Tinker Air Force Base is set for a $76 million communications system upgrade from Boeing Defense Space and Security. Read more | Preview

Oscar Womack writes his congressman on a regular basis, but the last few months he’s kept the mail carrier extraordinarily busy.

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When Tim Berney flies out of Oklahoma City on business, he almost always chooses direct flights.

Spending less time in airports means more time generating revenue, and those direct flights typically are to Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City and Phoenix.

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The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance will host the 11th Oklahoma Aerospace & Defense Summit & Expo June 4-6 at Embassy Suites in Norman. The focus has been expanded this year to include Oklahoma’s defense industry.
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Jim Rice started Pro-Fab Inc. in his garage back in 1986. Focusing on the fabrication of aircraft parts, the business grew until finally moving into a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility 10 years later. Read more | Preview

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber recently commissioned a two-part study to evaluate the size, composition and economic impact of the aerospace industry on the Greater Oklahoma City region. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City-based defense contract DRG has been awarded the Air Combat Command Fighter F-15C, F-15E, F-16 and F-22A Contract Aircrew Training contract with the United States Air Force. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City is set to again benefit from the closure and relocation of facilities and employees of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, a unit of the Boeing Company - to the tune of a projected 800 to 900 jobs. Read more | Preview

In this job market, things are tight, positions are few and many have decided to look for new occupations, often in a field very different from what they left by choice or due to a layoff, downsizing or firing. Fortunately, I enjoy my position at okcBIZ, , but wanted to see what else might be out there. After all, I might want to be a model some day. Read more | Preview

In this job market, things are tight, positions are few, and many have decided to look for new occupations - often in a field different from what they left by choice, or due to a layoff, downsizing or firing. Fortunately, I enjoy my position at okcBIZ, but wanted to see what else might be out there.
Read more | Preview

In this job market, things are tight, positions are few, and many have decided to look for new occupations. This often occurs in a career field quite different from what one left by choice, or due to a layoff, downsizing or firing. Fortunately, I enjoy my position at okcBIZ, but wanted to see what else might be out there. Who knows? I might want to be an architect some day. Read more | Preview

In this job market, things are tight, positions are few, and many have decided to look for new occupations, often in a field very different from what they left by choice, or due to a layoff, downsizing or firing. Fortunately, I enjoy my position at okcBIZ, but wanted to see what else might be out there. After all, I might want to be mayor some day. Read more | Preview

At a community meeting concerning the planned renovation of Taft Stadium, Gary Armbruster began by telling attendees that, despite rumors to the contrary, the historic rock wall on the 1930s stadium was not coming down. With that said, the place began to empty out. Read more | Preview

Attendees to the 12th annual American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter Architectural Tour on April 13 can look forward to seeing seven sites.

Or, in the case of one of the stops, can look down.

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Oklahoma City Urban Renewal commissioners approved an addendum to a request for proposal Jan. 16 to allow additional options for space on top of a planned parking garage Downtown. Read more | Preview

For seven local architecture firms, Nov. 2 proved lucky. From 52 entries, the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter recognized excellence at its 2012-2013 Design Excellence Awards Program, held at Red PrimeSteak. Read more | Preview

Sitting in Vast, on the 49th floor of Devon tower, it is difficult to look at anything other than the view. But those who can steal a glance from the floor-to-ceiling windows, even briefly, will notice the restaurant’s subtle design details and custom furniture meant to make it a truly unique space. Read more | Preview

Paul Coury, the Tulsa hotelier who developed the Colcord boutique hotel, is back after selling that hotel to Devon Energy. This time, he is bringing one of his Ambassador branded hotels to MidTown. Read more | Preview

The MAPS 3 Convention Center Subcommittee voted Tuesday to recommend that the company responsible for selecting the site of the $250 million building also be the one to design it. Read more | Preview

It is uncertain whether anyone will one day live or shop in a planned Downtown project, but the design of the parking aspect of the structure is well on its way. Unveiled at the Sept. 19 Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority meeting by Anthony McDermid, principal of TAP Architecture, the preliminary design included nods to the city’s historic architecture with a modern flair. Read more | Preview

For an annual statewide contest of architectural photography, the third year proved to be — as the adage goes — the charm. Read more | Preview

The recently completed SkyDance Bridge over Interstate 40 in Downtown Oklahoma City was named one of the 50 best public art projects by the 2012 Public Art Network Year in Review by Americans for the Arts. Read more | Preview

Being part Chickasaw doesn’t help John Fryrear do a better job for his clients, but it does help him relate to them better. And that’s why tribes come to him for help managing money. Read more | Preview

Your Neighborhood Bank celebrated 100 years of service in Central Oklahoma on July 12. Based in Yukon, the family-operated and family-owned bank began in 1912 with a capital stock of $25,000, survived the stock crash of 1929, the Great Depression, World War II, and the oil bust and bank failures of the 1980s.

