2015 ISSUE 1

Develop, Innovate, Prosper

IN THIS ISSUE

2015 ISSUE 1

Economic IndicatorsState of Mind p. 2

Upcoming Events24th Annual Women’s Business Leadership Conference p. 7

Business NewsEnvironmental Cleanup Money Available for Brownfield Sites p. 3

Community NewsRSVP Connects Seniors with Volunteer Opportunities p. 4

Workforce NewsMeet Our Staff: Jeane Burruss p. 6

Main Street News“Chopped” Winner Opens Restaurant in Idabel, Okla. p. 5

Today’s jobs often require students to master skills and training far beyond what previous generations have faced. Oklahoma’s education system is working to ensure that the talent pipeline remains strong to meet both current and future employment needs.

Oklahoma’s Higher Education and CareerTech systems encompass an array of educational opportunities for students preparing to enter the workforce. The programs offered through these institutions work to fill a continued demand for highly qualified industry professionals in various sectors.

One example of how these institutions are helping to meet workforce demands is Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and their annual “Women in Technology” event. Launched four years ago, the event is targeted at high school students, high school counselors and adult students and raises awareness

about the expansive career opportunities available in STEM fields.

“We have seen an increase in attendance from rural areas,” said Dr. Ina Agnew, OSUIT. “Previously, students came independently. Now, schools are bringing kids in on buses. Counselors are trying to find a way to show young women that they can do more and have more career prospects by getting them to take a serious look at STEM careers.”

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STEM Education: A Focus for Oklahoma InstitutionsBringing more women into the technology sector

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Photo Courtesy of OSU- OKC

Oklahoma State of Success

Economic Indicators: State of Mind

#2 Best States for Recent GradsForbes, July 2014

Oklahoma boasts some of the most highly regarded IT security programs in the nation

Home to the nation’s first UAS-focused degree program

Increase in Oklahoma students graduating with STEM degrees from 2008 to 201328%

20,000 Oklahoma students trained annually by the FAA

Tulsa has the Nation’s 4th-Largest gain in degree attainment . The number of Tulsa-area residents who received degrees from local institutions increased 15.9 percent between 2010 and 2013

#4

More than 11,000 middle and high school students are enrolled in CareerTech Project Lead the Way curriculum, including courses like pre-engineering, biomedical sciences, biotechnology, and many more.

“You have to have talent. You have to have to have people who know IT, cooling infrastructure and power infrastructure … The career tech infrastructure in Oklahoma is robust and works well. The state can tune the workforce to the needs of industry through the framework of its career tech schools.” — Mike Wooten, Operations Manager, Google Inc.

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma CareerTech Photo Courtesy of OSU Institute of TechnologyPhoto Courtesy OU Credit Robert H. Taylor

740,000+ More than 740,000 enrolled in 89 public and private colleges, universities and technology centers.

Business News

To ensure that the event made an impact, OSUIT brought in successful women from the energy sector to provide female role models to these students and show them that opportunities are everywhere. The panelists spoke to attendees about experiences and how their companies are looking to hire more women into the field.

“Don’t roll your eyes at things or careers you don’t think you’d like because you never know,” said Diana Frazier, president of the Women’s Energy Network North Texas Chapter. “Oil and gas companies need every type of employee, not just those working in the field. They need accountants, marketing and branding experts, people who can maintain websites and office managers.”

Dr. Agnew says that one of the biggest hindrances to students choosing a STEM education path is fear of the math or science involved.

“They think it’s too hard, and they often don’t understand the field and how those skills fit in,” she said. “We often see that students simply have a misunderstanding of what these jobs are and what they look like day-to-day. Manufacturing jobs

aren’t necessarily back-breaking, dirty work. Employees work at computers and with robotics, using complex technology. Students and parents don’t always understand that.” To find out more about OSUIT and its programs, visit OSUIT.edu

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ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP MONEY AVAILABLE

What you need to know:

For the environmental cleanup of eligible Brownfield sites.

1. Brownfield cleanup grants are meant to finance shovel-ready brownfield cleanup projects, encourage redevelopment and create local jobs in communities across the state.

