 74137 918-481-1111 hollandhall.org

is committed to ensuring Holland Hall’s curriculum maintains a focus on preparing the next generation of leaders. He also wants students to be prepared for the evolving global economy.

Community service learning experiences are not limited to quick, one-time exposures to a social need.

Instead, students dig deep into an issue and invest themselves in an experience that sometimes stretches over a few years.

“Students have to have a focus on technology,” Culley says. “It helps develop the creative and invigorative mind” and generate broader audiences for learning by opening up the classroom experience beyond Holland Hall’s 162acre Tulsa campus.

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA Sunday, March 9, 2014

Tulsa Cancer Institute Volunteers Dispense Doses of Compassion

n

n

OL 25

THE LARGEST TEAM OF CANCER EXPERTS UNDER ONE ROOF

Courtesy photo

Lisa Bain, right, and her bulldog Mavis Pearl visit with a cancer patient undergoing treatment at the Tulsa Cancer Institute.

T

he staff at Tulsa Cancer Institute believes there’s a lot more to treating patients than prescribing medicine and administering medical procedures. It also involves a host of caring volunteers who make the journey more manageable.

“We do everything to try to make our patients feel better,” says Jeri Hylton, director of administrative services at the physicianowned practice. “Cancer treatment is hard on people, and we have volunteers who make it a little easier.”

One of the most popular members of this loose-knit support squad is Mavis Pearl, an adorable therapy dog who arrives in a pink wig and tutu to visit with Tulsa Cancer Institute patients while they are receiving treatment at the East 51st Street facility.

The bulldog is owned

by Lisa Jernigan Bain, who started her Joy in the Cause nonprofit organization five years ago when her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Bain began bringing Mavis Pearl to the treatment room each week and quickly realized that other patients got a smile from seeing the pink-haired pooch.

Bain has made it her mission to help men, women and children affected by cancer and other life-altering illnesses.

Hylton has seen firstFOR MORE INFORMATION

Tulsa Cancer Institute 12697 E. 51st St. S. Tulsa, Okla. 74146 918-505-3200 tciok.org

hand the effect Bain has on patients. “I see patients who will get out of their recliners and get on the floor to see the dog,” Hylton says.

“You have to laugh when you see her in that pink wig and tutu.

“Lisa guarantees to bring a smile to your face,” Hylton says. “Laughter is the best medicine, and Mavis provides plenty of it.”

- Jeri Hylton, director of

administrative services at the physician-owned practice Bain and Mavis visit the Tulsa Cancer Institute once a month, but Bain also sells stuffed animals that resemble the bulldog and are available for patients. “Patients hold that dog,” Hylton says, “and they snuggle with the stuffed animal version.”

Another volunteer who helps lift cancer patients’ Niemeyer, who spirits isisJane Chrissy Whitten, was diagnosed with breast whose daughter Lillian cancerdied in September 2013.

Grace of a chromosomShe has been a makeup al disorder in 2010 when artshe ist for more than old.

14 Whityears was only 103 days and and nowhercomes by estabTulsa ten husband Cancer the Institute to give palished Warrior Princess tients and hand to helpmakeovers families who have amassages. loved one dealing with a Niemeyer got involved life-threatening disease. with visiting patients at the Whitten got involved Tulsa visiting Cancer patients Instituteatafter with the her friend wasInstitute being treated Tulsa Cancer after there.

She was callsbeing her organiher friend treatzation “Warrior Princess.” ed there. how “Jane Hylton recalls recalls how came to us and said, ‘I want “Chrissy came to us and to give something back.

I’ve said, ‘I want to give someexperienced what it’s like.’” thing back. I’ve experienced Sheit’s makes frequent visits what like.’”

She makes to the institute onthe Wednesfrequent visits to insti-

days.on Wednesdays. tute Another volunteer is Leslie Umfleet, who started Random Acts of Purpose after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37 and two years later her 10-yearold son found out he had thyroid cancer.

Experiencing the cancer journey firsthand in two ways made her realize how little things could make a big difference.

Hylton recalls how Umfleet presented a gas gift card to a patient at Tulsa Cancer Institute. The patient responded to Umfleet by saying, “Oh, no I don’t need financial assistance.”

Umfleet responded back: “That’s OK, I just wanted to brighten your day.”

Her organization regularly hands out toilet paper, paper towels, toiletries, toothbrushes and other items to patients to make them realize they’re not alone.

A national organization, Look Good Feel Better, has just started bringing cosmetologists to the institute to provide makeovers to cancer patients who have lost their hair or otherwise been affected by radiation treatments.

There’s even someone who comes by the institute and specializes in bra fittings for women who have had mastectomies.

All this does have a positive impact on patients dealing with cancer.

Hylton says some former patients who have been touched by these kindnesses even return to the institute after their treatment is done and bring treats for the staff.

At Tulsa Cancer Institute we provide information, treatment, hope and comfort for our patients and their families. Tulsa Cancer Institute is a physician-­owned group practice with 23 blood and cancer specialists and more than 200 nurses and associates in eastern Oklahoma. Our new facility in Tulsa has the largest team of cancer experts in the state. We are proud to have some of the best cancer specialists in the region and we offer a customized care plan for each patient.

Our focus is on recovery with a long and healthy future for our patients. Tulsa Cancer Institute also has centers in Stillwater, Bartlesville and McAlester.

Hematologist/Medical Oncologist

Gynecologic Oncologist

Alan Keller, M.D., FACP Charles Strnad, M.D. Steven Buck, D.O., FACOI Kevin Weibel, D.O. , FACP Mark R. Olsen, M.D., Ph.D. John Lohrey, M.D. Scott McHam, D.O. Ali Moussa, M.D. Jeffrey Delo, M.D. Scott Cole, M.D. Christopher Manus, M.D. Melinda Dunlap, M.D. Ayman Barakat, M.D. Charles Taylor, M.D.

Daron Street, M.D., FACOG Mark Genesen, M.D. Michael Gold, M.D., FACOG, FACS Y.C. Choo, M.D.

12697 East 51st Street South

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

Radiation Oncologist Lawrence Cibula, M.D. Connie Nguyen, M.D. Nathan Uy, M.D.

Dermatology — Mohs surgery Edward Yob, D.O. Peter Knabel, D.O.

Tulsa, Oklahoma 74146

tciok.org

Phone (918) 505-­3200

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA OL 26

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

A Beautiful Yard Isn’t Hard When You Shop at Sanders loads of plants each year.

At the height of the spring and summer seasons, the massive greenhouse can house up to 300 truckloads at one time.

Plants are trucked to the greater Tulsa area from all over the nation, including Oregon, California, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and Florida.

Some of the plants also are grown right here in the state in Holbert and Tahlequah.

James Berry is general manager of the Broken Arrow nursery. His uncle purchased the Inola nursery from the Sanders family in 1999 and retained the business name. They opened the Broken Arrow nursery in 2000 and continue to expand.

Berry says that includes Courtesy photos expanding the types and varieties of plants and The greenhouse at the Sanders Nursery and Distribution Center in flowers they sell. “We insouthern Broken Arrow can hold up to 300 tractor-trailer truckloads troduce new plants every of plants. Sanders is the largest retail nursery in Oklahoma. year,” he says. “It’s almost t’s time for the annual spring mi- South is one of two retail operations overwhelming.” gration when Green Country resi- in northeast Oklahoma. The other For example, Sanders stocked four dents begin heading south and is located on East 590 Road in Inola or five varieties of hydrangeas five east to add a little (or a lot of ) color where the Sanders family started years ago. They now sell 35 varieties, to their lives. the business in 1949. including different colors of blooms Whether they are weekend warNow that the weather is warm- and varying types of foliage. riors looking to spruce up their ing, both locations will be extendOverall, Berry expects to have yards or landscape artists seeking ing their hours to accommodate the 1,800 new line items from which to sculpt an outdoor masterpiece, hundreds of customers who flock to customers can choose, whether they will find the state’s largest retail Sanders Nursery in search of flora that’s wholesale buyers, master garplant operation at Sanders Nursery and fauna for personal and com- deners or average homeowners. & Distribution Center in southern mercial outdoor projects.

“There’s a lot to walk around and Broken Arrow.

The Broken Arrow nursery occu- see,” Berry says, adding that “we caThe nursery on East 161st Street pies 25 acres and receives 900 truck- ter to families.”

Sanders’ motto is “a beautiful yard doesn’t have to be hard.” They employ 20 staffers at the Broken Arrow nursery, and each employee is ready and willing to help answer customers’ questions.

As the spring warms up, Saturdays become especially busy. Berry says he’s counted as many as 400 cars in the parking lot at one time.

Berry says some customers come in with landscaping blueprints in hand and specific plans of what they want while others walk in with no idea at all except to spruce up their yard.

Sanders sells plants to places all over the state and beyond, and Berry says many people might be

I

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sanders Nursery & Distribution Center

20705 E. 161st St. Broken Arrow, OK. 74014 918-486-1500 sandersnurseryok.com

surprised at how diverse the growing climates vary within 200 miles of Tulsa. What grows well in Wichita, for example, might not last in Lawton.

And then there are those Oklahoma weather patterns that can wreak havoc on a landscape. Berry says the Tulsa area has lost a lot of trees during the last four years due to both storms and droughts.

It doesn’t always take a major weather problem, however, to topple a tree. It can happen due to a homeowner overwatering the tree, causing its root system to become unstable.

That’s where Berry and his staff can help with common-sense advice.

“We’re engrained in the nursery business,” he says.

“We know how to maintain plants.”

