Local nonprofit organizations that rely heavily on donations grow funds by building relationships
Hot 100 Winners
The winners of the 2017 Muskogee Phoenix Readers’ Choice Hot 100 awards are revealed
What’s New?
A variety of business has changed, or soon will change, the face of Muskogee
Medical
The health care industry’s landscape is transforming before our eyes
Giving back
Many local companies make supporting our community part of the business
BUSINESS MATTERS S TAFF & CONTRI B UTORS
PUBLISHER
John Newby
EDITORS
Ed Choate, Elizabeth Ridenour
ADVERTISING
Stephanie Elswick, Sales Manager
Angela Jackson
Jessica Fowler
Erin Shriver
Therese Lewis
Debbie Sherwood
Kristina Hight
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Josh Cagle
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Wendy Burton
Mike Elswick
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Cathy Spaulding
Mark Hughes
Mike Elswick
Fundraising is about friend raising
Relationship building important part of fundraising
By Wendy Burton
Charitable donations have been steadily rising for several years, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. And individual donations remain the largest source of income for charitable nonpro ts, with 71 percent of all charitable donations coming from an individual’s pocket rather than a foundation or corporate donor.
Relationship building is the most important component to local nonpro t
organizations who rely heavily on donations to continue o ering important services, such as housing, health care, counseling and more.
Muskogee’s local nonpro ts build those much-needed relationships in a variety of ways, including becoming a presence in the community through social media, advertising and mail, but mostly through the abundant community events each hosts to bring the com-
munity together.
“ e real key is building relationships,” said Gospel Rescue Mission Director Rich Schaus, who recently announced a multi-million dollar fundraising campaign for a new life-changing center. “But what has changed is the way you build relationships — websites, Facebook, email, Twitter and other social networks do play into the process.”
Individual relationships are most time
consuming, but can be the most pro table from a fundraising standpoint, he said. By seeking opportunities to share its vision, nonpro ts can build relationships that may lead to donations in the future, and it can be time-consuming.
Schaus said many of the fundraising events the Gospel Rescue Mission has hosted have been pro table, but “they don’t really make much of our revenue.”
Sharon Riggs, executive director of the Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy and Neuro-Muscular Center, said events play a large part in fundraising for the agency that “helps children with challenges in motor, communication and adaptive skills reach their optimal potential.”
“ e real key is building relationships”
“All of those that we have done (Hanging in the Hangar, Hometown Hope Run, It’s No Joke Comedy night) have been pro table, but these really are again about being out and doing something, being seen as active and a part of the community,” he said. “ ese help facilitate the relationships.”
“We rely heavily on the generosity of service-minded folks in our community to support our mission,” she said. “Websites and social media reach more people now than ever, and donations and payments for sponsorships and tickets are easily made online for convenience. However, donors and sponsors still appreciate the faceto-face personal interaction with informed and passionate people who represent an organization.”
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Gospel Rescue Mission recently launched a multi-million dollar fundraising campaign for the Miller Family Center for Life Change.
PHOT O B Y C ATH Y S PA U LD ING
Kate Whytal, 2, concentrates on raising herself while physical therapist Pat Pack holds her steady during a session at Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy and Neuromuscular Center. The center relies “heavily on service-minded folks in our community to support our mission,” said Sharon Riggs, executive director.
Riggs said Kelly B. Todd’s committee of volunteers — the Christmas Home Tour Committee — and the board of directors put together several community events each year, which not only help fundraise but also help “friend-raise,” including the Christmas Home Tour, A Night in the Tropics and the annual charity golf tournament.
“We want people to know who and what we are, and what we do to help families — not only in Muskogee, but in surrounding counties,” she said.
Using volunteers has proven to be one of the best donor development
Visitors who attended the recent groundbreaking for Gospel Rescue Mission’s new facility take a tour of the building. Director Rich Schaus says relationship building will be key to a successful fundraising campaign for the Miller Family Center for Life Change.
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PHOT O B Y M
OG&E volunteers Karen Bigby, Jason “Pawnee” Lewis and Tammie Stockton paint a mural at Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy & Neuro-Muscular Center during Lake Area United Way’s annual “Day of Caring” — an event that utilizes many volunteers and helps build relationships in the community.
techniques for the United Way, said Lisa Smith, executive director of Lake Area United Way.
“Once our campaign is complete, LAUW relies on a large committee of volunteers from the community to decide how the funding raised is placed in the community,” she said. “ e work of the Community Investment Committee is one of my favorite components of the United Way experience, because the volunteers get to physically see the work that goes on behind the scenes of the organizations LAUW funds.”
“I never knew that” or “I had no idea that went on here in our community” are common phrases she hears from volunteers.