2. Grant Applicants must be an eligible local government, tribe or non-profit organization.

3. Loan Applicants can be a private entity, local government, tribe or non-profit organization.

• Abatement of asbestos and lead-based paint

• Former industrial sites with soil contaminated with hazardous substances

• Railroad depots, spurs, and roundhouses

• Any eligible Brownfield site that is contaminated with hazardous substances

Low-interest loans and subgrant funding is available for cleanup of hazardous substance such as:

Application Deadline: February 28, 2015. For more information about Brownsfield Cleanup Grants, contact Heather Mallory at heather.mallory@deq.ok.gov or visit: http://tinyurl.com/m73qykn

STEM Education: A Focus for Oklahoma

“Counselors are trying to find a way to show young women that they can do more and have more career prospects by getting them to take a serious look

at STEM careers.” - Dr. Ina Agnew, OSUIT

Photo Courtesy of OSU Institute of Technology

Community Development News

Kim and Paul Sanders, RSVP volunteers

RSVP Connects Older Adults with Volunteer OpportunitiesProvide-A-Ride celebrates 20 years of helping seniorsRSVP of Central Oklahoma, a non-profit United Way of Central Oklahoma partner agency, connects older adults with meaningful and rewarding volunteer opportunities. RSVP volunteers, age 55 and older, enrich our community by serving other non-profit agencies in various capacities: they deliver hot meals and stock food pantries; they lend an ear and a helping a hand. RSVP senior volunteers can be found building ramps for other seniors and building solid foundations within families.

“I used to have a hard time finding volunteer opportunities. Trying to do all the homework to make sure each opportunity was a good fit for us, and finding agencies that truly needed our help was too time-consuming. RSVP is now my home hub for volunteer opportunities. I love how easy they make it for us to find the right places where we can make a difference,” states Kim Sanders, RSVP volunteer.

Kim and Paul Sanders have been volunteering together through RSVP for more than seven years. “I feel like we can do more for others now that we are retired, compared to when we were both working. Now is the perfect time for us to give back, but we are finding out that we are getting back so much more through volunteering,” Kim said.

A growing sector within RSVP of Central Oklahoma is the Provide-A-Ride program. Provide-A-Ride volunteers offer free medical transportation to individuals age 60 and older. The program provides arm-through-arm assistance and safely delivers them back home.

Mildred, a Provide-A-Ride client, states, “I live by myself in my own home, but, thankfully, I’m not alone. Because of my friends, family and RSVP Provide-A-Ride, I have everything I need to continue to live a happy, independent and healthy life.”

Safety is a top priority within the Provide-A-Ride program. RSVP takes these steps to keep clients and volunteers safe while participating in the program.

Provide-A-Ride drivers choose how often or infrequently they drive; they can drive once every couple of weeks or once every day – it is their choice. Drivers also choose what geographic areas they serve; they can

drive within their ‘comfort zone’, or travel throughout Oklahoma County, Mustang and Yukon. Volunteering as a Provide-A-Ride driver is very flexible and rewarding. It allows older adults to continue to live a life full of purpose and meaning. Volunteers and clients alike gain so much from the experience because of the special bonds formed between

them through lively conversation and companionship, which evolve during each excursion.

RSVP Provide-A-Ride recently celebrated 20 years of helping senior adults overcome transportation barriers. Throughout those years, Provide-A-Ride volunteers donated 129,582 service hours, driving 3,517,020 miles to provide care and support for Oklahoma’s aging population.

For more information about RSVP of Central Oklahoma, call 605-3110. To become a volunteer driver or register as a Provide-A-Ride client, call 605-3106.

RSVP of Central Oklahoma, Inc. is a part of the Corporation for National Service and a proud United Way of Central Oklahoma partner agency.

“I live by myself in my own home, but, thankfully, I’m not alone. Because of my friends, family and RSVP Provide-

A-Ride, I have everything I need to continue to live a happy, independent

and healthy life.” - Mildred, a Provide-A-Ride client

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State Unemployment Rates: In November, Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate improved to 4.4 percent with a drop of one-tenth of a percentage point over the month. The U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 percent. Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down by 1.1 percentage points. http://bit.ly/1xEEO5D

“Chopped” Winner Opens Restaurant in Idabel Chef Tabb Singleton perks up Idabel’s Main Street

Tabb Singleton, former executive sous chef of NOLA in the French Quarter of New Orleans and winner of Food Network shows “Chopped” and “Deep Fried Masters,” has brought his master kitchen back to his hometown of Idabel, Okla., with Singleton’s Southern Kitchen.

Singleton says his eight years at NOLA was invaluable in helping him learn how to run a restaurant. He received extensive training with Food Network star Emeril Lagasse, experience which helped prepare him by learning proper French techniques and, above all, the need to season everything.

Singleton says Lagasse often said he would season the forks and knives if he could.