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BancFirst Corp. reported net income of $11.7 million, or 76 cents diluted earnings per share, for the second quarter of 2012, compared to net income of $10.1 million, or 65 cents diluted earnings per share, for the second quarter of 2011. Read more | Preview

Coppermark Bank was recently named to the NW Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame at the Chamber’s annual awards banquet. Read more | Preview

For the fourth quarter of 2011, BancFirst Corporation reported net income of $11.6 million, an increase of 14.0% over the $10.2 million earned in the same period a year ago.
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Farmers Insurance was recognized at a special dinner event on December 2nd  and presented with an award for Business of the Year through the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Read more | Preview

Swipe fees”: It’s a dirty little phrase in the banking industry. Read more | Preview

MidFirst Bank reported July 25 that for the second quarter its earnings were $68.9 million. Read more | Preview

The number is an increase from the $15 million in earnings reported in the same quarter of 2009. Read more | Preview

BancFirst Corporation reported net income of $11.8 million, or $0.75 diluted earnings per share, for the third quarter of 2010. Read more | Preview

1st Place

Flintco Constructive Solutions

In a word: Safety-centered

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1st Place

Integris Health Inc.

In a word: Trusted

Read more | Preview

1st Place

Baker First Commercial Real Estate

In a word: Innovative

Read more | Preview

1st Place

Factor 110

In a word: Innovative

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1st Place

Frankfurt Short Bruza

In a word: Quality

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1st Place

Oklahoma City Zoo

In a word: Connecting

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1st Place

InterWorks Inc.

In a word: Versatile

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1st Place

PeopleSource Staffing Professionals

In a word: Ethical

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1st Place

Francis Tuttle Technology Center

In a word: Excellence

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1st Place

Travel Leaders / Bentley Hedges Travel

In a word: Dedicated

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In partnership with Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, OKHR State Council, Oklahoma Departemt of Commerce, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and The State Chamber, join okcBIZ in our annual salute to those companies demonstrating continuing excellence in the workplace. Thanks to them, business in Oklahoma is more than merely OK - it's outstanding.
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okcBIZ magazine and Best Companies Group announce the launch of the eighth annual Best Places to Work in Oklahoma program, which will identify and recognize Oklahoma's top employers. Read more | Preview

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Russell Evans

Director of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business

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G. Keith Smith
Medical Doctor
Surgery Center of Oklahoma Read more | Preview

Shane Kempton, Director of Consulting Phase 2 Interactive Read more | Preview

A local team of developers and investors is one step closer to converting a Bricktown warehouse into affordable apartments with help from funds designated to improve blighted areas. While Bricktown is hardly an area of blight, it once was; but along with Downtown, it has benefited from tax increment finance dollars. Read more | Preview

In the world of federal grant applications, progress often can be measured in months.

But the stars aligned at the end of the last fiscal year for the Norman Economic Development Coalition. And Executive Director Don Wood says his organization has an extra $2.5 million to show for it.

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St. Anthony Hospital is set to embark on two projects that will expand its MidTown Oklahoma City campus and create a new facility in Mustang. The cost of the combined projects is about $83 million. Read more | Preview

A 124-room Holiday Inn Express will replace the former Steffen’s Ice Cream building in Bricktown. Work will begin this spring, and be completed within the next 12 months. A building permit filed with the city listed the job value of the project at $18 million. Read more | Preview

As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepares to begin the 2012-2013 season, fans will have additional seating options in former press boxes at the top of the arena. Read more | Preview

If one little girl has her way, the MAPS 3 f park planned for Downtown Oklahoma City will include a castle surrounded by a moat. That, a carousel and a boardwalk along the Oklahoma River were just a few of the suggestions brought forth by members of the public who attended a Sept. 13 meeting about the park. Read more | Preview

Developer Randy Hogan returned to the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority Oct. 18 with revised plans for a building in Lower Bricktown. The original design was criticized by OCURA commissioners last month for the front of it being oriented toward a parking lot, rather than facing the Bricktown Canal, and for a narrow walkway between the proposed building and its neighbor to the east, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. Read more | Preview

After a competitive process to redevelop a city block in MidTown, developer Gary Brooks broke ground Oct. 18 at the Edge. Read more | Preview

At the September Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Meeting, developer Randy Hogan’s plans for a restaurant building along the Bricktown Canal faced opposition, and he was asked to reexamine the project. Read more | Preview

A master plan for sidewalks in the MAPS 3 program that faced tough questions by the Oklahoma City Council is being sent back to the Council for approval virtually unchanged. Read more | Preview

When it comes to retirement, there’s an idea that a comfortable easy chair parked in front of the television is the way to go. But for the baby boomers, a generation that set the bar in everything from music to race relations, retirement means something more — a lot more. Read more | Preview

With much of the metro’s business and leisure focus shifting to Downtown, restaurateurs are moving quickly to capitalize on new opportunities in the Downtown and MidTown areas. For the most part, old spaces are being re-envisioned as new concepts, but some are building on the area’s increasingly limited space. okcBIZ has compiled a smattering of offerings, some already in place, some still in the works. Read more | Preview

A side dish paired with Restaurant Round-up
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Midtown. Downtown. Bricktown. Deep Deuce. The Paseo. The Asian District.

All are recognizable sections of Oklahoma City that have had their story told, and all have a road map of where they’re going.

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The Gold Dome has served as a historic landmark for Oklahoma City residents the past 50 years, but the love affair may end soon. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City’s proposed  budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 will top $1 billion for the first time, and include funds for additional police officers and transit enhancements. Read more | Preview

In the modern business environment, chambers of commerce must do more to help their members than organize annual parades and host pancake breakfasts.

They must engage their members.