“Making those connections with volunteers and allowing them to have the experience is vitally important to donor development, whereas 50 years ago at United Way donors gave because ‘it
was the right thing to do,’” she said. “I see on the horizon new ways to donate through ‘text to give’ and other platforms as they become available. But even then, telling the story and capturing the donor through an experience are vitally important.”
Best Food & Dining
Bakery Harmony House
Bar Max’s Garage
BBQ My Place Bar-B-Q West
Breakfast Boomarang Diner
Brunch Harmony House
Bu et My Place Bar-B-Q East
Cat sh Runt’s Bar B-Q
Cheese Dip Lopez Grill
Chili Speedway Grille
Cup of Co ee Erly Rush
Date Night Restaurant Red Lobster
Donuts Chandler Road Donuts
Food Truck Frank-N-Swine
French Fries Beacon Drive-In
Fried Chicken Charlie’s Chicken Muskogee
Hamburger Beacon Drive-In
Animal Shelter P.A.W.S.
Homestyle Cooking Club Lunch; Paul’s Diner
Italian Food Gino’s Italian Ristorante
Margarita Lopez Grill
Mexican Food Lopez Grill
Milkshake Braum’s
Oriental Food China King Super Bu et Pizza Mazzio’s Italian Eatery
Place for Lunch Harmony House
Salad Bar Mazzio’s Italian Eatery
Sandwich Shop Subway
Seafood Red Lobster
Sports Bar Bu alo Wild Wings
Steak Zollie’s Restaurant
Dessert Harmony House
Caterer Mahylon’s
Best Home & Services
Appliance Store Hamby TV & Appliance Warehouse
Accountant/CPA/Tax Services Jackson Hewitt
Apartment Complex Phoenix Village Apartments
Assisted Living Facility Dogwood Creek
Auto Detail Shop Tender Touch Auto Wash
Auto Glass Tinting The Tint Lady
Auto Repair Brian’s Auto Repair
Bank Armstrong Bank
Barber Shop Hollywood Hair Salon & Nails
Bed & Breakfast Historic Hayes House
Carpet Cleaning Clean Pro
Check Cashing Service Wal-Mart
Child Care/Day Care Center Jack And Jill Learning Center
Computer Repair Service The PC Landing Zone
Dry Cleaners Archer’s Cleaners
Electrician Service Etchison Electric
Employment Agency Cherokee Temps Inc.
Florist Lakeland Florist
Funeral Home Cornerstone Funeral Home and Crematory
Heating & Air Conditioning Hix Air Conditioning Service, Inc.
Hospice Hometown Hospice
Hotel/Motel Holiday Inn Express and Suites
Mortgage Company Leader Mortgage Corp.
Landscape/Lawn Care Jason Cook Lawn Care
Institute of Higher Learning Northeastern State University
Nursing Home Eastgate Village Health Care Center
Oil & Lube Quality 1 Lube & Repair
Painting Company Baker’s Custom Painting & Landscaping
Pest Control Bowden Termite & Pest Control
Pet Grooming Honor Heights Grooming Salon
Photography Studio Ruth Kelly Studio
Nursery/Garden Center Blossom’s Garden Center
Paint & Body Shop 3 Rivers Auto Collision
Place to Work Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center
Place of Worship First Baptist Church Muskogee
Plumbing Service The Hogle Co.
Real Estate Company RE/MAX
Roo ng Company Tedder’s Roo ng
Wrecker Service Morgan Towing & Recovery
Ag & Lawn Equipment Store Orscheln Farm & Home
Credit Union Muskogee Federal Credit Union
Home Improvement Store Lowe’s
Manufactured Home Store Clayton Homes
Pool/Spa Store Three Rivers Pools Inc.
Best Shopping
Antiques Hattie’s House & Vintage Market
Best Selection of Wine Muskogee Beverage
Carpet Store Mill Creek Carpet and Tile
Best Cellular Phone Store AT&T
Children’s Clothing Store Dillard’s
Convenience Store QuikTrip
Discount Store Walls
Drugstore/Pharmacy Economy Pharmacy
E-Cig/Vape Store Evolution
Furniture Store Cooper’s Furniture
Place to buy a Gift Economy Pharmacy
Grocery Store ALDI
Hardware Store Hoopes; Lowe’s
Jewelry Store Haley & Loyd Jewelry
Liquor Store Muskogee Beverage
Medical Supply Store Economy Pharmacy
Men’s Clothing Store Dillard’s
Musical Instrument Store Square Deal Music and Sound
New Car Dealership James Hodge Ford
Pawn Shop EZPAWN
Pet Store Petco
Satellite TV Provider DIRECTV
Shoe Store Brown’s Shoe Fit Co.
