Oklahoma State Chamber Welcomes New Board Members
Since its Annual Meeting in June, the State Chamber
has added some new members to its Board of Directors. The board sets policies
and issue positions through its committees and also chooses its leadership.
“We are very happy that these members with diverse
backgrounds and areas of expertise have taken the extra step to being
involved,” said State Chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan. “We look forward
to working together on an aggressive agenda for next year’s legislative session
that will continue to move Oklahoma’s
economy forward.”
The new Board members, along with their companies and
location are:
- Joni Brooks, President & Publisher, The Journal Record (OKC) - replaces Mary Mélon
- Denise Johnson, President & CEO, Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (OKC)
- LouAnn Smith, Business Development Officer, Nabholz Construction Services (Tulsa) - replaces Chris Burnett
- Phillip Teel, Manager, Clean Line Energy Partners, (OKC)
- Mike Terry, President, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OKC)
- Rickey Truelove, Market Unit Vice President, Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Co., (OKC) - replaces Jim Marvel
Source: okchamber.com
Chamber future:
Livable Tulsa:
Competition for young professionals is intense
Talk to an out-of-state young professional or recent
college graduate about where they want to live and work, and chances are Tulsa, like other Great Plains
cities, won’t enter the discussion.
Tulsa, located in a landlocked state,
doesn’t boast proximity to an ocean like Portland,
Oregon, feature scenic mountain ranges like Denver or use a strong
public transportation system like the Northeast corridor. But what young
professionals — often defined as 20-to 39-year-olds — say Tulsa does have that
sets it apart from more “popular” locales: A strong spirit of entrepreneurship,
a high level of community engagement, lower rates of unemployment and, perhaps
most importantly, affordability. Read more: Tulsa
World
Enid Oklahoma
Chamber collaboration: Participation is encouraged in regional consensus
concept
Change is a constant of the universe.
In the northwest part of our state, one organization
is dedicated to creating an opportunity for constructive change. The Northwest
Oklahoma Alliance works to coordinate develop and promote our regional
resources. NWOA is looking for visionary business and community leaders in Enid, Kingfisher, Guymon, Alva, Woodward and Fairview.
NWOA focuses on four industry sectors:
Agriculture/Tourism, Business/Industry, Education/Health
Care and Transportation/Utilities. Northwest Oklahoma
faces its share of challenges. Out-migration, a below-average wage base and an
overqualified workforce are three obstacles impeding our region's future
economic development.A listening tour discussing key legislative principles is
slated for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, in the Nick Benson Memorial
Ballroom in Enid Convention Hall,
301 S. Independence. Co-chairs of the meeting are Brent Kisling, executive
director at Enid Regional Development Alliance, and Jon Blankenship, president
of the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce. Read more: EnidNews.com
Chamber Meeting: OKC Schools Superintendent Challenges Business
Leaders To Step UpThe Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce hosted its State of the Schools today, where Neu spoke candidly about the need to improve schools. And business leaders were listening.
“It's the last critical step for our city to be the best place for us to live and for our children to stay, to hire as business. So for businesses to be successful, we really and truly need businesses to step up and support our education reform now,” said Teresa Rose with the OKC Chamber of Commerce. Read more: News9.com
Chamber of Commerce speaker believes Sallisaw is on right track
From international offices to small business services, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC) works in many ways to develop business and industry in Oklahoma. Darla Heller, ODOC regional development specialist, spoke to about 50 people during the monthly Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce meeting at noon Wednesday. The meeting was held on the campus of the Indian Capital Technology Center (ICTC) and Heller spoke for about 20 minutes. Read more: Sequoyah County TimesU.S. Chamber affordability ranking: Students from around the world study in Oklahoma
Officials with Oklahoma
State University
and the University
of Oklahoma expect each
campus will have about 2,000 students from other countries for the fall semester.
A growing number of international students who arrived on the East and West Coasts
are making their way inland to study in Oklahoma.
Officials with Oklahoma State University
and the University
of Oklahoma expect each
campus will have about 2,000 students from other countries for the fall
semester, which begins Monday.
Cost is a big factor, said Tim Huff,
manager of international students and scholars at OSU.
“We’re extremely competitive,” Huff
said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranks Oklahoma
higher education No. 7 in affordability. Read more: NewsOK.com
Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly
New Idea: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead - by Sheryl Sandberg,
CEO Facebook
Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the
college graduates in the United
States, men still hold the vast majority of
leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices
are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why
women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root
causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to
achieve their full potential.
Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook
and is ranked on Fortune’s list
of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the
World. In 2010, she gave an electrifying TEDTalk in which she described how
women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which became a phenomenon and has been
viewed more than two million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,”
seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.