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It may be too soon to pop open the champagne and sing “Happy Days are Here Again,” but Oklahoma City’s sales tax returns have almost reached pre-recession expectations, said City Manager Jim Couch at the Oct. 2 City Council meeting. Despite that news, Couch talked about one unusual factor that led to the increase in collections this summer, and unknowns on the national level that could spell trouble for the local economy. Read more | Preview

In a monthly gross receipts report at the state capitol Sept. 6, State Treasurer Ken Miller had little good news, and some numbers he called a “head-scratcher.” Read more | Preview

Sales tax collections in Oklahoma City were up nearly 5 percent over August numbers last year, the city manager’s office reported. It is the eighth month in a row of sales tax growth. Use tax, however, was down 10.7 percent in August over the same month last year. Read more | Preview

When Oklahoma City Thunder made the NBA finals for the first time this year, metro restaurant and bar owners seized an opportunity to hold impromptu watch parties and bring, sometimes, hundreds of people to their businesses on what otherwise might have been quiet nights.

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A slip in gross production tax collections in June didn’t completely derail an otherwise healthy fiscal year 2012, says State Treasurer Ken Miller in a July 5 gross receipts report. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City gets the gold medal for lowest unemployment rate in the nation after a few months of only taking silver. Read more | Preview

After two years of solid revenue growth, the Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Office reported totals slipped in March based on gross receipts. Read more | Preview

When it comes to credit ratings, Oklahoma City is doing AAA-OK.
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Ron Shinn never has had a law student seeking an internship or employment show up to an interview with a pink Mohawk or facial tattoos, but he says students always can benefit from a bit of training to polish the ways in which they present themselves. Read more | Preview

When 25-year-old landman James Burns looked up to see the dean of Meinders School of Business teaching his first master’s course in energy management, he knew he had enrolled in the right program. Read more | Preview

The Oklahoma City University College of Law and Devon Energy Corp. faced similar dilemmas in recent years: Their people were too spread out. Devon had employees scattered among five buildings Downtown, while OCU Law had its students in four different buildings on its northwest Oklahoma City campus. Read more | Preview

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Heating and air conditioning students at CareerTech centers will have a new component to their training this fall that can make them more desirable to future employers. Read more | Preview

As undergraduates enter college, or return this year to state and private institutions, some will be charged slightly more, while others will see no increases. Read more | Preview

The Chronicle of Higher Education named the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University to its list of “2012 Great Colleges to Work For” list – two of 103 colleges and universities.
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Graduate student Rachel Creach had never considered a career in the energy industry, but after hearing about the new energy track added to the MBA program offered by Oklahoma Baptist University, she saw one of Oklahoma’s most dominant industries in a new light. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City University plans to offer two new degree programs this fall in software engineering at the Meinders School of Business. Read more | Preview

Officials with Oklahoma City Community College plan to hold a grand opening for a branch in Capitol Hill to help with the educational needs of residents in that area. Read more | Preview

Chesapeake Energy named Robert Douglas “Doug” Lawler as the company's new CEO, effective June 17. Lawler replaces Aubrey McClendon, who was pushed out by the company's board of directors. A CEO succession plan announced Jan. 29 stated McClendon would retire by April 1. Read more | Preview

AAA Oklahoma this week reported the average price of a gallon of self-serve, regular gasoline in the state had reached its highest point ever, at $3.963 per gallon. This breaks the previous record of $3.952 per gallon, set last weekend. Read more | Preview

 The Devon Energy Center is officially one of the greenest buildings in the country. On April 22, the 50-story tower and adjoining buildings and gardens received the gold certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council. Read more | Preview

Gov. Mary Fallin joined executives from General Electric April 3 at the state Capitol to announce the company’s oil and gas arm plans to build a $110 million Global Research Center in the Oklahoma City metro area. Read more | Preview

Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon announced that he will be retiring from the company, effective April 1. The announcement came in a news release issued by the company today. Read more | Preview

Denver-based Frontier Energy Group purchased Oklahoma City-based Canary Wellhead Equipment Inc., and will brand the combined company Canary LLC. The company will be based in Denver with expanded operations in Oklahoma. The transaction details were not disclosed. Read more | Preview

SandRidge Energy Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Permian Basin properties for $2.6 billion. The buyer is Houston-based oil and gas company Sheridan Production Partners II. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013. Read more | Preview

Chesapeake Energy Corp. entered into an agreement to sell a portion of its assets for about $2.16 billion, and expects to complete the deal by the end of the year. Read more | Preview

Come January, Larry Nichols will no longer draw a paycheck from Devon Energy Corp., but he will still be a familiar face around the office. Read more | Preview

Convenience store and gas station chain OnCue marked its three millionth gallon of compressed natural gas sold in Oklahoma on Nov. 29. The Stillwater-based company has 13 CNG stations around the state. Read more | Preview

In celebration of its third anniversary, Oklahoma City-based Mustang Brewing Company will host the Razing Hops and Hell tour, promising “great music and great beer.” Read more | Preview

Starting out more than 15 years ago, April Harrington was her business: no building, no plan, just a dream.

A bout with ovarian cancer had piqued her interest in organic food. But how to sustain, much less grow, a business was beyond her.