This shrub, known as a Double Take Quince, produces an early spring display of large flowers with intense color. It is among the thousands of varieties of plants customers can purchase at Sanders Nursery.

A Beautiful Yard Doesn’t Have to be Hard.

At Sanders Nursery, you’ll find an incredible selection of everything you can imagine to make your landscaping the star of the block without being hard on your wallet.

Waiting for you is: • Oklahoma’s largest covered greenhouse filled with thousands of the freshest annuals and perennials in the widest variety of colors and types – all suited to Oklahoma’s climate.

• Thousands of the highest quality container shrubs, grasses and ornamental trees of all shapes and sizes.

• Acres of balled and burlapped trees to fit every need - shade, fruit, evergreens and crepe myrtles.

And Sanders offers wholesale prices about 20% lower than you’ll find elsewhere. Come see us! With our help, incredible selection and great prices, having a beautiful yard will be a breeze!

Two Great Locations.

• BROKEN

A R R O W / 918.486.1500 / 20705 East 161st / Broken Arrow, OK 74014 / Take 169 South to Creek Nation Turnpike. Go 7 miles east on Creek Nation and exit County Line Road. / Go south 4.5 miles.

• I N O L A / 918.543.2589 / 13302 E. 590 Road / Inola, OK 74036 / Take 412 East. Take first right past bridge on NS 416, Go 1/4 mile, turn left (East) on 590 Road (Hwy. 33). / Follow the signs.

BA Map

Inola Map

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

Better Plants. Better Gardens. Better Prices.

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 27

Celebrity Attractions Brings Broadway Theater to Tulsa “The Phantom of the Opera.”

“Wicked.” “Les Misérables.”

“The Lion King.” “Jersey Boys.”

I

f you’ve had the pleasure of watching any of these Broadway shows performed live on stage without having to leave Oklahoma, then you have Celebrity Attractions to thank.

The Tulsa-based company has brought the best of Broadway to our region for three decades, and local audiences have responded in a Big Apple way.

“We have 300 to 400 percent more season subscribers in Tulsa compared to other cities our size,” says Ed Payton, CEO of Celebrity Attractions. “That says a lot about the support this community gives to culture and the arts.”

That level of interest also allows Celebrity Attractions to keep bringing bigger and better shows to town.

“There’s a saying in show business,” Payton explains. “It’s, ‘without the business, you don’t get the show.’”

This year’s Tulsa season began with Blue Man Group in September. Its weeklong run was almost sold out. Next was “White Christmas.” It sold out in November. Then came “Chicago” in January. Another sellout.

“It says to New York that this community will support Broadway productions,” Payton says. “It’s a tribute to the quality of life here in Tulsa.”

To further drive home his point, Payton explains “White Christmas” only tours during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holidays, and it is booked in only eight cities per year. Tulsa was one of them this season.

Payton’s brother, Larry, founded the company after moving to Oklahoma in the

early 1980s to oversee the University of Tulsa’s activity center. Larry and his wife, Kay, began bringing shows to other local venues on the side. By 1989 he left TU to operate Celebrity Attractions full time.

Celebrity Attractions takes a financial risk to invest in an engagement, hoping enough people will fill seats to make it profitable.

Ed left his career in 1997 to Courtesy photo join his brother as chief opCelebrity Attractions will present “The Phantom of the Opera” in Tulsa next season. It erations officer, a few years following six weeks of sold- premiered here almost two decades ago, putting “us on the map for Broadway shows.” out performances of “The tear on the actors. “Camelot,” for example, schedule of “Once.”

Phantom of the Opera” at Larry won three Tony awards for his efwill be staged by Celebrity Attractions in all the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

Tulsa was the smallest city in the nation seven cities next year during a four-week forts as a producer before he died unexpectedly one year ago of an illness. Ed has period. to present the show at that time.

Payton says Celebrity Attractions taken over as CEO, and Larry’s son Drew “The economic impact for Tulsa was incredible and put us on the map for Broad- chooses its lineups each year by trying to now serves as COO. They are proud to carry on what Larry book shows in three categories: blockbustway shows,” Payton says. began: “working to bring pleasure to peoers, family entertainment and shows that Since 1998, Celebrity Attractions has ple’s lives through Broadway theater.” are different. sold more than 10,000 season subscripThe latter category is why the Paytons tions annually to its Tulsa shows. This year’s are associate producers who invest finantotal is just shy of 12,700 subscriptions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Over the years, Celebrity Attractions has cially in bringing shows first to Broadway.

“We try to strategically place ourselves expanded its market to present shows in Celebrity Attractions six other cities: Oklahoma City; Springfield, in a position where we can bring the Broad7506 E. 91st St. Mo.; Lubbock, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.; Ama- way shows to our cities,” Payton explains.

Tulsa, Okla. 74133 They’re currently invested in two shows rillo, Texas; and Abilene, Texas. Having them 918-477-7469 in close proximity makes it more attractive in New York: “Once” and “Kinky Boots.” Becelebrityattractions.com to touring producers because it’s more ef- cause of that, Celebrity Attractions was ficient, more economical and less wear and able to include Tulsa in the 2014-15 touring

April 15-26, 2015

(April 15-21 Subscriber Dates)

November 4-9, 2014

March 3-8, 2015

January 6-11, 2015

May 26-31, 2015

5 Shows for ONE low Price!

#JosephTulsA /BwayTulsA

Plus you’ll receive exclusive subscriber ONLY benefits!

918.596.7109 • CelebrityAttractions.com

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA OL 28

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Since 1922 Rich & Cartmill, Inc. has been dedicated to one simple mission: Provide the best insurance coverage possible at the least cost to our clients.

No matter what coverage you need: • Commercial • Personal • Life, Health or Long Term Care • Bonds...

We can assist you.

•

•

Tulsa

Springfield, Missouri

2738 E. 51st St., Ste 400 Tulsa, OK 74105

4945 N. Towne Centre Dr. Ozark, MO 65721

Oklahoma City

Olathe, Kansas

1608 NW Expressway, Ste 100 OKC, OK 73118

13025 S Mur-Len Rd., Ste 200 Olathe, KS 66062

Owasso

Greeley, Colorado

125 South Main St. Owasso, OK 74055

8213 W. 20th St. Greeley, CO 80634

918.743.8811

www.rcins.com

A Foundation for Learning.

A Foundation for Life.

As a student at Cascia Hall, Walker was able to develop his skills as a leader, scholar, musician, and thespian. He delivered the farewell speech at commencement where he received a Scholar Medal. A National Merit Finalist, Walker became a leading man and “go to guy” in the drama department, yet he still found time to follow his passion for community outreach and service to others.

Walker is a freshman at Northwestern University.

Walker McKinney Class of 2013

“My time at Cascia Hall was made unforgettable by the friendships I found with both students and teachers.

The teachers acted as mentors which facilitated my growth, not only as a musician, actor, and student, but as a person.” Walker McKinney

Sign up online for an entrance exam or shadow day. Information sessions and tours are available twice monthly. Call 918-746-2641 to schedule.

Ask about school bus service to your area.

2520 S. Yorktown Ave. Tulsa, OK 918-746-2600

www.casciahall.org admissions@casciahall.org

Rich & Cartmill Invests In Community

S

erving individual insurance clients’ needs has always been at the heart of Rich & Cartmill’s business approach since the Independent Insurance Agency was founded in Tulsa in 1922. Serving the larger community in which those clients live has played out in various ways over the last nine decades.

Tulsa remains the firm’s core market and was its only audience until expansion efforts to other cities began in 1995. That’s when Rich & Cartmill started serving residents of Oklahoma City.

The value of providing clients the right insurance coverage available for them has always been rewarding to Company President Vaughn Graham, but the importance of it really hit home last May. A massive EF-5 tornado touched down the afternoon of May 20 in Moore, leaving behind an historic path of destruction. When it was over, rescuers discovered that 25 people died, 377 people suffered physical injuries and 1,150 homes were destroyed.

Rich & Cartmill had clients living in the storm’s path.

Graham says no insurance agent can predict when a customer will incur a loss to life or property, even though Moore has experienced three major tornadoes in the last 10 years. “A loss can happen anytime, anywhere under any circumstances,” he says.

“All of us spend our lifetimes accumulating assets, and what we do is protect those in the best way possible.”

That’s why Graham takes satisfaction in seeing how insurance policies are helping Moore residents rebuild.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Rich & Cartmill 2738 E. 51st St. Tulsa, Okla. 74105 918-743-8811 rcins.com

Photo by Kevin Armstrong

Vaughn Graham is President of Rich & Cartmill, a Trusted Choice, Independent Insurance Agency.

“To hear residents say, ‘I’m coming back’ is rewarding,” Graham says. “Without insurance, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for them to do that.”

Customers need to be able to count on them, Graham adds. “We’re a Trusted Choice Independent Agency. It’s our brand.”

That doesn’t mean waiting for a loss to occur before Rich & Cartmill’s agents and staffs lend a helping hand.

“In all the communities we serve,” Graham says, “Rich & Cartmill’s shareholders have always made it a focus to be good corporate citizens.”

In Tulsa, those efforts include donating financially through the United Way as well as donating time to schools and nonprofit service organizations.

Graham says the Tulsa office has adopted an elementary school where staff and agents mentor students in reading and math.

“We participate in many civic activities individually,” he says, including the Lions

and Rotary clubs to name a few.

Graham personally has participated in Leadership Tulsa, which requires its graduates to serve on nonprofit boards for a year or more after completing the training program.

Similar volunteer efforts take place in the three communities where Rich & Cartmill does business outside Oklahoma: Springfield, Mo.; Greeley, Colo.; and Olathe, Kan. Beyond that, the staff and agents also serve their customers by continuing their professional education so they can stay knowledgeable about changes in insurance laws.