Shopping Center Arrowhead Mall
Smoke Shop Muscogee Indian Smoke Shop (Creek)
Tire Store Discount Tires
Used Car Dealership James Hodge Ford
Women’s Clothing Store T.J. Maxx
Consignment Shop Nicole’s Closet
Thrift Store Super Thrift Teen Challenge
Boutique Hattie’s House & Vintage Market
Best Recreation & Entertainment
Community Event Chili and BBQ Cook-O
Family Entertainment River Country Family Water Park
Travel Agency AAA Oklahoma
Place to Buy Recreational RV/Camper Earl’s Lake Country RVs
Place to buy ATV/Motorcycles Motor Sports of Muskogee
Avariety of business enterprises has either changed — or soon will be changing — the face of Muskogee.
From a new franchised location of Taco Bell going up at one of the city’s busiest intersections to lone entrepreneurs venturing out on their own, capital is being invested while jobs are being created and shoppers and diners are seeing more options.
Among those is more than a $2 million investment planned for a new Honda dealership. e 13,600-square-foot new construction should be rising soon at the site of a former Western Sizzlin’ restaurant, according to Dan Hurd, city of Muskogee building o cial.
City permits were led by Keith Haney of Owasso who owns that city’s Classic Chevrolet. e dealership will be going in adjacent to Rib Crib on Shawnee Bypass.
e $2 million value of construction does not include property or equipment that will be going into getting the dealership open.
In the local telecommunications industry, Pinnacle Telecom, a ber optic provider from Fort Smith, Arkansas, recently opened a data center at 2005 Old Shawnee Road near Beacon Street. Bill Stuckey, Pinnacle business development director, said the building will house data control equipment, and a surrounding yard will have reams of cable.
Colton’s Steak House & Grill opened at 565 W. Shawnee Bypass in early June. Construction value was $1.8 million when the city of Muskogee issued a building permit last fall.
Jeromy Noble, Colton’s general manager, said the restaurant seats about 300, and its sta has experienced a hearty welcome from the community.
“We knew there was a strong desire from the community, which really want-
General manager Ryan Watkins says I Don’t Care Bar & Grill places a heavy emphasis on the food side of operations.
ed us here,” Noble said. “Muskogee seems really happy with us. And we’re trying really hard to make sure we provide the city with a really good restaurant.”
At the new recently opened I Don’t Care Bar & Grill at 415 W. Shawnee
Bypass, Ryan Watkins is general manager. He has been with the original location in Catoosa since it opened about 2-1/2 years ago.
I Don’t Care places a heavy emphasis on the food side of operations, Watkins
Jack’s Donut opened in the new construction at 407 North York next to Cowboy’s Bar-B-Q. Italian Express Pizza and Pasta is planned for the north side of the building
while lease space between those two businesses is available.
A newly constructed replacement KFC opened in June at North Main Street and Shawnee Bypass where a
former KFC was razed earlier this year. Construction for the KFC location was valued at $675,000, according to city records.
City records indicated construction value for a new
PH OTOS B Y MI KE E LSW I CK
ABOVE: Vickie Berner, right, works with Hannah Alexander behind the counter of Mattie Jane’s On Main.
RIGHT: The I Don’t Care Bar & Grill at 415 W. Shawnee Bypass opened in early July.
reynolds alex
Panda Express recently opened at 11th Street and Shawnee
Bypass was $650,000. e location features oriental-style fast food.
ABOVE: Meagan Ferren works on an arrangement at Poppy’s Garden, a new floral and gift shop that opened at 200 S. Main St. on July 18.
Left: The menu at Station 1 features a variety of sandwiches, wraps and salads.
Main Street Muskogee
Construction started on a new Taco Bell at the intersection of West Okmulgee and 32nd Street. Construction cost on the 2,200-square-foot project was about $700,000, according to city building permit records. Work should be completed late summer or early fall, o cials said.
With a new board of directors, new ideas and renewed momentum, Main Street Muskogee has taken on a new sense of commitment in e orts to bring new life to the city’s historic central business district.
John Newby, chairman of the Main Street Muskogee board of directors and publisher of the Muskogee Phoenix, said much of the activity has been going on behind the scenes with announcements on speci c developments to be released as they come to fruition. But, he said, there have been many bright spots in the organization’s accomplishments.
“First, the restructuring of the board has brought many new and talented individuals under the Main Street umbrella,” Newby said.
Main Street Muskogee has secured buyin from a dedicated group of community leaders, he said.
“Secondly, we’ve secured adequate funding from the city and City of Muskogee Foundation to assure our rst year can be most productive,” Newby said. “For that we are very grateful to both the city and foundation.”
He said behind the scenes there are a number of projects involved in the revitalization of downtown Muskogee in the discussion and planning phases.