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Oklahoma City University’s Love’s Entrepreneurship Center will host four dynamic leaders from the business community at the Spring 2012 Entrepreneurship Day from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 29 in the Kerr-McGee Auditorium at the Meinders School of Business. Read more | Preview

Ten years ago, Janet McDonald and Cindy Utecht labored over their first gift basket. It was beautiful, even if it was constructed inside McDonald’s garage. Read more | Preview

The Oklahoman newspaper and OPUBCO is to be sold in early October, after more than a century of ownership by the Gaylord family, the paper announced Thursday.
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Carol Alexander, 47
Executive Vice President,
Retirement Investment Advisors Inc.
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Amanda Storck, 34
Chief of Administration/CFO,
Oklahoma Water Resources Board Read more | Preview

Anne Roper, 52
Recruitment Calendar Manager,
Oklahoma Blood Institute Read more | Preview

Lucy Fritts, 56
Director and FMS Controller,
American Fidelity Assurance Company Read more | Preview

Michael Smith, 66
Attorney/Partner/Director,
Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson PC
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Dave Carpenter, 62
President,
American Fidelity Assurance Company Read more | Preview

Norman Specialty Hospital
1210 W. Robinson, Norman
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American Fidelity Assurance Company
2000 N. Classen Blvd. Read more | Preview

Retirement Investment Advisors Inc.
3001 United Founders Blvd. Read more | Preview

Richard Muller, 30
Operations Manufacturing Manager,
Oklahoma Blood Institute Read more | Preview

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 As Central Oklahoma cleans up from a string of tornadoes Sunday and Monday, the Oklahoma Insurance Department and insurance companies from near and far are on the ground to meet the needs of those displaced by the storms. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty requested a 6.5-percent increase in his budget for the upcoming fiscal year to speed up booking times for prisoners and to hire new officers. Read more | Preview

If proposed legislation gains momentum, workers who take time for a smoke break could find themselves with a lot more time on their hands. Read more | Preview

A significant change in Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system is needed to improve the business climate and provide an incentive for firms to retain and expand operations in the Sooner state. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett touted a growing list of national accolades the city received in 2012 at his ninth state of the city speech Jan. 25. Read more | Preview

As Oklahoma City welcomed Devon Tower to the skyline in 2012, and residents tallied 1 million pounds lost since the mayor launched his fitness initiative at the end of 2007, city leaders faced challenges in the implementation of MAPS 3, and looked at ways to best spend taxpayer dollars. Read more | Preview

The Oklahoma City Police Department is preparing to receive new vehicles, new equipment and a new home. Next summer, Chief Bill Citty plans to break ground on a new headquarters. Once the headquarters is completed, work will begin on a new courthouse. Other projects on the horizon include buying new helicopters, a new mobile command unit and renovation of a building for a property management unit. Read more | Preview

In Norman, one street serves as a major thoroughfare ... and a major headache for residents. Read more | Preview

With so many new businesses opening in Oklahoma City this year, Devon Energy Executive Chairman Larry Nichols joked that Mayor Mick Cornett may be the only mayor in the country who has to drive around with a shovel in his trunk just in case he comes upon a groundbreaking since they seem to be happening all the time. Read more | Preview

The Oklahoma City Council received a 2012-2013 budget overview on May 1, and will spend the next few meetings hearing from various departments and the city manager before adopting it June 12 in time for the next fiscal year that begins on July 1. The budget includes the addition of 85 new positions. Read more | Preview

OptumRX , an Optum company of UnitedHealth Group, plans to expand its presence in Oklahoma City to include 500 employees by the end of 2013. Read more | Preview

In a lab at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, scientists are cloning antibodies. Read more | Preview

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Integris Health brought Lakeside Women’s Hospital into its network Jan. 1 as majority owner of the women’s hospital.  Read more | Preview

The face of health care soon will be changing. And if a local anesthesiologist has his way, he’ll be the one doing it. Read more | Preview

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Statistics tell us Oklahoma ranks among the worst in the nation in most health indicators, yet Oklahoma health care executives say the delivery system is topnotch. Now with the status quo reaffirmed in Washington, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act undoubtedly the law of the land, will something have to give in the Sooner State? Read more | Preview

Those with vision impairments in Oklahoma have a new ray of hope in a comprehensive low-vision clinic that opened last month. It is operated by NewView Oklahoma, formerly the Oklahoma League for the Blind, which is the state’s largest employer of the blind and visually impaired. Read more | Preview

ATG Rehab acquired Medical Supply of Oklahoma, and plans to relocate and expand its Oklahoma City offices. Read more | Preview

Even when times are tight, people are willing to make sure their skin stays that way, too. That’s a main reason why medical spas and wellness centers have exploded in popularity. Read more | Preview

After serving as assistant publisher of the award-winning okcBIZ magazine for four years, Jeffri-Lynn Dyer has been promoted to publisher. Read more | Preview

For centuries now, soldiers across the nation have stood and answered the call to duty. But these days, once they return home, nobody seems to be calling them. Read more | Preview

About 275 employees of Chesapeake Energy Corp. were given notice Dec. 14 of the offer of a voluntary separation program to end their employment with the company. Read more | Preview

In October, PeopleSource of Oklahoma City began getting calls from companies needing warehouse and industrial help over the holidays, as businesses began gearing up for the traditional shopping bonanza. Read more | Preview

In Oklahoma City, the jobs exist, but the qualified employees may not. Read more | Preview

Central Oklahoma-based Blogging4Jobs, which provides insight and content about career, human relations and workplace issues, is listed among Forbes’ Top 75 Career Websites. Read more | Preview

Every July, Dan Ostas packs a few days worth of crimson ties and University of Oklahoma polos, and leaves his Norman home for his annual trek to Stillwater. Read more | Preview

Athletes have coaches, so why not employees? After all, it’s their performance that dictates the direction a company is heading. Read more | Preview

Earlier this year, worldwide staffing company Accountemps released a survey that was sure to pain many a human resources manager. Read more | Preview

You know when quitting time is, but do you know when it’s time to quit?