Take, for example, the health insurance products covered by the federal government’s Affordable Care Act. “It will affect every customer we have in some way,” Graham says.

That’s why Rich & Cartmill encourages its agents to pursue additional professional certifications. Some require agents to spend more than 300 hours in the classroom and complete 30 hours of testing.

“Each of us feels the responsibility and the need to continue our professional education,” Graham says.

“Our customers deserve the best professional expertise and advice we can provide them.”

Cascia Hall Helps Prepare Students for College Studies C ascia Hall is a Catholic, college preparatory school for students of all faiths in grades 6-12. Students are prepared for college and for life in a supportive, Christian community.

Cascia Hall balances rigorous academics with excellent opportunities in athletics, the arts, and community service. With a student:teacher ratio of 12:1, students are related to as individuals, resulting in higher motivation and levels of success.

Preparation for college begins in Grade 6 with a seamless, traditional liberal arts curriculum through Grade 12. Each class is aligned year after year to create pathways for students to reach their goals.

Students in Grades 6-8 have opportunities to earn high school credit in math, science, and foreign language.

Students in Grades 9-12 can earn college credit in the extensive Advanced Placement program as well as in concurrent enrollment with various surrounding twoand four-year colleges and universities.

With a student:teacher ratio of 12:1, students are related to as individuals, resulting in higher motivation and levels of success.

One hundred percent of Cascia Hall seniors matriculate to college following graduation.

The athletic program offers opportunities for students to participate at all levels and in every season. Ten sports are offered at the Middle School level; two additional

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Cascia Hall Preparatory School 2520 S. Yorktown Ave. Tulsa, OK 74114 918-746-2600 casciahall.org

sports are offered in the Upper School.

Since joining the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association in 1976, varsity teams have earned 59 State Championships in 12 different sports as well as numerous runner-up titles.

The Cascia Hall Performing Arts Center enjoys the spotlight as one of the region’s most sophisticated environments for training in the visual and performing arts.

Students can participate in numerous extracurricular activities, which include Academic Bowl, Student Council, Foreign Language Clubs, and Key Club.

In the last four years, the Upper School Academic Team has earned three State Championships and one Runner-up title.

Through the Caritas project, the school has partnered with six local agencies which provide for those in our community whose basic needs are not being met. Each member of the Cascia Community is encouraged to continually perform Christian Service to their school, church, and community For more information, visit the Cascia Hall website at casciahall.org or contact the Office of Admissions for a prospectus, 918-746-2600, admissions@casciahall.org.

OUTLOOK 2014

TULSA Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 29

Seniors Never Stop Learning at Jewish Retirement Center

S

Expansion plans inome people might think retirement is all about sitting still and reflecting on clude community classhow the best years might be behind room space in which public colleges and you.

That’s not true at the Tulsa Jewish Re- universities will offer tirement and Health Center in south Tulsa. academic classes on The campus, featuring housing and se- site that anyone can nior services just west of 71st Street and enroll in. Jakubovitz enLewis Avenue, is in the midst of a $16 mil- visions an 80-year-old lion renovation and expansion that proves resident sitting next to a 25-year-old staff things can get better with age.

It was established in 1986 to provide a member and a 22-yearquality place to live for Tulsa’s aging Jewish old grandchild, and population, but the community has blos- they’re all taking the somed into a top choice for seniors of all same course together.

“It’s intergenerationfaiths and backgrounds.

“Less than half of current clients are al learning,” Jakubovitz Jewish,” says CEO Jim Jakubovitz. And says. “Everybody benwhile about 200 people older than 60 live efits. We just want to be there full time, the facilities draw people as the host.”

Students of all ages young as pre-kindergarten to attend the Mizel Jewish Community Day School locat- can take the classes for ed on campus and young adults in their 20s college credit toward a and 30s who take advantage of the health degree or audit them Photo by Kevin Armstrong center to exercise. In addition, an art and for fun. These classes cultural museum draws visitors of all ages. will be held in the new Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Center is halfway through a $16 million expansion and “We want to be known as a lifelong Town Center, which will renovation of its South Tulsa campus, and the centerpiece is this new Town Center. It will fealearning campus,” Jakubovitz says. “We are connect to the nursing actively creating a place that attracts peo- home. The center will ture a cafe, gathering space and classrooms for seniors and non-residents. have a 22-foot ceiling ple who want to stay engaged.” more than 50 nursing home rooms that will were going to their home.”

That is possible because the Tulsa Jew- in the center and hold a café.

A new indoor, heated saline therapy “You can take Dad out, even though undergo the greatest changes. ish Retirement and Health Center is partpool also is being added as a rehabilitation Instead of three long hallways, each nering with local colleges and universities it’s physically connected to his residence,” tool for the center’s wellness program. with rooms resembling a hospital, the nursJakubovitz says. “It will feel like a Starbucks. to bring together young and old. ing center’s layout will have a different feel.

This partnership began in 2008 when It will be wi-fi connected, and you can even The new concept will be five 10-bed the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa started Skype with your grandson in Florida.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: “neighborhoods.”

Each of the 10 bedrooms It will create a new sense of community, operating a health clinic on the campus.

Tulsa Jewish Retirement Fifty percent of the clinic’s current clients he says, in which residents and their fami- will connect to its own shared great room that will feel and look more like a home and Health Center live on campus, Jakubovitz says, although lies will connect with each other. Jakubowith its own kitchen and living room.

Those 2025 E. 71st St. vitz adds that this Town Center will be so all patients must be age 55 or older.

At the clinic, students perform geriatric inviting for families of residents that they 10 residents will share meals with each Tulsa, Okla. 74136 other instead of the larger group. research on seniors, who in turn receive will visit Dad more often.

918-496-8333 “Visitors will feel like they are seeing The facility is modernizing all 62 apartmedical treatment. “It’s a win-win,” Jakubotjrhcc.org ments and adding four more, but it’s the their family member at home,” Jakubovitz vitz says. “This is literally a living lab.” says. “You will ring the doorbell as if you

Our new Town Center was built just for you.

Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Center is pleased to announce the construction of our new Town Center.

Opening this Spring, this 16-thousand square foot public space is dedicated to enhancing our community and enriching the lives of Tulsa seniors.

• Multi-purpose Room • Heated Indoor Therapy Pool

In addition to being the hub of activity for TJRHC residents and their families, the Town Center will also serve other seniors in the greater Tulsa community who are interested in participating in our wellness programs.

Town Center features will include:

• Dining Venue • Movie Theater

• Salon & Spa • Geriatric Assessment Clinic

Come join the young at heart!

2025 E. 71st St. phone: 918.496.8333 web: TJRHCC.org

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

TULSA OL 30

n

n

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OUTLOOK 2014

Tulsa’s OSU Medical Center Supplies State With Doctors

O

klahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa plays a major role in training doctors who treat patients across the state of Oklahoma. By working hand in hand with the OSU Center for Health Sciences continued success will continue.

OSUMC is celebrating its 70th year of providing exceptional health care, every patient, every time.

Since 1944, OSUMC has grown from a single struc-

Eighty percent of OSU Medical School’s graduates remain in Oklahoma to practice medicine, adding to local residents’ quality of medical care. ture dating back to 1916 to become the nation’s largest osteopathic teaching hospital where physicians are trained in 11 residency

programs and nine fellowship programs. The program trains over 150 residents annually.

Even more impressive, 80 percent of those graduates remain in Oklahoma to practice medicine, adding to local residents’ quality of medical care.

Dr. John Hervert, who graduated last year, is a great example of how OSUMC is training doctors to benefit the greater Tulsa community.

Dr. Hervert is from Nebraska. While at OSUMC, he met and later married his wife, a Florida native who also was a medical resident here.

He and his wife both chose to stay in Oklahoma to start their practice. Dr. Hervert is an internal medicine doctor who began his practice last fall with the OSU Medical Group at the Downtown Physicians Center.

Dr. Hervert also symbolizes the growth in OSU Medical Group’s primary care physician services in northeastern Oklahoma.

Last year, the Medical Group opened a Riverside Primary Care center in south Tulsa as well as a new clinic in Collinsville. Those are in addition to the physicians in the downtown center and the Family Medicine facility at 33rd Street and

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

OSU Medical Center 744 W. Ninth St. Tulsa, Okla. 74127 918-599-1000 osumc.net

Harvard Avenue.

Facilities also continue to grow, and that will continue in 2014 as the Department of Maternal Child Health undergoes a major renovation.

Once the project is completed later this year, OSUMC will have 13 multipurpose, energy-efficient rooms to accommodate new mothers during labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum care. The large rooms will provide ample space for mothers, healthy newborns, visiting family members and a medical team.

An exam room, as well as two extra patient rooms for expectant mothers before delivery, will also add to the expansion.

The next chapter for OSU Medical Center is to secure a partnership for long-term management and growth in order to continue its mission of serving Tulsa and surrounding communities while training the osteopathic physicians of tomorrow.

Running with the Oklahoma Aquarium

Bull Sharks

1/2 Marathon • 10K • 5K • 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk

An Exciting Adventure in Learning

W

hen a public aquarium featuring species from all over the world was first suggested for Tulsa almost 30 years ago, it seemed like an impossible dream. A handful of stubborn dreamers persevered to see the Oklahoma Aquarium open and develop into a community anchor for education, entertainment and economic benefit.

Since opening in 2003, the nonprofit Aquarium has welcomed more than 400,000 guests annually, including thousands of students on educational field trips and research projects.