“I am a big believer in change, yet not everyone always is so agreeable,” he said. “ e best strategy is to overwhelm the system with change so that even if you lose a few battles, you win enough to keep you busy, regardless.”
While there are several projects moving forward, most are in the con dentiality phase, Newby said.
“One project we can mention is the Hunt’s Green Space,” he said. “It is our mission to have a community gathering place complete with a covered band shell and movie screen.”
Once completed, the Hunt’s Green
Space should be an open-air venue where musical events, dance recitals, local band concerts, tailgate parties, movies and much more can be hosted, Newby said.
Plans for construction work on Main Street originally scheduled to begin in September have been delayed due to the application process for the national TIGER Grant. But plans for that project are still in
the works, he said.
“ at said, my hat is o to the city and the hard-working sta that are plowing forward, regardless,” he said. “ ey have caught the vision of what this can bring and do for the downtown area and are pushing on.”
While commercial projects move forward, Newby said work is also moving for-
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While the opening of Muskogee Brewing Co. is still months away, Bill looks over some of the 20 taps that should be serving locally brewed beer in coming months.
Jack Chi is the owner of Jack’s Donut, 407 N. York St. The business is open 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. seven days a week, serving a variety of doughnuts, breakfast sandwiches and beverages.
ward on the residential component of revitalizing downtown Muskogee.
“With the passing of the City of Muskogee Foundation grant targeting the loft apartment concept, it is now a matter of when, not if,” he said. “ ere are at least ve (loft projects) in the talking phase, three in the due diligence phase and one or two that are very close.”
Newby said the Main Street Muskogee board is dedicated to the long-term goals of the organization.
“ e goals of Main Street Muskogee Inc. are actually very simple and spelled out in our vision and mission statement,” he said. “It is to bring back the Heart and Soul of Muskogee through downtown resurgence. We believe that is the only way to revive Muskogee in a sustainable and long-term way.” is past spring the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities presented the group’s nal plans for Muskogee prepared by design students. e Muskogee City Council approved the plan in July.
Newby said adopting a plan is the easy part of dealing with the study while the long-term challenge will be implementing parts of the work.
“We view that OU study more as a motivator and idea piece than a blueprint for breaking ground as the plan shows,” he said.
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Construction has continued over the summer on a new home for Muskogee Eyecare. The building is on Chandler Road around the corner from the current location on York Street. Work is expected to be completed by this fall.
There will be pieces of the study that will be adopted and there will be pieces of the suggestions that will be passed on, Newby said.
“The OU study, like most studies, serves to motivate and rally the troops, so to speak, and I believe it did an outstanding job of that,” he said. “The real test will be those that support the study opening their checkbooks to make it happen.”
Newby stressed that much of the work going on with Main Street Muskogee will not be immediately visible as the strategic plan is acted upon.
“There will be many bumps in the road to victory, this is marathon, not a sprint,” he said.
“Along with those bumps however, we will present many pleasant surprises along the way — just keep watching, cheerleading and helping and this city will once again experience the true heart and soul it has long deserved,” Newby said.
Downtown additions
Chris Pearson saw opportunity for his Reform Strength and Conditioning when he opened recently at 113 N. Main St., in downtown Muskogee. While the location provides plenty of workout equipment, Pearson said the main focus of the location is to provide individual training to help people reach their goals.
Mattie Jane’s on Main is a new dining spot at 200 S. Main St., that has under construction. Owner Vickie Berner plans to serve breakfast, lunch and feature a bakery at the bistro-style eatery. The location will have a focus on fresh foods, Berner said.
“We plan to be open for breakfast and lunch with a bakery that will have items changing daily from cookies and cupcakes to different desserts,” she said. “We’ll have a quiche of the day and soup of the day along with a variety of panini and croissant sandwiches.”
Berner said a focus of dishes served will be on freshness. Fresh basil and other herbs are planted in a small garden at the back of the building. In addition to inside seating, a part of Mattie Jane’s will be a screened-in patio out back where diners can sit.
In the same storefront as Mattie Jane’s will be a new floral shop. Meagan Ferren had been working over the summer to get Poppy’s Garden open directly in front of Berner’s bistro.
Ferren said she tentatively plans to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Mattie Jane’s on Main will join another new downtown dining option which opened over the summer — Station 1. Located in a former city of Muskogee fire station at 121 S. Second St., Station 1 will eventually be joined by a brew pub operation named Muskogee Brewing Company.
Owners and partners Ann Page, Garry Page and Bill Parris wanted to move forward with opening the dining side of their
enterprise as they continue to work on regulatory paperwork necessary to get the brewing operation going. Station 1 initially opened serving lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. but added a breakfast lineup and started opening at 6 a.m. for early risers.