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Kacy Schlerer of Norman has sat and talked with the elderly, bought groceries, cleaned kitchens, put up Christmas lights, set up parties and organized to-do lists. She’ll walk dogs, pick up dry cleaning, help care for the sick, wash cars and declutter an overstuffed garage. She and her staff will do it all for $10 an hour. Read more | Preview

Hunter Merritt takes a sip of the amber liquid swirling in a tumbler, enjoying the taste of the whiskey as if it were his own.

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Oklahomans like beer. Since the turn of the century, national breweries like Budweiser and Miller have had great success in Oklahoma. For many years, commercially brewed beers were the only option for beer lovers. Read more | Preview

Through the Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, i2E Inc. has invested $500,000 in Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation's Glioblastoma Project. The Seed Fund participated in an investment round of $1 million with co-investment from the research foundation. Read more | Preview

Those completing postdoctoral fellowships are in good company at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation based on rankings in The Scientist magazine. Read more | Preview

Debbie Musick always hoped potential clients wouldn’t ask the question. Read more | Preview

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When a magazine is as awesome as OKCBiz, everyone wants some ink! Our email boxes get flooded with press releases touting “cutting-edge” and “revolutionary” products that … well, don’t strike us as such. These are the ones we found most dubious in 2011. Read more | Preview

Board members who oversee the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) today awarded nearly $1.9 million to 11 research applicants. Tuesday’s awards are the first in the Oklahoma Applied Research program for FY 2012. All research projects will be completed within three years. Read more | Preview

Want to find the lease history of a building in Oklahoma City? Check on travel information at Will Rogers World Airport? Get updated info on Oklahoma City University classes? There’s an app for all that. Read more | Preview

While some employees from Long Beach, Calif., will make the move, other positions will become available to Oklahomans. Read more | Preview

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Water, and the lack thereof, led the Oklahoma City Council to consider altering fines levied for people who take more than their share in the midst of a drought and to install cutoff valves on all newly installed irrigation systems. Read more | Preview

The third community meeting to discuss the MAPS 3 downtown park will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 24, where the public can view a preliminary master plan for the $130 million, 70-acre park. Read more | Preview

Claims Management Resources plans to acquire another credit company to bring three entities under its umbrella that will include 150 employees for the Oklahoma City-based company. Read more | Preview

Canadian comedian James Cunningham brought his brand of whimsical humor to the 2012 Greater Oklahoma City Chamber meeting Dec. 13 by having the outgoing chairman and the incoming chairman perform a parody of the British television show Benny Hill. Read more | Preview

Paying for performance is nothing new in the public relations industry, but some agencies are taking it a step further. Read more | Preview

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A Holiday Inn Express proposed for Bricktown about four years ago – and then scrapped – is back on with a different ownership group. J.C. Witcher, architect with ADG, declined to name the new developer, but presented initial plans for informational purposes Nov. 14 to the Bricktown Urban Design Committee, which must approve design of all projects in the entertainment district. Read more | Preview

The Hal Smith Restaurant Group and Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant plan to open a restaurant in Lower Bricktown next year. The restaurant, KD’s, will feature southern cuisine, and each item must be to Durant’s liking to make it on the menu. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City Manager Jim Couch reported the general fund sales tax collections in the city were up 6 percent in October over the same month last year. Read more | Preview

Three of Oklahoma's largest energy companies have pledged millions of dollars to aid in disaster relief after the string of tornadoes that devastated Central Oklahoma on Sunday and Monday. Read more | Preview

As the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has become an international attraction, the children’s museum on the grounds has not kept pace. Many might be unaware the museum even has a children’s building, but that is changing with the commitment of a growing group of female business, civic and philanthropic leaders around the state. Read more | Preview

Some could argue that in addition to being in the natural gas business, Chesapeake Energy is in the Oklahoma City business. Read more | Preview

Jane Sutter is ready for her close-up. As president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, she doesn’t spend a lot of time in front of cameras. Read more | Preview

Allied Arts is once again hosting its big, biennial fundraiser, “OPUS VII: Party Wow.” Organizers promise the event to be energetic, nonstop and unique. Read more | Preview

In 2011, $314 million was generated by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Oklahoma, making it a powerhouse of economic development. Read more | Preview

A $75,000 grant from the Fred Jones Family Foundation to the Myriad Gardens Foundation will pay for sculptures to be placed in the Children’s Garden. Read more | Preview

Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. plans to donate a 217-acre campus in Northfield, Mass., to the nonprofit Scholarships for GCU Students. It will benefit those attending Arizona’s Grand Canyon University. Read more | Preview

Susan Leonard would roll her eyes when her girlfriends talked about the woes of having a lazy husband. The alternative – raising a daughter single-handedly – usually made them stop whining. Read more | Preview

Clothing donation boxes to benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving are being set up at stores around the metro area. American Textile Recycling Services, based in Houston, is expanding its reach to Oklahoma City by setting up donation boxes in neighborhoods. Read more | Preview