“More than 70 percent of our planet is covered by water, so there’s no question aquatic education is a critical piece of conservation and STEM,” said Ann Money, Oklahoma Aquarium Curator of Education Programs and Research. “Our mission is to inspire children and

adults to understand that even this far inland, we all make a difference in the health of our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams,” Money continued. “That education is exciting seeing fish, mammals and other animals upclose.”

“About one-third of our guests come from closeby, but another third come from neighboring states,” said Oklahoma Aquarium COO/Executive Director Teri Bowers. “Research from the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation found those guests spend approximately $500, even more if they stay overnight, in Oklahoma, so when they come to see our sharks, they also visit other attractions, restaurants and stores.”

To grow its positive impact, the Oklahoma Aquarium has updated or added exhibits with support from numerous donors.

The most recent addition,

Register online at: www.okaquarium.org

Courtesy photo

The bright colors of a coral tank delight a young visitor to the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Oklahoma Aquarium

300 Aquarium Drive Jenks, Okla. 74037 918-296-FISH okaquarium.org Extreme Amazon, was funded by the American Electric Power Foundation in cooperation with Public Service Company of Oklahoma. The Oxley Foundation is leading the drive to complete the next expansion, an exhibit to house two 300-pound loggerhead sea turtles. The exhibit is halfway completed and visitors can look into the construction site through special windows to watch the progress.

The largest existing exhibit is the half-million gallon Siegfried Families Shark Adventure. The unique walk-through tunnel design is the largest of its kind dedicated to 20 bull and nurse sharks. In fact, aquariums in two larger cities transported bull sharks to the Oklahoma Aquarium because they were outgrowing their tanks.

Despite the size and diversity of the Aquarium species, admission prices are the lowest in the country compared to similar aquariums. Fees for school groups are decreasing with donor support, to further fulfill the educational mission of the Oklahoma Aquarium.

OUTLOOK 2014

BARTLESVILLE Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 31

Community takes care of its assets • Bartlesville offers natural beauty, arts and entertainment, and historical gems.

BY LAURA SUMMERS World Correspondent

BARTLESVILLE — A winding path through woods and meadows takes bikers and walkers from one side of Bartlesville to another as they meander beside the Caney River along the way.

Pathfinder Parkway draws visitors in to the natural beauty of the city of Bartlesville and shows one side of a multifaceted personality that includes a thriving arts community, a historic downtown district, an excellent growing school system, and a network of enthusiastic volunteers.

“Our community is so giving and creative,” Sheri Wilt, Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce executive director, said. “The arts are such a crucial part of our quality of life, along with our beautiful Community Center.”

Bartlesville supports its many community assets by volunteering and approving ballot box measures to keep up with maintenance and growth in buildings, schools and streets. Voters in 2013 allocated an estimated $21.1 million in sales tax revenue for municipal projects including extending Pathfinder Parkway and putting a new roof on Bartlesville Community Center, a world-class facility designed by Frank Lloyd

ABOUT BARTLESVILLE Population: 36,245, 12th-largest in Oklahoma Median income: $48,036 Median home price: $114,563 Contact information: Bartlesville City Hall, 918-338-4282, 401 S. Johnstone Ave.,

★

Bartlesville

cityofbartlesville.org Fast facts: Arts, sports and aca-

TULSA

Wright Foundation’s William Wesley Peters.

The sales tax projects complement bond proposals approved in 2012 by Bartlesville voters who earmarked more than $2.2 million for new soccer fields and park playground equipment, $5.3 million for street improvements, and $7 million for a new police station and upgraded fire station downtown.

Bartlesville’s school system also got a boost from voters in September with approval of a $37 million bond issue to construct a new freshman academy and upgrade buildings throughout the district. The new infrastructure is in keeping with the district’s mission to provide excellence in the classroom.

B a r t l e s v i l l e ’s n e w e r school facilities are a draw

Bartlesville voters in 2013 allocated an estimated $21.1 million in sales tax revenue for municipal projects, including putting a new roof on Bartlesville Community Center.

STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

for big events in arts and athletics. This month, BHS Fieldhouse will host its seventh major basketball championship. The venue has been the site for Lone Star Conference and Great American Conference title matches since 2008.

Historic Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium has hosted two American Legion World Series tournaments in the past decade and is preparing to host for a second consecutive year this summer the Sandy Koufax American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series.

Large competitions for swimming, gymnas-

tics, bowling and golf also are held, with organizers drawn to the sporting facilities, as well as the many tourism opportunities.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Refuge — a 3,700acre delight of woods, lakes, trees, buffalo and fine art — created by oilman Frank Phillips, is a prime destination located just outside of Bartlesville. Another big draw to the area is Price Tower Arts Center — the lone skyscraper to be built with a Frank Lloyd Wrightcommissioned design.

The Phillips 66 Museum and Bartlesville Area History Museum provide more insight downtown, along

with historical walking tours and visits to Frank Phillips elegant mansion home now operated by Oklahoma Historical Society.

Summer is a prime time for tourism in Bartlesville with Sunfest Arts and Entertainment Festival and OK Mozart International Music Festival in June and Indian Summer Festival in September.

Kiddie Park, a miniature amusement park, is one of the most popular warmweather attractions.

Bartlesville’s well-rounded attractions keep residents and tourists entertained through the year.

demics all contribute to the quality of life in Bartlesville — a city known for its music and arts festivals, science fairs and hospitality hosting major sporting events.

Well-known resident: Oil pioneers Frank and L.E. Phillips started Phillips Petroleum Company here, movie director Terrence Malick called Bartlesville home for a time, and Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, a best-selling cookbook author, grew up here.

Shopping: A regional shopping base for customers from Washington, Osage and Nowata counties, as well as southern Kansas, Bartlesville offers more than 40 national and regional retailers at Washington Park Mall. Other national retailers also are located in the city.

BARTLESVILLEWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Bartlesville Read more Bartlesville news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

bartlesvilleworld.com

BIXBY

Bixby schools a major draw for families • The low crime rate and quality neighborhoods have also contributed to the city’s growth.

ABOUT BIXBY Population: 22,580, 19th-largest in

Oklahoma

Median income: $71,944 Median home value: $185,700 Contact information: City Hall, 918366-4430, bixby.com Fast facts: Bixby is home to the

BY STEPHANIE ANDRE World Correspondent

BIXBY — It’s no secret that Bixby Public Schools is one of the top-rated education systems in Tulsa County and a major draw for families moving to the Bixby area.

“I think the performance of our quality staff and our students are what attract folks here,” said Superintendent Kyle Wood. “We’re a highachieving school district, and it is a direct result of the work of the teachers and students and the support of the parents for their kids’ education that contributes to that.”

In the state’s A-F grading system, Bixby outperformed all other schools in Tulsa County with a 91 percent, an A-minus.

Bixby High School also continues to improve its average ACT score TULSA each year. In 2013, it achieved a 22 average on the ACT, an improvement of 1.6 points since 2007.

The school district averages roughly a 3.5 percent growth rate each year. Although more students translate into more money from the state, funds are still needed to construct and update facilities to contain the growing student population.

The city’s population grew by 4.9 percent to 22,580 residents from 2011 to 2012, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the state during the one-year period ending last July 1, a U.S. Census Bureau report showed last May. Since the 2000 Census, when the population was 13,336, Bixby’s population has grown by 69 percent.

“Keeping up with growth has been a challenge for us,” Wood said. “In general, we are a growth school district and we are growing very

Bixby

★

Alexis Norman and Kolten Smith work on math problems in the computer room at Bixby Northeast Intermediate School. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

fast, and that comes with the struggle to keep up with space and instructional materials and equipment. And without the ability to pass bond issues, it would make it impossible for us to be able to provide the facilities for our continued growth.”

This year a new bond issue will be proposed for voters to decide on in the spring or fall of 2015 to help build and renovate new facilities to keep up with the district’s growth. Two big projects officials hope to complete will be a new middle school at 125th Street and Sheridan Road and new elementary and intermediate schools in west Bixby.

Bixby also attracts families with its low crime rate. The city had just 19.47 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2012, compared to 62.06 in Tulsa, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Bixby Police Chief Ike Shirley said a variety of factors have helped the city maintain a relatively

low crime rate, including parks with plenty of activities, cooperation with nearby law enforcement agencies and working with the public.

“We’ve been very proactive with our community,” he said. “We work with our different community partners and want our people to call us so we can investigate if there is crime.”

Rick Dodson, general manager of the residential development groups 121st and Memorial LLC and 81st and Memorial LLC, said the availability of quality neighborhoods has had a positive influence on the success of Bixby schools because it has helped to attract families with positive demographics to the area.

“Everyone wants their child to succeed,” Dodson said. “Education and schools are very important, and by us developing these higher end neighborhoods, we attract these types of families that look at the quality of housing, plus they bring a number of school children into the system.”

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

award-winning Bentley Sports Complex, which was named as “Top Design in the State” by the Oklahoma Sports Recreation Society. The complex features two quads of baseball, two quads of softball, an international soccer field, 14 youth soccer fields, a super playground/splash pad, trails and more. A new multi-sport facility will open in the spring.

The Washington Irving Memorial Park and Arboretum was named in honor of the writer because he had camped near the park’s location during an expedition in 1832.

Shopping: Regal Plaza at 105th and Memorial offers 17 specialty shops that include women’s apparel, home furnishings and gifts. There are seven restaurants, including Savastano’s Pizzeria, which serves authentic Chicago-style pizza and is heralded by locals.

BIXBYWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Bixby Read more Bixby news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

bixbyworld.com

OL 32

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

BROKEN ARROW

Biggest little small town in Oklahoma • Good schools and low crime have been big draws for Broken Arrow.