Ann Page said the Station 1 menu featuring sandwiches, salads and wraps — with nothing fried — has been well received. Croissants, panini, Texas toast and baguettes feature a variety of llings from pulled pork to BLTs and the “carnivore” — loaded with hot link, bacon, ham, pepperoni and pulled pork served on a sweet jalapeño bun.
Stacy Burns took over operation of Hattie’s House Vintage Market on South Main Street in early July. In addition to operating the antique, home decor and gift shop, she and husband Jon Burns purchased six buildings adjacent to Hattie’s with plans to renovate facades on the structures over time.
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Bill Parris and partners Garry and Ann Page have been busy with the opening of the Station 1 restaurant at 121 S. Second St. They are also working on perfecting their brewing operations.
Healthy growth
transformation
By Mike Elswick
Nowhere is the saying “the only constant is change” more true than in the health care industry in Eastern Oklahoma. e year has been marked with the kicko of a new $200 million hospital expansion for the Cherokee Nation, a change in ownership of Muskogee’s hospital along with a huge focus on implementing LEAN management processes. At Muskogee’s Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center, new
technology is being used to bring about improved outcomes for patients in intensive care and in emergency rooms.
S aint Francis Hospital Muskogee
e transfer of ownership of Muskogee’s lead medical center earlier this year to the Tulsa-based Saint Francis Hospital marked a turning point for the former EASTAR Health System. Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee is moving
Healthy growth
forward under the faith-based Catholic heritage with roots dating to 1960, when the Tulsa hospital opened.
While there was a change in ownership, most of the faces on the campus are familiar ones. Anthony Young remained at the administrative helm of Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee when it changed hands in April.
Young said among the changes taking place on the Muskogee campus of Saint Francis is a move toward more e cient operations. e implementation of LEAN Process initiatives began about a year ago under EASTAR and has continued under Saint Francis.
“ e core idea of LEAN is to maximize customer value while minimizing the seven de ned types of waste,” Young said in a prepared statement. “LEAN management is an approach to running an organization which supports the concept of continuous process improve-
The transfer of ownership to the Tulsa-based Saint Francis Hospital marked a turning point for the former EASTAR Health System earlier this year as the city’s largest medical center serving the general public became Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee. The hospital is moving forward under the faith-based Catholic heritage with roots dating to 1960 when the Tulsa hospital opened, officials said.
ment, a long-term approach to work systematically seeking to achieve small, sustainable, incremental changes in processes in order to improve e ciency and quality.”
Young said a key tenant is respect up and down the chair of encounters within a lean environment. L EAN is not a program or short-term cost reduction program, but the way the company op-
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Mark Morgan, director at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee, visits with Dr. Jacob Sutton, hospitalist, during a press conference held to announce enhanced ICU and emergency room care for patients at the Muskogee facility via virtual remote telecommunications connections with specialists on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week at another VA facility.
erates, he said.
“ e word transformation, or lean transformation, is often used to characterize a company moving from an old way of thinking to lean thinking,” Young said.
At Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee the implementation of LEAN Processes have resulted in several improvements.
Young said the institution has noted improved patient satisfaction and decreased wait times within the emergency department. Admissions, transfers and discharges have all been streamlined.
Other bene ts have included bringing about more collaboration between patient, provider, nurses and case managers in planning discharges.
For hospital sta there has been notable employee satisfaction and improved quality of work life, Young said.
“ e LEAN program is designed
so the frontline sta has the power to make the decisions on changing processes to improve patient care,” he said. “ e outcome of each process evaluation is nding the one best way to complete the process for each sta member to follow.
“Our goal is to have all departments on both campuses up and running by the end of October,” he said. “Our sta is excited about the newly introduced lean transformation, as it gives them common stated goals which are visible to all sta and patients with our rst focus always on safety.”
Young said the process of transforming to a Lean Culture is a journey to continued process improvement and is guaranteed to deliver positive results.
Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center
A new program merging telecommunications technology with intensive care
The Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee recently enhanced its ICU and emergency room care with remote telecommunications connections with specialists on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
physicians on duty around the clock in a remote location hundreds of miles away was kicked o in Muskogee in June to better serve Veterans A airs patients, o cials said.
e new two-way real-time video links between each of the 11 ICU rooms and three emergency department rooms at Muskogee’s Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center and ICU specialists at the Cincinnati VA Center now exists. ose specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As part of the program, bedside medical data from patients in Muskogee is made available to nurses and doctors in the Cincinnati monitoring center, said Mark Morgan, director of the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System. He said the technology is especially important in enhancing medical care in predominantly rural areas served by the VA like Eastern Oklahoma.
“We are very excited. is is an opportunity for us to apply the best practices of care primarily focused on making sure we meet the needs of veterans,” Morgan said. “By having access to the team in Cincinnati, our providers or nurses have those additional resources that are maybe a little more di cult for a rural hospital.”