A.J. Kirkpatrick seems to be everywhere, but now he will be based at Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. As an urban planner with the city since 2005, Kirkpatrick has been involved with Core to Shore planning, the Downtown Business Improvement District, Bricktown projects and the Urban Land Institute. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City University has a new assistant provost. Read more | Preview

Continental Resources Inc., newly relocated from Enid, is making a few changes in top management at its new home in Oklahoma City. Read more | Preview

Veteran sales and business development executive, Drake Andarakes, has joined Oklahoma City oil and gas services company, Flogistix, as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Read more | Preview

Cassidy Financial Group, Inc. has named Billie Rodely Director of Communications.
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VI Marketing and Branding, a fully integrated marketing firm with offices in Oklahoma City, Colorado Springs and Kansas City has added three key specialists to its Oklahoma City staff. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City University has named Kevin Windholz as vice president for enrollment management, OCU President Robert Henry announced today. Read more | Preview

Chuck R. Thompson, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Republic Bank & Trust, Norman, Oklahoma, announces the following Bank officer promotions:Bret M. Sullivan – has been named senio Read more | Preview

The Bricktown Association, announces Frank Nelson, with Pearl’s Crabtown, as the incoming President of the Board of Directors, and Cy Perkins, with the Bricktown Hampton Inn, as the newly appointed Vice President. Read more | Preview

OU Medical Center, Oklahoma’s largest and most comprehensive hospital, has named Michael A. Reese as its new chief financial officer. Reese, who had been chief financial officer at HCA Delta Division of the hospital’s parent company, Healthcare Corporation of America, will oversee all financial operations at OU Medical Center, The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center and OU Medical Center Edmond.
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Brad Poarch, CEO and Co-owner, Cory’s Audio Visual Services LLC
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Sarah Mason Sears

Principal

S Design Inc.

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Adam Childers
Director
Crowe & Dunlevy Read more | Preview

In recent years, Oklahoma has struggled to meet growing public needs. Most public services have been cut or held flat in each of the past four years, and state funding remains below pre-recession levels. Read more | Preview

You’ve had at least a month of feasts, parties and holiday celebrations, and now you’re ready for a change: You’re giving up a bad habit, you’re going to spend more time with family and friends, and you’re going to lose weight and get fit once and for all. Read more | Preview

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A few years ago, as headlines blared the effects of the nation’s economic downturn and friends from other parts of the country bemoaned the state of their personal affairs, many of us here in Oklahoma City sheepishly kept our heads down and hoped that Armageddon would pass us by. Read more | Preview

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As a former Oklahoma State Treasurer, Scott Meacham knows a good investment when he spots one. And for more than five and a half years, he spotted those investments slipping out of Oklahoma and paying off for other states. Read more | Preview

As president and CEO of OG&E, Pete Delaney knows the ins and outs of the power industry. Read more | Preview

Frank Franzese always has been part of technology companies that focus on doing more, better and faster. Read more | Preview

In its storied 101-year history, the Skirvin Hilton Hotel has accommodated some of the most influential people in the world, but until now no one — other than its legendary ghost, Effie, of course —has stayed an entire year. Read more | Preview

Two of Gerry Bonds’ passions are storytelling and gardening. As the new Myriad Botanical Gardens Foundation Community Board president, she will be able to do both. Read more | Preview

It doesn’t take a Harvard Law grad to figure out that Oklahoma City Public Schools has problems. Read more | Preview

Growing up with a grandfather who was a Rotarian back in Montgomery, Ala., Marion Paden was familiar with the traditionally male business club. Read more | Preview

The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City has a new president. Clark Ward, a physician who has been there since 2011, brings more than 30 years experience to the job. Read more | Preview

Thirty-one years ago working as a tax attorney, Mike McDonald saw an opportunity. He worked every day with entrepreneurs who where taking a gamble and winding up making a pretty good living for themselves. Read more | Preview

Stephen Young graduated from University of Missouri-Kansas City Dental School in 1971. A residency at the University of Michigan was followed by what he thought would be a brief stay in Oklahoma.

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Two of Oklahoma City’s top commercial real estate firms have merged. Read more | Preview

There will be no Symphony Showhouse this year. Instead, there will be three of them. Read more | Preview

An Orange County, Calif.-based real estate investment trust purchased the Deep Deuce Apartments for $38.22 million, or $130,000 per unit, as part of a two-property deal that totaled more than $61 million. Read more | Preview

As strong Oklahoma winds whipped across the grassy prairie, real estate developer Nick Preftakes took to a lectern anchored by a chunk of metal so that it wouldn’t blow over and prepared to break ground on a 23,000-square-foot building that will be leased to the United States Social Security Administration. Read more | Preview

Based on the success of their multifamily developments Downtown over the past few years, two separate developers are at it again, and going through the process of approval by city boards and tapping into public money to make their projects a reality. Both also are trying to keep some units more affordable to provide options for more people to move Downtown. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma City kitchen remodelers are riding a wave of good fortunes and profit they hope never ends. Read more | Preview

The Oklahoma City Council passed a series of tax incremental financing measures Feb. 26, including three to help the Oklahoma Publishing Company move its offices Downtown. Another measure, the request for $500,000 in TIF funds in Bricktown, would assist in converting part of the Mideke Building in Bricktown into residential units. Read more | Preview