In Lean In,
Sandberg digs deeper into these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard
data, and compelling research to cut through the layers of ambiguity and bias
surrounding the lives and choices of working women. She recounts her own
decisions, mistakes, and daily struggles to make the right choices for herself,
her career, and her family. She provides practical advice on negotiation
techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career, urging women to set boundaries
and to abandon the myth of “having it all.” She describes specific steps
women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment
and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and
at home.
Written with both humor and wisdom, Sandberg’s book is an inspiring call to
action and a blueprint for individual growth. Lean
In is destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do
to what they can.
Chickasha Chamber State of Education breakfast discusses visions for future
Visionaries in the local education and business
worlds met for breakfast on Monday morning to discuss education in Oklahoma.
The Chickasha Chamber of Commerce hosted a
"State of Education" breakfast a the
Canadian Valley Technology
Center. The speakers were
three leaders from the prominent schools of Chickasha:
Dr. John H. Feaver, University of Science and Art Oklahoma President,
David Cash, Superintendent of Chickasha Public Schools and Dr. Greg Z. Winters,
Superintendent of Canadian Valley Technology Center. Read more: The
Express-Star
Norman Chamber
Event: Oklahoma
needs women in leadership
Past and present elected officials set partisan
politics aside and talked about the importance of women in leadership at the
Norman Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday.
Former Lt. Governor Jari Askins, state
representatives Lee Denney and Leslie Osborn, and Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal
comprised a panel that responded to topics ranging from how they got involved
in politics and public service, to the major issues facing them today. Read
more: Norman
Transcript
Altus, Oklahoma Chamber President:
$400 million ‘retail leakage’
Approximately $400 million dollars per year is
“leaking” from local retailers and is being spent in other towns, Altus Chamber
of Commerce President Brian Bush said as the guest speaker at the Southwest
Oklahoma Republican Women meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28. That is potentially $14
million annual that could go to City services and infrastructure based on the city tax of
3.5 percent, he explained. Read more: AltusTimes.com
Tweet of the day: Retweeted by Ok State Chamber
Glad to see small businesses and Oklahoma employers are paying over 20
percent less in work comp insurance. http://bit.ly/1q8L3tT
More information: For the second straight year,
workers’ compensation loss costs used by insurers to determine rates for
employers will show an overall decrease. The National Council on Compensation
Insurance (NCCI) has filed an overall loss cost level decrease of 7.8 percent,
bringing the total two-year decrease to 22.4 percent. “This is great news for Oklahoma’s economy,”
said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “When employers pay less for
workers’ compensation insurance, they can more easily grow their business, hire
additional workers and expand local economies. I’m extremely encouraged to see
the continuation of this positive trend. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that
it all started with Oklahoma’s
push for workers’ compensation reform.” Read more: OK.gov
Norman (Oklahoma) Chamber of Commerce announces Leadership Class
Thirty Norman residents have been chosen to
participate in the Chamber’s 34th Leadership Norman class. The program is
designed to identify and motivate emerging leaders through development of their
potential for community leadership. During the next several months,
participants will attend 15 interactive sessions covering a variety of topics
including communication, education, personal leadership, quality of life
issues, city and state government, health care and economic development. Class
members will also be given the opportunity to serve area nonprofits. Read more:
Norman
Transcript
State Chamber of Oklahoma: Railroad Crossing Improvements Address Safety Concerns
Governor
Fallin, ODOT to be commended for addressing transportation needs
Today’s announcement that the Oklahoma Department of
Transportation (ODOT) will be addressing a backlog of railroad crossing
improvements around the state is welcome news to the business community. The
plan will address more than 300 crossings in the state with an infrastructure
investment of $100-million.
“For many years, Oklahoma faced a mountain of deficient
bridges and dangerous rail crossings,” said State Chamber of Oklahoma President
and CEO Fred Morgan. “Governor Fallin and Department of Transportation
officials are to be commended for their work in addressing both of these areas
to the benefit of all Oklahomans.” Read more: State
Chamber of Oklahoma
Chamber business:
Goldman Sachs is looking to help 10,000 small businesses with a $500 MILLION
investment
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is a
$500 million investment to help small businesses create jobs and economic
opportunity by providing them with greater access to business education,
financial capital, and business support services. 10,000 Small Businesses is
designed for business owners with limited resources who have a business poised
for growth. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to growing their business
and creating jobs within their community. Learn more about this program and
eligibility requirements. Further information: 10,000
Small Businesses
Famous Chamber of
Commerce Quotation (Education)