Morgan said use of the new technology will allow the quality of care for veterans seen here to be equal to that of any other ICU facility.
“ is is just an opportunity for us to do what’s right by the patient and what’s right by our providers and sta and also for the families,” he said.
Morgan lauded the e orts of providers in Cincinnati, including Dr. Ralph Panos, medical director, for their e orts in making the new processes work.
“ is really is evidence that the VA, regardless of where you’re stationed and
providing care at, that the VA — we’re here to take care of veterans across the country whether you’re seeing patients in your clinic or providing care a thousand miles away,” he said.
“ is is especially important to our nurses on second and third shifts on weekends, etc., when they may not have as much support sta as the day sta ,” Morgan said.
e tele-ICU partnership connects Muskogee sta and patients with the Cincinnati monitoring center, which is an advanced tele-health facility where remote intensive care physicians and nurses support the care of ICU patients by using virtual technologies and clinical information systems, he said.
Dr. Jacob Sutton, hospitalist at the Muskogee VA center, said the program will provide additional layers of professionals providing care locally.
“At night, especially 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.,
Healthy growth
it’s going to provide access to our patients,” Sutton said.
e Cincinnati sta will be able to monitor Muskogee patients, make medication changes and monitor lab work, he said.
“ is is going to provide us with an extra set of eyes and ears to assist with patient care, especially overnight,” Sutton said.
As part of the implementation of teleICU, each intensive care room has been equipped with teleconferencing equipment, allowing bidirectional audio and video communication between local providers/patients and the remote teleICU sta , Sutton said.
Cherokee Nation
In February, Cherokee Nation began construction on a 469,000 square-foot health facility to be built next to the existing W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahle-
quah. A groundbreaking ceremony was held recently, with hundreds turning out for the event, including representatives from state, federal and tribal governments.
Connie Davis, executive director of Cherokee Nation Health Services, said she noticed a lack of space at Hastings when she assumed the post ve years ago. In 2016, Hastings saw almost 400,000 patient visits. When it was built in 1986, it was designed to accommodate 100,000 patient visits per year.
With the additional space, Hastings won’t need to refer patients out of the system for specialty services.
e four-story expansion will be the length of two football elds, and more than twice the size of the present facility, making it the largest tribal health center in the country.
In a partnership with Indian Health Service, Cherokee Nation is paying
the for the $200 million construction process, while IHS has agreed to pay an estimated $80 million or more per year, for at least 20 years for sta ng and operation costs — that totals $1.6 billion. It is the largest IHS joint venture agreement ever between a tribe and the federal government.
e expansion will include 180 exam rooms, access to an MRI machine, 10 new cardiac, lung and kidney specialists, and an ambulatory surgery center featuring ve surgical suites and two endoscopy suites. e building also will house a specialty clinic with 33 dental chairs, six eye exam rooms, three audiology testing booths and diagnostic imaging. Current services such as rehabilitation services will have expanded space, as well.
e new facility is expected to bring in more than 850 new health jobs and about 350 construction jobs.
Givingback
Shining the light on those who make a difference in our community
Gospel Rescue Mission benefits from labor of love
By Mike Elswick
While many people may shop around to nd the right t as far as a way of giving back to their community, the sta at Muskogee Lock and Key found that niche years ago and stuck with it.
Muskogee’s Gospel Rescue Mission is the bene ciary, because of the work the mission’s board, sta and volunteers do in helping make a positive impact on people’s lives, said Joey Myers, spokesman for the locksmith service and its sister company, Davis Door and Hardware. Myers has served
on the board at the mission and has been involved in some way for about the past 10 years.
What he, Muskogee Lock and Key owner Mark Davis and other sta ers do on a regular basis is pay for, prepare and serve meals at the mission.
“ ey do great work,” Myers said of the mission. ere may be some misconceptions about the clients served by the Gospel Rescue Mission, he said.
“ ey’re not all homeless people,” Myers said. “ ere are a lot who have a place to live but who need a good,
hot meal. ere are a lot of kids that come down.”
For the past ve or six years, Davis has paid for the food for those meals. On designated evenings Davis, Myers and other sta ers will then prepare the meals and serve them.
“Normally, we serve dinner to 40 or 50 people,” Myers said. “But sometimes, in the winter months, there may be as many as 70 show up.”
e experience can be humbling, but it is also rewarding knowing that the group provides a warm, nutritious meal to people who
otherwise might go hungry, he said.
“Most of our guys here will go down and help cook and serve,” Myers said. e most popular meal the group serves is a barbecue sandwich with the xings. “ at’s one they love,” he said of the meal.