ABOUT BROKEN ARROW Population: 102,019, fourthlargest in Oklahoma Median income: $62,937

BY NOUR HABIB

World Staff Writer

Median home price:

BROKEN ARROW — Long considered a family-friendly town, Broken Arrow has preserved that feeling even as it has grown to the fourthlargest city in the state.

Two of the biggest draws to the city — especially for young families — have been good schools and low crime.

Four years ago, residents passed a nearly $300 million bond issue that is changing the face of Broken Arrow Public Schools.

“In just the past two years we have opened three new Early Childhood Centers, three elementaries, a new middle school and a 93,000-squarefoot addition at our high school,” said Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall.

Mendenhall said the elementary schools have the smallest class sizes in Tulsa County, middle schools are offering challenging academic opportunities and extracurricular activities, and the high school is divided into smaller learning communities. More changes are planned in coming years.

“Next year, we will open a freshman academy geared soleTULSA ly toward meeting the needs of our ninthgrade students,” Mendenhall said.

And a plan for a swimming pool is in the works, with hopes to add the project to a 2015 bond issue.

Through community service projects, it has held on to the small-town atmosphere that many find appealing.

“From athletics to fine arts and

$158,000

Contact information: Broken Arrow City Hall, 220 S. First St., 918-259-2400,

brokenarrowok.gov.

Fast fact: The Broken Arrow

Creekwood Elementary School is one of six new schools that have been opened in the Broken Arrow Public Schools district in the past two years. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World

academic clubs to extracurricular groups, the district strives to offer a variety of activities where students can make connections and find something they can be passionate about doing,” Mendenhall said.

Public safety has also been one of Broken Arrow’s attractive qualities.

Police Chief David Boggs said the city is consistently recognized among the safest in the state and the nation.

The city had just 23.26 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2012, compared to 62.06 in Tulsa, according to the Okla-

Broken Arrow

★

homa State Bureau of Investigation.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the cooperation between public safety and our community is why this is such a wonderful place to call home for over 100,000 people, and yet it still feels so comfortably like a small town,” Boggs said.

Broken Arrow has also been repeatedly recognized on a national level, as well. Last year it was ranked the 15th-best “booming” suburb

by Coldwell Banker, in 2012 it was named the 68th-best city to live in

by Money magazine, which in 2011 named Broken Arrow No. 8 among top cities to retire.

As the city has grown, Broken Arrow leaders have continued to work on improving residents’ quality of life.

A recently opened events park at

101st Street just east of the Creek Turnpike is being expanded into a 200-acre space. The master plan for the park includes the building of a children’s museum, adult softball fields, an arboretum, nature trails and a splash pad.

City Manager Thom Moton has said the expansion of the park will turn it into a regional destination that provides activities to people of all ages.

The downtown Rose District is turning into a blossoming arts and entertainment district, with a streetscape recently finished and plans taking shape for a Creative Arts Center.

The luxury Warren Theatres is expected to open in November.

Nour Habib 918-581-8369

Performing Arts Center, the cornerstone of the Rose District, will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year.

Broadway tours, concerts and other major shows have come through the venue since it opened in 2009.

Well-known resident: Kristin Chenoweth Shopping: There are about 1,610 retailers in Broken Arrow, including a variety of local shops in the newly revamped downtown Rose District.

BROKENARROWWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Broken Arrow

Read more Broken Arrow news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

brokenarrowworld.com

nour.habib@tulsaworld.com

CATOOSA

Laptops click for Catoosa students • The school district’s voters have passed three bond issues to keep the MacBook program going. school. Starting in seventh grade, students are allowed to take their laptops home but must return them CATOOSA — Thanks to a district- at the end of each academic year. wide technology initiative, fewer Middle school parents and stuCatoosa students can claim a dog dents, as well as those who move ate their homework. into the district after sixth grade, Launched in August 2010 at are required to participate in an Wells Middle School, Catoosa Pub- orientation course and sign a laplic Schools’ Onetop use agreement to-One program with the district at provides a Wi-Fithe beginning of the enabled Apple Macschool year.

Book and charger With the program to each of the more now in its fifth year, than 1,000 secondthe laptops are inTULSA ary students in the tegrated into the district. This year’s district’s secondary junior class, which school curriculum. was part of the OneFor example, afto-One program’s ter reading a short roll-out as eighth story for an Enggraders, will be Calish class, instead toosa’s first graduatof writing an essay ing class to have used laptops con- about the story’s themes, students tinuously in the classroom. could develop a short film using “This has leveled out the play- iMovie, use Keynote to create a ing field for our students who have slide presentation or record a podaccess to lots of things and our cast in GarageBand instead. students who might not have that “There are all sorts of ways easy access at home,” Wells Middle our students can now show what School Principal Della Parrish said. they’ve learned instead of just writ“Regardless of what they have at ing it out,” One-to-One coordinahome, every single one of those kids tor Andrea Williams said. “They has a MacBook to carry with them. have different realms to show what That’s a pretty cool sight to see.” they’ve learned.

Initially funded with a $716,000 “There is an endless amount of Title II grant through the U.S. De- media they can create rather than partment of Education, Catoosa just handwriting it out, and it’s voters have approved three school made a big difference in students’ bonds over the past several years motivation level. They’re excited to help keep the program going, in- about learning.” cluding a $21.6 million package in After 20 years of teaching middle November — the largest in the dis- school English and history, Wiltrict’s history. liams now splits her days between Sixth-grade students are allowed Wells Middle School and Catoosa to use their computers only at High School. Since she stepped out

ABOUT CATOOSA Population: 7,151, 56th-largest in

Oklahoma

BY LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON

Median income: $51,883 Median home price: $112,695 Contact information: 918-2660800, cityofcatoosa.org Fast facts: The name of the city

World Correspondent

Catoosa

★

Seventh-grade geography students in Larry Schultz’s class work with their school-issued MacBook computers at Wells Middle School in Catoosa.

MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

of the classroom and into an administrative role with the program, she has become more comfortable with technology.

“It was a huge challenge at first,” Williams said. “I was scared to death. It was frightening for a lot of our veteran teachers, as well, who had been teaching for 20 or 30 years. There were a lot of baby steps at first and a lot of collaboration in order to make this work.”

In addition to new technology in the schools, Catoosa’s crime rate is relatively low. The city had just 27.51 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2012, compared to 62.06 in Tulsa, according to the Oklahoma State

Bureau of Investigation.

With the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa located in Catoosa, the city has become a destination for many shows at The Joint concert venue in the complex, along with a golf course at the resort and several restaurants nearby.

The city also is home to an iconic attraction on Route 66 — the Blue Whale. Built in 1972 by Hugh S. Davis as an anniversary gift for his wife, Zelta — a collector of whale figurines — the Blue Whale is located on the northeast side of Catoosa.

It is open daily to the public from dawn to dusk.

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

is derived from the Cherokee language, phonetically pronounced “Ga-du-si” or “Gatu-si.” Various interpretations of the word exist, including: “between two hills,” “on the hill,” “into the hills” and possibly signifying a prominent hill or place thereon. The town was established following the opening of a post office in 1883.

Well-known resident: Nineteenth-century outlaw Bluford “Blue” Duck, the inspiration for a character of the same name in Larry McMurtry’s novel “Lonesome Dove,” briefly lived in Catoosa and is buried in the Dick Duck cemetery near 193rd East Avenue and Pine Street.

Shopping: Construction is underway on the Catoosa Hills shopping center, located off of I-44 and 193rd East Avenue.

CATOOSAWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Catoosa Read more Catoosa news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

catoosaworld.com

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 33

BROKEN ARROW

Rose District Drawing Region’s Residents to Downtown B.A.

Broken Arrow has invested $4 million into a recently completed redesign of Main Street in the Rose District. The street has been reduced from four lanes to two with a center turn lane to slow down traffic. Sidewalks also have been widened, light fixtures added and planters installed to beautify the area and make it more pedestrian friendly for shoppers and diners.

T

he newest sweet spot for food, fun and entertainment in the greater Tulsa area can be found right in the heart of Broken Arrow.

It’s called “the Rose District,” and whether you’re a longtime resident of the area or a newcomer, you might be surprised by all that’s happening along Main Street in Oklahoma’s fourth largest city.

Broken Arrow has more than doubled in population since the 1980s and is now home to more than 100,000 residents. The redevelopment of the downtown area is so new that unless area residents have stopped to smell the roses in this new dis-

trict, they can’t imagine what it now offers.

Lisa Frein was hired in 2012 by the Broken Arrow Economic Development Corp. as director of downtown development.

She was tasked with developing a marketing plan for the newly named district to attract new customers and visitors. In the 18 months she has been on board, she has seen the Rose District’s business occupancy rate increase from 70 to 90-plus percent.

Tax revenue in the downtown district grew 33 percent from 2012 to 2013, she said.

Broken Arrow city officials and community leaders traveled out of state several years ago to see how other cities were de-

veloping their downtowns, Frein explained.

They came back to Broken Arrow armed with ideas and began strategizing a plan.

“Ideally downtown would have grown organically,” Frein says, “but it wasn’t happening fast enough.”

City leaders started by giving the Rose District special zoning that caters to events and it paid off. “It’s really event friendly,” Frein says.

They backed up that commitment by investing $4 million into a redesign of Main Street that reduced it from four lanes to two lanes with a center turn lane to slow down traffic. Sidewalks were widened, light fixtures were added and self-watering planters took root along the route.