While the Oklahoma City metro area has not reached the record numbers of just a half-decade ago, the market remained healthy in 2012, with several multimillion-dollar deals, and a year-end retail sale that broke records. Read more | Preview

Low interest rates and heightened consumer confidence has created an abundance of work for metro home builders and real estate agents heading into 2013. Read more | Preview

IBC Bank-Oklahoma purchased the 280,000-square-foot, Caliber Center office building in northwest Oklahoma City for just under $32.4 million from Chesapeake Land Development Co. LLC. Chesapeake purchased the building in December 2011 for $38.2 million. Read more | Preview

For 80 years, the Cusack family has been in the meat business in Oklahoma City. Read more | Preview

If you’ve noticed a bacon craze, you’re not alone. What used to be a food item served nestled against eggs at breakfast is now gourmet fare for those willing to neglect their waistlines and cholesterol levels for a greasy strip of seasoned pork. Read more | Preview

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom Inc. plans to open one of its lower-priced stores, Nordstrom Rack, in Oklahoma City. There are 121 Nordstrom Rack stores around the country, with this being the first in Oklahoma. Read more | Preview

With much of the metro’s business and leisure focus shifting to Downtown, restaurateurs are moving quickly to capitalize on new opportunities in the Downtown and MidTown areas. For the most part, old spaces are being re-envisioned as new restaurant concepts, but some are building on the increasingly limited space in the area. okcBIZ has compiled a smattering of offerings, some already in place, some still in the works. Read more | Preview

A passion for health and fitness, and a spark of innovation, led Jeff Ragan to leave a comfortable job at Chesapeake Energy to start his own company. KiZE, a name he just made up with no meaning behind it, is a health-food product handcrafted by Ragan in the Earth Elements Entrepreneurs’ Kitchen at the Farmers Public Market in Oklahoma City. Read more | Preview

Steve Gibson has every intention to keep the lights on and operating at McCall’s Men’s Wear in Edmond as long as he can. Read more | Preview

David Lack opened Broadway Wine Merchants in November 2008 along Automobile Alley before it became the hub of activity it is today. More than four years later, the store does a swift business with Downtown denizens and office dwellers who often stop by at lunch or on their way home. Read more | Preview

With three years on the books and a growing pack of customers, business has exceeded the expectations of Burke and Jon Beck, owners of Red Coyote Running and Fitness. Read more | Preview

Von Maur may not be a familiar name in Oklahoma, but the department store chain could open its first store at Quail Springs Mall with help from a retail incentive from the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust. Read more | Preview

To say Gyan and Maurice Galoob have faced significant challenges would be an understatement. Read more | Preview

Billboard and television advertising require contracts and big money. But more businesses are finding that when the will is strong, and the ad budget is weak, there’s still an option to stand out from the crowd. Read more | Preview

Jim Cowan spent several years leading the Bricktown Association during the area’s renaissance. with that job, which involved constantly being around a young, hip crowd, he always had his finger on the pulse of what was going on.

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Tuesday March 6 – 7 p.m.
The Div
1712 S. Kelly Ave.
Edmond Read more | Preview

With Rhonda Hooper
President and CEO
Jordan Advertising
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For Marcus Williamson, relationships are everything. And maybe more so than anyone else on the Oklahoma City University campus, the Meinders School of Business director of outreach pays particular attention not only to the message he’s sending out, but the medium he’s using.

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What started with drinks among acquaintances has turned into a public relations experiment. Since that initial happy hour at Paseo Grill a few months ago, PR professionals Kathy Oden-Hall, Meredith Lynn, Rob Crissinger, Phil Bacharach and Mary Ann Osko have joined Tracey Zeeck in a nondescript — and hard-to-find — warehouse building in Automobile Alley. Read more | Preview

Nick Preftakes hopes he has found the cure for his big-box blues in south Oklahoma City. Read more | Preview

Jim Gleason started in the sign industry when he was 12 years old, sweeping the floors in his dad’s sign shop in Salina, Kan. He worked for his father for 18 years at Gleason and Sons Signs before eventually coming to the metro area. Read more | Preview

In its third year awarding a communications grant to a nonprofit, Oklahoma City-based Saxum upped its donation to include two groups this year. Read more | Preview

The CD Warehouse store formerly at NW 39 Street and Pennsylvania Avenue moved to French Market Mall, 2850 NW 63, and was rebranded as Movie Exchange.
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A University of Central Oklahoma computer science student is headed to the nation’s capitol to meet with members of congress and scientists to present his research on wheelchair maneuverability. Read more | Preview

GoldFire Studios in Oklahoma City develops games for the web, and its new concept, CasinoRPG, is a community-based game and an ambitious departure for the company from its other titles. Read more | Preview

In a nod to the ABC reality television show Shark Tank, eight entrepreneurial teams in Oklahoma City went before a panel of business leaders March 5 to pitch their plans and ideas for a chance at a $5,000 technology package from Cox Business. Read more | Preview

Traffic lights and intersections in Oklahoma City are getting smarter.

While no stoplight hit the books and gained an education on its own, a bond issue is funding upgrades that coordinate lights to work in harmony and to create corridors for moving traffic more quickly.