Myers said as a saved Christian, he felt drawn to help others. He said he was fortunate to nd a way to do that close to home through the Gospel Rescue Mission.
“Mark has really been awesome in supporting the mission,” Myers said. “What we do is mainly because of
him.”
Myers lauds the work the board and mission sta do. He said with the new facility the mission broke ground on in July, their positive impact on the community should only be expanded.
e Gospel Rescue Mission kicked
o a $3 million fundraising campaign to help pay for the renovations of a building on Callahan Street that will serve as a new home while providing expanded capacity for serving more people in need.
Working in the mission’s kitchen
can be challenging work — especially in times when the numbers of people showing up rises in the winter.
“ ere’s nothing better than the feeling you get when you’re done,” Myers said of the rm’s commitment to give back.
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Joey Myers with Muskogee Lock and Key is among staffers who regularly help out preparing and serving meals at the Gospel Rescue Mission. He is a former mission board member.
Shopkeeper likes staying connected with community
By Mike Elswick
Billie Flinn says family and friends come rst in her life.
A s a boutique owner of Bella Mea’s on East Okmulgee Avenue for about the past 12 years, she said she loves what she does and the opportunity it provides her to give back to the community. While modest in discussing her civic activities, it is easy to see she enjoys connecting — and sometimes — reconnecting with old friends.
A 1973 graduate of Muskogee High School, Flinn relishes the chance to catch up
with people she has known since her school days. Toward that end she said she is a trooper when it comes to helping out.
“ Whatever they tell needs to be done, I’ll pitch in and help,” she said.
e MHS class of ‘73 gets together about every ve years for a reunion, but in between, a lot of former classmates get together occasionally for dinner.
“ We all like to stay in touch,” she said of the lifelong friendships she made while growing up and attending Muskogee schools.
“A lot of my friends will
just stop by the shop here to visit, and I love that,” Flinn said.
W hether it is donating time and clothing for a charitable fashion show bene ting groups like e Salvation Army, Women Who Care or the Wagoner Education Foundation or helping out with a variety of tasks at St. Paul United Methodist Church, Flinn said it is a labor of love.
She shuns the spotlight but also appreciates the opportunities that serving her congregation as a greeter serving in other roles. One of her favorite ways to help
out and give back is being involved with Vacation Bible School and other children’s ministry at St. Paul.
“ It’s rewarding and fun,” Flinn said.
She got involved with VBS when her grandchildren started attending.
“ I love my church and all the people there — it’s like one big family,” she said. e congregation has been her church home since her childhood.
O ver the years, Flinn has served on the church’s Teddy Bear Committee and moved up to the Spirit Zone, as her grandchildren grew up.
She said helping out with organizing and staging style shows for charities allows her to meld her love of fashion with contributing to worthwhile causes.
W hile not spending time with her husband Roy, daughter Erin Cook and three grandchildren — Madison,
Ella and Alexis — she might be found snuggling with her canine friends, Archie and Simon, who join her at Bella Mea’s.
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Billie Flinn offers friends and customers a smile at Bella Mea’s on East Okmulgee Avenue. She has been involved with volunteering for the children’s ministry at St. Paul United Methodist Church for years.
O’Neal Bunch gives back in alternative, artistic ways
By Mike Elswick
Floyd O’Neal Bunch grew up developing a love of drawing and painting.
“My mom always told me I had an artistic side,” Bunch said.
While he still paints and creates artwork on canvas, a cow’s skull or to make an artistic statement around a mirror, he spends most of his creative e ort in an art studio of a di erent kind at 518 E. Okmulgee Ave.
While he puts that artistic side to work at J&G Tattoo Body Piercing, he also likes to give back to the community and show support for his family — sometimes in what might be considered an unorthodox way.
ousands of people a day likely drove by gra ti painted by vandals on the overpass of a busy Muskogee highway. While others may have found the messages left behind as being crude and o ensive, Bunch took it upon himself to do something about the gra ti.
As the father of ve boys and three stepdaughters, Bunch said one of the things that gets him riled up is seeing gra ti depicting obscenities and spreading vulgar messages.
City of Muskogee Parks and Recreation Department
Special Projects Manager Joel Everett said Bunch regularly used the Centennial Trail overpass and felt the need to
Floyd O’Neal Bunch spends most of his work day in the world of tattoos and body art. When he is not working he might be found painting over graffiti left behind by vandals around town or working on art for T-shirts donated for local benefits.
do something.
“I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, and that was the rst time anyone ever stepped forward to do something like that,” Everett said of the overpass cleanup e ort. “It’s
just a cool thing that he did it without expecting anything in return.”
Instead of continuing to drive by the underpass, Bunch and some friends took it upon themselves to invest in buckets
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of paint and get out to cover up the gra ti he and others found o ensive.