While he was working under Lagasse, Singleton decided to enter the Food Network’s “Chopped” competition. His experience at NOLA and his Idabel roots helped him when one of the competition’s “surprise ingredients,” lamb fries, showed up in his options. The fried Oklahoma delicacy gave him an edge at the judges’ table since he had experience cooking them.

“Sometimes we have fundraising calf fry dinners at our local schools. I know the basis of how to cook them,” Singleton said. “With the time frame, I figured I’d just put a lot of seasoning in the coating and fry them.” Singleton has taken some of his winnings and invested them back into Idabel’s Main Street where he runs Singleton’s Southern Kitchen. The restaurant is run out of the same facility as the Main Street Café and Bakery.

“I was just going to do a pop-up restaurant,” Singleton said, “but we had such a big turn-out we decided to do a regular dinner service out of here.” Main Street Bakery & Café is run by Walter Hefner, who purchased what was then a dusty, defunct loan company – literally two walls and part of a roof before he renovated the space.  Several hundred thousand dollars and lots of time later, the Main Street Bakery & Café opened its doors in January, 2012. The Main Street Bakery &

Café creates an array of beautiful cakes and desserts. The café also has a regular list of lunch offerings and a variety of specials served daily.

Singleton happily joined Walter, his wife Tracy Hefner and Claire Lehr as a partner in 2013, and launched Singleton’s Southern Kitchen.

The restaurant space receives both locals and out-of-towners, day and night. Singleton’s menu is seasonal and filled with ingredients that are both exciting and outside-of-the-box for Southeastern Oklahoma but that still appeal to every Oklahoman.

Singleton works with local farms like Hamel Farms, Ferguson Farms, and Honey Bear Ranch and puts together dishes like:

• Fried pork chop with wild mushroom gravy• Grilled duck flat bread with duck confit, fried egg,

middle mountain dairy goat cheese and wild arugula • Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with gulf shrimp, sweet

peas and lobster broth

His classics like Oklahoma Calf Fries and 12-hour smoked pulled pork are also popular menu items.

Both Singleton’s Southern Kitchen and the Main Street Bakery & Café are bright stars in the town of Idabel.

Main Street News

Chef Tabb Singleton, former executive sous chef at NOLA, at the location for Singleton’s Southern Kitchen in Idabel

Jeane Burruss is the Workforce System Project Director for the Workforce Solutions Division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Her primary responsibility is to support the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development.

The Governor’s Council has been charged by the Governor to design a workforce development system that creates wealth-generating opportunities for the citizens of Oklahoma. Jeane also serves as lead support staff to the Workforce System Oversight Committee responsible for the governance and design of the “Oklahoma Works” workforce system. This includes convening key partners and relationship building as well as designing a workforce system.

She is also helps to oversee Oklahoma’s Certified Work Ready Communities Project which is an innovative program that encourages communities to link workforce and economic development. Talent pools aligned to industry needs that support an economic strategy create a powerful economic tool that will increase the wealth of its citizens and community. By utilizing Oklahoma’s Career Ready Certificate, communities will be able to document to economic development entities the work readiness of their citizens. This is a project which jointly belongs to Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Community Development Division and Workforce Development Division.

“Jeane is vital to the success of Commerce’s workforce development goals for 2015,” Deidre Myers, Deputy Secretary For Workforce Development continued, “She brings to the team expansive expertise in federal programming, a vastly respected reputation with our system partners, and a positive, high energy presence to our team.”

Jeane also serves as the support staff for the State Workforce Youth Council a committee of the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development. The council is comprised of public and private sector executives from all levels including who are dedicated to creating a workforce strategy that coordinates with the state’s economic goals of building wealth for all Oklahomans focusing on statewide youth initiatives.

NEW PIONEERA product of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce

EDITOR:Kimberly Hickerson, Project Manager

CONTRIBUTORS:Stefanie Appleton, Lisa Davenport, Alisha Grayson

PHOTO CREDITS:Robert H. Taylor, Jeremy Zeller, Oklahoma CareerTech, OSU School of Technology, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City

Oklahoma State of Success

Meet Our Staff

Kimberly HickersonProject Manager - Communications900 N. Stiles Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73104(405) 815-5240 kimberly_hickerson@OKcommerce.gov

issuu.com/newpioneerOK

FOR NEW PIONEER SUBMISSIONS AND STORY IDEAS CONTACT:

Jeane Burruss, Project Director, Workforce Services Division for Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Phone: 405-815-5256Email: Jeane_Burruss@okcommerce.gov

OKcommerce.gov

@OKcommerce

facebook.com/OKcommerce

Upcoming Events & Important Dates

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24TH ANNUAL WOMEN’S BUSINESS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCEWednesday, Mar. 4, 20155:30pmHyatt Regency Hotel, Tulsa

Learn more about moving toward your career goals, developing yourself and others, and enhancing your leadership skills from expert women leaders.