The city also added mid-block crossings so pedestrians don’t have to walk to a street corner to cross Main Street and go in and out of an eclectic mix of specialty stores, restaurants and service shops. The list includes a Belgian chocolatier, an Irish bookstore and cafe, a frame shop that hosts art shows, a ball gown boutique and a bicycle store. “A lot of them are mom-and-pop shops, locally owned, unique businesses — no chains,” Frein says.

All this development has created the types of events it was designed to inspire.

Just ask Lori Hill, tourism director for the Broken Arrow Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Broken Arrow has so many exciting things going on,” she says. “The Rose District is well on its way to becoming a destination location.”

The Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center now hosts a full schedule of world-class entertainment. The most recent example is actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth, a Broken Arrow native who will return home to the PAC to perform March 13.

Here’s a sampling of other events scheduled in the Rose District: • ShamROCK the Rose — an outdoor

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Rose District

North Main Street, between Greeley and Houston streets Broken Arrow, Okla. 74012 918-251-1518 rosedistrict.com

street party March 15 with live music and food truck vendors • Chalk It Up! — professional and amateur artists compete to create works of chalk art on sections of the street during the first weekend in June • Grilles and Grills — a classic car show and outdoor barbecue event Oct. 11.

All of this fun is even attracting new residential development downtown. District @ 222 is a four-story mix of retail shops with upscale apartments above. Construction will begin in June with an opening slated in 2015. Another mixed-use development also has been announced, anchored by In the Raw Sushi restaurant.

IN THURSDAY, MARCH 13 An Evening with KristinChenoweth at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center SATURDAY, MARCH 15 ShamROCK the Rose District THURSDAY, APRIL 3 Open Late Till 8 TUESDAY, APRIL 22 Memphis at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center

for event details and a complete calendar, visit

rosedistrict.com

RoseDistrictAd25Feb_10.875x8.75.indd 2

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

2/24/14 1:09 PM

OL 34

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

JENKS

Jenks’ downtown sees revitalization • The district is boosted by nearby growth, and the city is also planning a space for the arts.

the Oklahoma Aquarium, one of the busiest tourist attractions in the area.

Opened on May 28, 2003, the aquarium draws nearly a half million visitors a year, including thousands of school children. Its exhibits include the Ray & Robin Siegfried

BY MICHAEL OVERALL Families Shark Adventure, featuring World Staff Writer a walk-through tunnel with sharks swimming overhead, and the Hayes JENKS — Empty storefronts still Family Ozark Stream with playful dotted Main Street four years ago river otters. when Sherry Bonner opened The Low crime rates make Jenks an Pink Lily. attractive place to Now Main Street shop. The city had doesn’t have a single just 17.81 crimes vacancy. per 1,000 residents It’s a mark of in 2012, compared downtown’s conto 62.06 in Tulsa tinuing revitalizaand 30.26 in nearby TULSA tion, but also the Glenpool, accordfruit of a certain ating to the Oklahotitude in Jenks, she ma State Bureau of said.

Investigation.

“We know how Meanwhile, Jento communicate,” ks Public Schools said Bonner, the remain a key attracchairwoman of the tion for homeownDowntown Jenks Merchants As- ers and investors alike. sociation. “We work together to get No school in the district scored things done.” lower than a “B” on last year’s state With broad sidewalks lined with report card. And Jenks High School antique shops and coffee bars, earned a coveted A-plus. downtown gives Jenks an old-fashVoters recently approved a $12.8 ioned charm. million bond issue to renovate the Other than, perhaps, Tulsa itself, Jenks East Elementary School kitchno community in the area has done en, resurface the high school track, more to promote and reinvigorate complete the second phase of the its downtown, Bonner said.

Rock Gym preservation project and To build on the already-thriving upgrade transportation facilities. antiques market, Jenks is planning The money will also help puran “arts incubator” near First and chase safety equipment, technology Main streets to provide galleries and and textbooks. studio space for local talents.

Strong schools attract homeown“Antiques and art just go togeth- ers. And homeowners are drawing er,” Bonner said. “It’s a natural next investment to downtown, where step for downtown’s growth.”

Bonner expects redevelopment to The shopping district leads to the keep spreading. growing mixed-used development at “We don’t see it as more compethe Village on Main, near the popu- tition,” she said. “I see it as more lar RiverWalk shopping center and reasons for people to come to Jenks,

Jenks

★

With broad sidewalks lined with antique shops and coffee bars, downtown gives Jenks an old-fashioned charm. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

ABOUT JENKS Population: 17,235, 28th-largest in

Oklahoma.

Median income: $66,031 Median home price: $175,168 Contact information: City Hall, 211 N. Elm St., 918-299-5883

Fast fact: Jenks was ranked No. 43

in the August 2007 issue of Money Magazine’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S.” The magazine focused on cities with a population of 50,000 or less that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community.

Landmark: Opened in 2003, the Oklahoma Aquarium attracts nearly half a million tourists a year.

Well-known residents: Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry graduated from Jenks High School in 2001, and the Trojans have contributed players to at least 17 different NFL teams.

JENKS-WORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Jenks Read more Jenks news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

jenks-world.com

and that means more business for everybody.”

Michael Overall 918-581-8383 michael.overall@tulsaworld.com

GLENPOOL

Youthful population spurs Glenpool • First-class schools draw families, who in turn exhibit their support as voters.

ABOUT GLENPOOL Population: 12,301, 40th-largest in Oklahoma Median income: $61,436 Median home price: $128,000 Contact information: 918-322-5409, Glenpoolonline.com Fast fact: The median age in Glenpool is 32.5. The city has

BY BRITT GREENWOOD

many young families and one of the youngest median ages in the area. For comparison, the median age in Tulsa is 37.

Well-known resident: Courtney Tennial, wrestling and football champion and inductee into the Glenpool Athletic Hall of Fame.

Shopping: About 160 retail establishments are located in the city, including a rustic furniture store and a motorcycle apparel shop.

World Correspondent

GLENPOOL — Glenpool is not only a growing community, but a community with accessibility.

Bisected by U.S. 75 and about 14 miles south of downtown Tulsa, the city is 15 minutes or less from the Creek Turnpike, Interstate 44, Tulsa, Jenks, Sapulpa and Bixby.

“We moved to Glenpool for smaller schools and a more community feel. We stayed because of the growth that’s been going on and really like the school system — good size, good quality — they (students) are able to thrive in it,” said Brent Barnes, who’s lived in Glenpool with his wife and three daughters for 17 years.

The high school boasts a zero percent dropout rate in the past three years, and many have graduated with college credit through a partnership with Tulsa Community College, school officials said.

“Each year about 25 percent of our seniors graduate with college credit, many with as much as 24 hours.

The last three senior classes have had a college participation/attendance rate of nearly 85 percent,” said Assistant Superintendent Jerry Olansen.

GLENPOOLWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Glenpool

Junior Ashlea Pulley completes an Internet scavenger hunt using a school-issued iPad during a U.S. history class at Glenpool High School. The school purchased iPads and Apple TVs instead of standard textbooks and incorporated them into classrooms, allowing easier customizing of courses and study. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

TULSA

Glenpool

★

Voter passage of bond issues has meant investment in the growing school system.

In 2010, a $25 million bond issue paid for new classes, labs, a street and a student center. Athletic improvements backed by bonds created new baseball and soft-

ball fields, an indoor practice facility, and a new middle school gym.

A $1 million technology bond in 2013 transitioned Glenpool Public Schools into a safer campus with new security cameras and secured entrances to the middle and high schools. Additional upgrades included Wi-Fi and other technology.

“We are very proud of the improvements we have made to our facilities at all sites,” Olansen said. “We appreciate the support we receive from our voters in the community.”

Courtney Tennial is a 2003 graduate who just returned to Glenpool in January to work as a special education

teacher. He was one of two inductees into the new Glenpool Athletic Hall of Fame last fall and attended the University of Tulsa on a football scholarship.

“I love it here,” he said.

“I grew up here. I started in kindergarten and finished 12th grade. It has always been a place I come back to.”

Glenpool has six parks, including the largest, Black and Gold Park, a local hangout for teens who take advantage of the skate park.

During warmer months, the splash pad buzzes with kids attempting to keep cool. A pavilion and gazebos make the park ideal for family gatherings and children’s birthday parties,

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

Read more Glenpool news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

glenpoolworld.com while groomed horseshoe pits, a walking trail and soccer fields also attract visitors.

Residents can also take part in activities at the South County Recreational Center or the Glenpool Library, both run by Tulsa County Parks Authority.

New municipal buildings and the Glenpool Conference Center, which houses City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce, have been constructed in the past five years.

The Conference Center, 12205 S. Yukon Ave., brings events such as the Greater Tulsa Indian Arts Festival and the Just Between Friends consignment sale. It has been a top venue rental for weddings, banquets,

conferences and even hosts a satellite campus of one of the state’s largest churches, Church on the Move.

Housing options for Glenpool also are on the rise.

Susan Tracey and her husband live with their two young sons in The Crossing.

“We liked the houses. They were in our price range. I like the small-town feel of Glenpool. Well, smaller than Tulsa anyway.”

The family regularly walks to the schools, football field and downtown businesses.

Apartment choices are growing as well, with a new 348-unit complex that broke ground mid-February in the Southwest Crossroads development.

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 35

JENKS

Hyde Out in New Home if You’re 55 or Older T

ulsa has an indescribable new option for empty-nesters age 55 and older who want to rethink their lifestyle and their living quarters. It’s called Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills.