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A recent study by global technology trend forecasters ABI Research estimates that within five years, 90 million homes worldwide will employ an automation system. In the Oklahoma City metro, tomorrow is today, and at least one resident says he’s already saving money and worrying less. Read more | Preview

That iPhone in your pocket is more powerful than the NASA computers that sent the first man to the moon. That’s why more and more companies are realizing that keeping their data safe may be more challenging than ever. Read more | Preview

The idea of employee uniforms with embedded computer chips that can be tracked through specialized antennae may sound high-tech for a simple laundry service, but Clean is anything but a simple laundry service.
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Chances are that if you look up in your office, in any store, or in any warehouse, the plastic white cases that hold four fluorescent T12 magnetic light bulbs are there. Read more | Preview

In the Stone Ages — way back in 2002 — the $89 million Ford Center, now the Chesapeake Energy Arena, opened in Downtown Oklahoma City. Funded by taxpayer dollars, the arena met National Hockey League and National Basketball League standards, and had great perks, such as a darkroom for members of the press. Read more | Preview

Best-selling books such as Timothy Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek tout hiring a virtual assistant as a necessity for the modern professional. He and other proponents of “lifestyle design” say by outsourcing as much of your life as you can, you can work less, earn more and live a more fulfilled life, instead of devoting it to tasks more efficiently performed by others. Read more | Preview

Amenities planned for the Oklahoma River are designed to appeal to both the aquatically inclined and landlubbers alike. Even those who’ve never dipped an oar in the Oklahoma River soon will be able to zoom across it on a zip line, climb to the top of a tower on a sky trail, hit a bike track or go surfing. Read more | Preview

Dynah Korhummel did the whole Silicon Valley thing back in the middle of the dot-com era.

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AAA predicts a busy travel weekend around the July 4 holiday both nationwide and in Oklahoma.

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Embassy Suites Oklahoma City-Will Rogers World Airport recently completed a $5.5 million renovation. The 236-suite hotel, 1815 S. Meridian, has combined upscale amenities with a Western feel. Read more | Preview

Chad Hodges never had planned a cycling race before the upcoming Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic. Read more | Preview

For those not planning a week at the beach or a vacanza Italiana this summer, plenty of excursions exist that don’t require passports or layovers. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to spend your vacation dollars right here at home?
Whether you prefer the as-close-tothe-house-as-possible staycation or the near-but-away-from-here destination, take a gander at fellow okcBIZ readers’ top picks. Read more | Preview

If you think C-SPAN only shows endless hours of debate and activity on the floor of the U.S. House and Senate, think again. In a push to diversify programming, while still covering every second of congress in action, the network began planning last year for a series of historical features on cities around the country. Oklahoma City made the list. Read more | Preview

When Stephen Koranda accepted the position of executive director of the Norman Convention & Visitors Bureau three years ago, it always amazed him that people would stop by and say how hard it was to find them. Read more | Preview

Today, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department unveiled findings from a new study showing the economic impact of tourism in Oklahoma. The results were announced at the 2011 Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tulsa. Read more | Preview

Five stores, two with a distinctly Oklahoma flair, are planned for Will Rogers World Airport. The existing newsstand and gift stores will close Sept. 7 and undergo a $1.7 million renovation. The project is a joint partnership between The Paradies Shops, a national airport retailer, and its local partner, Kambers Gifts and Luggage. Work is set for completion by Thanksgiving. Read more | Preview

Despite opposition, a measure to approve a compromise on the design of one portion of a boulevard to run through Downtown Oklahoma City passed the city council Jan. 8 with a 7-2 vote. The boulevard plan dates back to the 1990s when state and federal authorities determined the Interstate 40 crosstown would be moved south, and a boulevard would sit in its previous alignment. Read more | Preview

A firm hired to look at engineering options for part of the future boulevard in Downtown Oklahoma City is recommending that an overpass be used to solve possible traffic issues, against protests by some who favor other options – or more analysis in general. Read more | Preview

Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation attended a public meeting with hat in hand Aug. 22 concerning plans for the new boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City. Tempers flared in the audience, but there was no acrimony from ODOT officials who acknowledged that there have been misconceptions and misunderstandings as to the plans for the $80 million, 10.5-block stretch of road that will sit where the Interstate 40 bridges once stood.

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More Oklahomans will hop in their cars rather than board planes this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. The auto travel assistance organization expects increases in auto travel, but for shorter trips due to high gas prices. And air travel is expected to take a hit as more people jump in their cars for destinations from May 24 through May 28. Read more | Preview

Come as you are, but come early if you have a flight to catch at Will Rogers World Airport. With passenger traffic numbers up nearly 7 percent over last year, airport officials are seeing larger crowds, especially in the mornings, and some passengers who have not allotted enough time and ending up missing their flights. Read more | Preview

Oklahoma Mayor Mick Cornett officiated over the ribbon cutting of the $5.8 million, 380-foot SkyDance Bridge April 23 Downtown. Read more | Preview

Ivy Bradford’s career as a travel agent has followed a path different than most. The manager of Prime Time Travel in Edmond got into the business in 1987 and worked through 2000 before taking a break for motherhood. Read more | Preview

AAA Oklahoma anticipates it will come to the aid of 5,800 stranded motorists in Oklahoma during the year-end holiday period, as 787,500 Oklahomans take to the highways for holiday trips between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, 2012. Read more | Preview

AAA forecasts 91.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the upcoming Christmas / New Year’s holiday period, a 1.4 percent increase over year-ago figures. Read more | Preview