To make your reservations for the 24th Annual Women’s Business Leadership Conference visit:

http://tinyurl.com/p9on5qm

STATE OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF THE FOLLOWING STATE HOLIDAYS:

Monday, Jan. 19, 2015Martin Luther King Jr. Day

OSU BUSINESS FORUMS: MOIRA FORBES, PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER FORBES WOMAN

Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 11, 201512-1:30 p.m.Cox Business Convention Center

Tulsa, Thursday, March 12, 201512-1:30 p.m.Hyatt Regency Hotel

For more information and a list of upcoming OSU Business Forum speakers visit: http://bit.ly/1DBAPde

TED ALLEN/DAVID WALKER SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

SPONSORED BY THE OKLAHOMA WEATHERIZATON HOUSING ADVISORY COUNCILRequest for application packets may be made to:

Ted Allen/David Walker ScholarshipATTN: John JonesKI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc.P.O. Box 727Stigler, OK 74462For more information call: 918-867-3325

Scholarship Deadline: Jan. 16, 2015

Secretary of Commerce Larry Parman Steps Down Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Larry V. Parman recently announced plans to step down at the end of 2014. Parman has served as both Secretary of Commerce and Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC) since October of 2013. Prior to his service at ODOC, Parman served as Oklahoma’s Secretary of State. Governor Mary Fallin praised Parman’s service and his commitment to moving Oklahoma forward. “Larry Parman worked tirelessly in both his Cabinet-level positions for the people of Oklahoma,” said Fallin. “As secretary of state, he helped streamline operations within the agency, saving taxpayer dollars and implementing a ‘client-first’ philosophy to better serve Oklahoma businesses and individuals.”

“When he took the reins at ODOC, I asked him to find creative ways to use his agency to help lift our state out of the recession and create jobs. His leadership at the Department of Commerce helped to bring in thousands of new jobs from internationally known companies like Boeing and Macy’s. The work he and his team did on behalf of Oklahoma businesses has also helped to create a better economic environment for the whole state. I wish him the best on his return to the private sector.” In his resignation letter, Parman thanked Fallin for the opportunity to serve, calling it “an honor and a privilege.” Deputy Director Don Hackler will serve as ODOC interim director.

Prior to being named Secretary of State, Parman served as the CEO of Parman & Easterday, an Oklahoma City estate planning, elder law and business planning firm that has served over 4,000 clients throughout the Midwest. He has also been a partner in Notch It Up Strategies LLC, a firm that offers marketing and executive development programs to business owners and C-level executives.

Parman also previously served as President of The Hawthorn Group, a public affairs firm in Alexandria, Virginia and President and CEO of Trencor, Incorporated, an Oklahoma-based financial holding firm. He is the author or co-author of multiple books on estate planning, financial planning and business, including “Above the Fray: Leading Yourself, Your Business and Others During Turbulent Times.”

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATIONNew Pioneer newsletter is published monthly by the Marketing and Communications Division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Subscriptions are free.

Note: E-subscribers receive the newsletter monthly in addition to educational opportunities and special announcements. Print subscribers will receive every other issue and do not receive special notifications. To assure you receive all announcements and updates, please sign up for the electronic subscription at

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900 N. Stiles Ave.Oklahoma City, OK 73104-324

(PRSRT STD)US POSTAGE PDOKLA. CITY, OKPERMIT NO.41

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPENKick-Off Event: The Great American Cleanup™March 1, 2015 Metro Tech, Springlake Campus, OKC

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful wants to help you clean up your community this spring. Groups and organizations who register for the Great American Cleanup™ will be eligible to apply for GAC grants and receive FREE supplies, including trash bags. Register today to receive your free supplies and access to a wealth of project ideas, tips and tricks!

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Annual TrashOFF will again be the signature event in the 2015 GAC.The date for the TrashOFF is April 11, 2015.

Register onlinehttp://tinyurl.com/pu2vvzt

2015 Great American Cleanup™

or contact: Kimberly HickersonProject Manager - Communications900 N. Stiles Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73104(405) 815-5240 kimberly_hickerson@OKcommerce.gov