This gated community of single-family homes off Highway 75 and 81st Street offers the finest amenities in new home construction utilizing smart designs and lux finishes. What really sets it apart, though, is the neighborhood’s $2 million exclusive clubhouse, called the “Hyde Out.” Residents can hang out at the Hyde Out to socialize with other residents and guests, exercise, eat catered meals, read books, swim, compete in pickleball or billiards, browse the internet, grill outdoors, dance, watch movies on one of six satellite TV screens, putt golf balls, sip beverages, participate in card games, enjoy sitting by the fireplace, play tennis or indulge in a host of other activities.

“Tulsa doesn’t have anything like it,” says Lee Ann Dixon of Keller Williams Realty Preferred. “It’s not assisted living. It’s fully Courtesy photos independent living for people who no lonThis $2 million exclusive clubhouse, called the “Hyde Out,” is what sets apart ger have children living at home who want Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills, offering amenities for an active lifestyle for those age 55 to play more and maintain less.”

“Everyone who has visited the commu- and older. Houses in the neighborhood range from 1,450 square feet to 3,000-plus. nity says that it far exceeds their expectations,” adds Danette Johnson, another agent for Keller Williams Realty Preferred.

“It is an added bonus when they discover that they no longer have to maintain their lawns and landscaping!”

Communities like this are popular in Texas, Florida and Arizona, Dixon adds, but “people living here like to stay in Tulsa.

They don’t want to move somewhere else.

In fact, many of our residents have moved to Tulsa to be closer to their families.”

Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills offers them a solution, and it doesn’t mean waiting until vacation or retirement to enjoy this kind of living. “This redefines how baby boomers are choosing to live,” Dixon says.

The Hyde Out, for example, features a conference room where residents can meet The Hyde Out includes two indoor pickleball courts. The sport combines the with clients or host a board meeting.

“Homeowners can let go of the excess best of tennis, ping pong and badminton.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Hyde Park at Tulsa HIlls 81st Street and Highway 75 Tulsa, Okla. 74132 918-899-6512 hydeparkattulsahills.com

space of their previous home as the Hyde Out is now an extension of their new home,” Johnson says.

The Hyde Out features a dance studio where group pilates is offered. Or, if you prefer, bring your own DVD and dance or exercise to whatever music you like – alone or with friends. Next door is an exercise room overlooking an outdoor swimming pool, putting green and tennis court.

Down the hall is a library with a fireplace. Shelves are stocked with books, and the tables are ready for a game of Mahjong or cards between friends. A separate room is reserved for billiards and shuffleboard.

A commercial kitchen is located off a dining room that features five circular tables and a beverage service area.

“The room is set up so catered dinners can be served or residents can host gatherings,” Dixon says. The dining room also can be reserved by a resident who wants to cook for a large family.

One of Dixon’s and Johnson’s favorite amenities is the indoor pickleball court.

Pickleball is a hybrid of tennis, ping pong and badminton. The court is one-third the size of a regular tennis court, and players use paddles instead of racquets to hit something similar to a whiffleball.

Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills has 165 lots, and 32 have sold so far. Houses range from 1,450 square feet to over 3,000. Current residents range in age from 54 to 89.

“Many of our residents are moving in from the lake because it offers the same festive community without the upkeep,” Dixon says. “While others are giving up their big home in town so they can spend more time at the lake. Either way, it is freeing up people’s lives.”

The lifestyle you love.

Easier.

Lee Ann Dixon 918-857-3331

Danette Johnson 918-269-7496

KW Realty Preferred REALTOR®

H

yde Park at Tulsa Hills is Tulsa’s premier 55+ Active Adult Community. Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills specifically designed for those who want to reduce the size and maintenance of their larger homes and yards. These smaller homes boast all the desired amenities and high energy standards, while increasing functionality.

This gated neighborhood of single family homes offers residents exclusive access to an impressive $2 million clubhouse, featuring: a billiards room, library, card room, dance studio, exercise room, coffee bar, kitchen, dining room, pickleball courts, outdoor pool, lighted tennis court, and putting green.

Located just east of Highway 75, south of 81st on Maybelle Avenue, Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills is convenient to the booming Tulsa Hills shopping area, restaurants, golf courses and hospitals.

Come by Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills and see our model homes and tour the clubhouse.

We are open every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 1–4 or call for a private appointment.

For more photos/videos and information visit us at HydeParkatTulsaHills.com 918-899-6512

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

OL 36

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

CLAREMORE

Will Rogers connects past, future • The town along Route 66 is growing with a variety of cultural and recreational offerings.

ABOUT CLAREMORE Population: 18,867, 25th-largest in

Oklahoma

Median income: $40,432 Median home price: $112,300 Contact information: City Hall, 918341-1325, claremorecity.com.

Fast fact: A destination on Route

BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

CLAREMORE — At the top of a hill lies a tribute to a mountain of a man.

The Will Rogers Memorial Museum, which was dedicated in 1938, pays homage to Oklahoma’s favorite son.

It also is a reminder of what the city has to offer in terms of history and culture.

“It’s perhaps one of the largest museums dedicated to one man who’s not a politician or a military figure,” Museum Director Steve Gragert said.

Rogers was a movie star, humorist, radio commentator and author.

At the time of his death in a 1935 plane crash, he was the nation’s The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore was dedicated in 1938. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World top male box-office attraction, No. 1 newspaper columnist and top-rated 13,000 firearms. livestock auctions and equestrian nity organizations to add amenities. radio commentator.

The collection events.

In terms of education, the muHis museum also includes beer Exercise junkies can pump iron, nicipality Claremore has two pubcomprises about steins, swords, swim and play basketball, tennis lic school districts: Claremore and 30,000 square feet knives, household and racquetball at the Super Recre- Sequoyah. Northeast Technology and lures up to antiques, boot- ation Center, one of the larger such Center also has a campus in the TULSA 35,000 visitors a jacks, local cattle facilities in the area. It recently city. year. brands and animal underwent $100,000 in improveRogers State University is the “The size of it horns. ments, City Manager Jim Thomas only public four-year university is something that The Robson Per- said. based in the Tulsa area. astonishes most forming Arts CenAs for outdoor activities, options In 2009, it opened a $13 million people,” Gragert ter, which opened abound.

Centennial Center, a two-level, said. “But the qualin 2006, is owned The city has a skate park, as well 50,000 square-foot facility that ity of it is also stays and operated by as a recently completed splash combines several student programs with them. They feel it is a special Claremore Public Schools. Each pad. under the roof and is a place for place.” year, the center plays host to a seAs part of the city’s Parks and students to study and socialize.

Claremore is fortunate to boast a ries of local dramatic productions.

Recreation Master Plan, it is makTwo years ago, RSU’s athletics number of special places.

The Claremore Expo Center is ing upgrades at a number of parks, department completed the largest The J.M. Davis Arms & Histori- a venue for a variety of events, in- including Will Rogers Park, where facilities enhancement initiative in cal Museum is home to more than cluding trade shows, tractor pulls, it is partnering with other commu- school history, investing $4 million

Claremore ★

66, the Mother Road, the city offers a variety of musical, cultural and recreational options, including the Will Rogers Memorial Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum.

Well-known resident: J.M. Davis, namesake of the gun and historical museum in town, began his famous collection at the Mason Hotel about 100 years ago.

Shopping: More than 30 businesses are in the Ne-Mar Center, which has been around since 1967. Many of the locally owned shops are in downtown, with a number of national chains located along Oklahoma 66.

CLAREMOREWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Claremore Read more Claremore news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

claremoreworld.com in construction for baseball, softball, soccer and cross country.

Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395 rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com

OWASSO

Owasso’s schools, retail spur growth • A variety of shopping options and the city’s commitment to its schools attract families.

ABOUT OWASSO Population: 18,867, 13th-largest in

Oklahoma

Median income: $66,074 Median home price: $149,900 Contact information: City Hall, 918376-1500, cityofowasso.com Fast facts: Just east of Owasso in

BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

OWASSO — In the past few decades, Owasso has gone from sleepy suburb to family destination.

Bronce Stephenson said the reasons are ample.

“A lot of what attracts people to Owasso is the quality of our schools,” said Stephenson, the city’s director of community development. “That has led to more rooftops. Rooftops bring the retail, and they feed off each other.

“You throw in the fact that there is a whole lot to do, and we have a great geographical location.

We’re blessed in a lot of ways.”

Topped by Smith Farm Marketplace, the community sports a variety of retail shopping options.

It also boasts a pair of hospitals and a pair of 18hole golf courses, the public Bailey Ranch Golf Club and the private PaTULSA triot Golf Club.

Since 2006, voters have passed more than $109 million in bond propositions for Owasso Public Schools. The city poured about $250,000 into renovating its skate park in September 2012.

In August, roughly a $38.5 million branch of the Tulsa Technology Center opened in the city.

And later this month, Rejoice Christian Schools is scheduled to break ground on a new $50 million campus.

To keep pace with its growth, municipal leaders are concentrating on Owasso’s transportation and land-use master plans, Stephenson said.

“We’re using all these to show us where we need to go and how to get there,” he said.

Owasso recognizes the desire for “more trails and bigger and better parks,” Stephenson said.

Owasso

★

Olivia Brumbaugh, 2, feeds ducks with her mom, Jonna Brumbaugh, at Centennial Park in Owasso.

MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

But he realizes reaching those goals will take time.

“There are some things that need to be upgraded. We want to have equity across our park system and across the geography of our city.

“But we also have the need for roads and police cars. The things that make this community great — our infrastructure, public safety — are going to take precedent.”

Owasso remains a city of doers.

In November, the city’s Strong Neighborhood Initiative received special recognition from the Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Environmental Excellence Awards Competition.

The Owasso Strong Neighborhood program Owasso CARES, developed several years ago, was awarded the Great American Cleanup Innovation Award presented by OG&E. Directed by Jerry Fowler and led by a committee of volunteers, the program is designed to

bring residents, volunteers and city staff members together in a private-public partnership to make a positive impact in Owasso.

Another municipal success has been The Gathering on Main, a seasonal, monthly street festival inspired by a group of small-business owners.

It features farmers markets, vendors, food trucks, entertainment and artisans. The first event, held in August, drew about 5,000 people.

Inactive over the winter, it plans to restart in April, Stephenson said.

“It’s really a place for people to showcase who they are and what they can do,” he said. “It’s fantastic to be able to come down, eat dinner, be entertained and able to walk around in the community. We have absolutely loved it.”

Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395 rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

Rogers County is Stone Canyon, which, at more than 3,000 acres, is among the region’s largest developments. Owasso Public Schools’ baseball and band programs typically rank among the best in the nation.

Well-known resident: Country music superstar Garth Brooks lives on a ranch east of the city.

Shopping: The city offers a variety of shopping and eating choices for a community its size, with people congregating at Smith Farm Marketplace, Owasso Market and Tyann Plaza. More than 4 million square feet of commercial development has been created in the past 10 years, including the $55 million Smith Farm Marketplace, which opened in the fall of 2005. About two-thirds of every dollar spent in the city comes from nonresidents.

OWASSOWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Owasso Read more Owasso news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

owassoworld.com

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

n

n

OL 37

SAND SPRINGS

Sand Springs takes pride in its parks • Whether it’s hiking trails or sports facilities, the community and city officials are supportive.

ABOUT SAND SPRINGS Population: 19,101, 24th-largest in

Oklahoma

Median income: $52,867 Median home price: $117,400 Contact information: 918-2462500; sandspringsok.org Fast fact: This will be the 25th

BY SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

SAND SPRINGS — The parks system here has added a lot of features in the past 10 years, but the director of the department says he’s just getting started.

Parks and Recreation Director Grant Gerondale started in the department in November 2004. Less than a year after that, voters passed a $4 million bond issue to build the 26,000-squarefoot Case Community Center, which now has 8,000 members and activities for residents of all ages nearly every day.

“I think it’s been nothing short of a game changer for quality of life here,” Gerondale said.

The department raised about $700,000 additionally for public art, scoreboards, bleachers and a generator that allows the center to be a certified emergency shelter, he said.

In October 2007, the city opened the Keystone AnTULSA cient Forest in the 1,360-acre Cross Timbers Forest with multiple hiking trails of varying difficulty.

It was open for hikers occasionally, attracting a handful at a time. Now it’s open nearly every weekend, and during a recent hike officials stopped counting at about 200 participants, Gerondale said.

“We’re proud about that,” he said. “That was significant.”

A couple of years later, the city got a challenge with an anonymous $50,000 gift attached to build a skate park. The small but award-winning custom facility was open by Christmas 2010.

Another huge moment for the department came in November, when voters passed a $2.3

Sand Springs

★

Sand Springs player Gabe Harju drives past a Wagoner defender during a youth basketball game at the Case Community Center in Sand Springs. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

million bond issue for the parks system. Part of that will be spent on the Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum, which is in a 1920s Art Deco building on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It needs a little face-lift,” Gerondale said.

Some of the money will go toward improvements to the golf course as well as a new parking lot at the Keystone Ancient Forest and two new concessions at River City Park.

River City Park will also be the home of one of two splash pads planned for the city.

“River City Park is getting some much-needed TLC,” Gerondale said.

The other splash pad will be in the southern part of the city, along with a new playground.

Gerondale expects work on those to start next fall so they’ll be up and running by spring 2015.

“We feel pretty pleased that we’re already

moving on it,” he said. “I personally made some calls the day after it passed.”

Mayor Mike Burdge said parks are important to economic development because they attract the workforce necessary to bring in businesses.

“The trail system and parks have never been as important as they are now,” he said.

He would like to see more trails in the parks and connecting the parks as well as some new shelters, and more facilities for tennis and disc golf.

Gerondale said parks are vital to communities because they create a sense of place and an outlet for residents to get outside and get moving.

“People simply need to get out … and move around,” he said.

Shannon Muchmore 918-581-8378

year for the annual Sand Springs Herbal Affair and Festival. Set up in the heart of downtown, the festival features herbs and plants for sale along with herbal products, gardening supplies, art and a variety of food types. This year’s festival will be April 26.

Well-known resident: Sand Springs’ most well-known resident is founder Charles Page, an oilman and philanthropist who purchased land in 1908 to build the planned community that was incorporated in 1912. The main street and a local high school are named after Page, who died in 1926.

Shopping: Sand Springs offers a variety of local shops in its downtown area. Downtown also features dining and a variety of cultural events to attract residents and visitors.

SANDSPRINGSWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Sand Springs Read more Sand Springs news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

sandspringsworld.com

shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com

SAPULPA

Close-in Sapulpa has small-town feel • The short commute to Tulsa makes the community attractive, as does its historic downtown.

ABOUT SAPULPA Population: 20,793, 21st-largest in

Oklahoma

Median income: $40,125 Median home price: $102,200 Contact information: City Hall, 425

BY TERI BOWERS

World Correspondent

SAPULPA — Defining quality of life in a community can depend a lot on perspective. For a young family, the definition might start with good schools and safe neighborhoods. Working professionals may put a short commute on the list.

Sapulpa leaders say their city covers all the bases and also provides the intangible assets of community and history.

“To me, it’s the people that make it such a special place to live,” said lifelong Sapulpan Collette Beil. “Sapulpa is close enough to the city of Tulsa but at the same time has the benefits of smalltown living.”

Sapulpa is well-connected TULSA to Tulsa with five four-lane highway options and a 15-minute commute to downtown.

Travel time was a big factor in Mark Douglas’ decision to relocate from Broken Arrow to Sapulpa last year.

“Now I don’t have to drive the Broken Arrow Expressway and I-44 twice a day,” Douglas said.

The move put him closer to his job at Asphalt & Fuel Transport in Sapulpa, but there was another draw.

“The houses aren’t sitting on top of each other; you can’t put your arm out your window to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor — you actually have to walk over there,” Douglas said.

Douglas bought a home in an established neighborhood, but three new housing additions are dotted with construction in varied price ranges.

Sapulpa has a strategic focus on old along with new. It became an official Main Street com-

Sapulpa

★

E. Dewey Ave., 918-224-3040,

cityofsapulpa.net Fast facts: Its location just south-

Pepper Watashe, 8, watches as her father, Curtis Watashe, buckles her brother, Crew, 5, into his car seat at their Sapulpa home before school. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

munity in 1990 and has poured $15.5 million into downtown preservation. The buildings are more than 90 percent historically correct while also housing unique shopping and moderately priced senior housing. Adding to the nostalgia, Route 66 runs through downtown, making it a picturesque backdrop for events and a draw for both tourists and residents.

“There’s a part of us that wants that back, and there are so many communities that no longer have it — they tore them down,” said Suzanne Shirey, president of the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce.

Beil has a dual role in preserving Sapulpa. She is the vice president of Sapulpa Mainstreet and the executive director of Show Inc. The nonprofit provides employment opportunities to people with developmental disabilities, with a focus on beautifying the community.

“It’s a win-win approach, bettering the lives of people and the environment,” Beil said. “We

offer the city curbside, commercial and drop-off recycling, and our crews maintain the downtown and county areas and the trails and roads leading into Sapulpa, all to make Sapulpa a cleaner and safer place to live.”

Sapulpa can also be an active place to live for all ages, with three golf courses, two public and one private; two lakes, including trout fishing; a new aquatic center; and a large central park.

Curtis and Amy Watashe have two older children — a senior and a recent graduate of Sapulpa High School. They also have two younger kids — 8-year-old third-grader Pepper and Crew, who is 5 and in pre-K at Lone Star Elementary, so they have a wide range of experience raising kids in Sapulpa.

“I’m from Kellyville, so this is a big town compared to it, but it has the small-town community feel — it’s tight knit, even though it’s a bigger community,” said Curtis Watashe. “It’s got everything you need here for your family.”

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

west of Tulsa, with access to five highways, makes it one of the shortest suburban commutes to downtown and central Tulsa.

Centrally located Liberty Park is 17 acres of mixed recreation, including the Sapulpa Family Aquatic Center.

Well-known resident: It wasn’t a long stint, but the singing cowboy Gene Autry worked as a telegraph operator in Sapulpa for the Frisco Railroad in the late 1920s.

Shopping: There are 1,115 retailers in the city including convenient big-box and grocery stores. The historic downtown district offers boutiques, restaurants and services, and draws domestic and international tourists for its location on Route 66.

SAPULPAWORLD.COM

Check out our new community page for Sapulpa Read more Sapulpa news from our staff and correspondents, and submit your own news releases, calendar items and photos. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Take a moment and share your stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood, your school or your work. It’s free.

sapulpaworld.com

OL 38

n

n

OUTLOOK 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

OPENING FALL 2014

A history of serving generations past; a future of serving those yet to be born.

For generations, Saint Francis has been the hospital of tomorrow—anticipating and meeting the healthcare needs of the region it proudly serves. This legacy of leadership continues today as Saint Francis prepares to open its Trauma Emergency Center and patient tower in fall 2014. This new facility will house an 85-bed trauma center and emergency room as well as 150 patient rooms.

This expansion, the largest in the hospital’s 54-year history, represents Saint Francis’ commitment to serving the residents of Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma for generations to come. Saint Francis’ vision for the future is based on the same mission that it was founded upon—to extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ.

saintfrancis.com Saint Francis Health System | 918-494-2200