“Kids in the community just don’t need to be exposed to that kind of stu — it was really vial,” he said.
e e ort of covering up someone else’s publicly offensive scribblings took several visits and several coats of paint but nally got rid of the eyesore.
Everett said Bunch also has been involved in helping clean up nature trails at Honor Heights Park and the ree Forks Trail used for the Port to Fort bene t run.
He’s been in the tattoo business for
about 20 years with 12 of those years in the Dallas market before moving to Muskogee to be closer to family.
e Azalea Festival banner auction is among the events that have bene ted from Bunch’s artwork. He has donated artwork for the fundraising banner auction for the past four years.
He also has helped out with donating artwork used for fundraising events like charitable fun runs and bike rides.
Among those endeavors have been donating artwork for an annual event hosted by BACA, Bikers Against Child Abuse. e group presented him with a plaque recognizing his e orts.
Johnson: In business to give back
By Mike Elswick
Bill G. Johnson is on a mission.
At 73 years old and with a professional career behind him, Johnson said his current life goal is one of faith and a ministry tied together with a strong desire to give back. In order to make that e ort as bountiful as possible, he plans to use his Hwy 69 Outlet as a vehicle to generate pro ts that will be funneled to nonpro ts.
“ is is an exciting concept that will allow me to put my experience and history in the industry to use helping others,” Johnson said.
He has experience in both the wholesale and retail end of the grocery and retail
business environment.
“ e business plan is a hybrid for utilizing the capitalist market model of retail to bene t the lower income segments of the population,” he said. “ e intent is to develop a self-sustaining retail business with the ability to expand into other markets and services.”
With those revenues, instead of sharing pro ts with shareholders or business partners, Johnson plans to plow pro ts in the direction of established nonpro ts focused on helping the poor.
On the revenue generating side of his plan is the Hwy 69 Outlet and his plans for expanding that basic concept elsewhere in the Muskogee marketplace with
what he calls an extreme value center, which he hopes to see go in at Curt’s Center on Shawnee Bypass during the coming months.
To reach that market in a cost-e ective manner he has applied for tax credits.
In early July, the Muskogee City Council gave approval for incentives, including a sales tax rebate worth nearly $840,000 during a 10-year period, to Johnson’s plans to spur redevelopment at Curt’s Center.
Johnson said his business model is designed to achieve certi cation as a B corporation, a dual-purpose company designed to earn pro ts and pursue a social good. He said the business model has nancial backing,
and he hopes to expand it to include a nonpro t food ministry.
Johnson said the next step needed to fall into place will be securing federal tax credits for the project, which must be completed before the end of the year. e land transaction is dependent upon the availability of the federal tax credits, he said.
With the local incentives and federal tax credits, he plans to move forward with acquiring the 37.5 acre parcel at Curt’s Center.
“ is is not for personal gain — it is my e ort to give back to Muskogee and ful ll a ministry,” he said. “Muskogee has been good to me and my family.”
He sees his endeavor as
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Bill G. Johnson, owner of the Hwy 69 Outlet, has established a new concept business plan for enterprises that combine a for-profit enterprise with a strong nonprofit component.
part of a way to ght poverty in a meaningful basis.
“ I am not starting this venture for personal gain,” Johnson said. “It is intended to deliver assistance in overcoming the entanglements of poverty — both poverty of life and poverty of spirit.”
W hile traditional grocery stores target mid-income and higher-income consumers, Johnson’s concept focuses on lower-income consumers to those in the mid-income range. Johnson
said he is able to purchase food as it nears its “best buy” date.
“ It is not a safety date, or use by date or a government required date,” he said of the dates stamped on food products.
Instead, Johnson said even when the stamped dates are near or past, the food product continues to be good for human consumption.
His business plan includes purchasing wholesale products that grocery retailers re -
move from their shelves and return for credit. Johnson said his average cost is about 15 percent of the original wholesale cost, which allows his store to make a pro t while o ering consumers bargains.
e nonpro t entity is called Genesis 12:2, which will be an incubator for supporting a variety of nonprofits from Muskogee’s Bridges Out of Poverty program and Neighbors Building Neighborhoods to the Gospel Res -
cue Mission.
“ We give blessings to people through savings and then turn around and use the pro ts to aid nonprofits,” he said. “We see this as a ministry of passion. ese nonpro t groups are doing lots to change lives.”
Johnson opened Hwy 69 Outlet a year ago March, has already expanded, and needs more space for truck loads of inventory coming into the location on a regular basis.
“ e people that shop here love this store, and our business continues to grow,” he said.
A s word has gotten out about the savings o ered from buying truckloads of food below wholesale and purchasing seasonal items, like Christmas trees, at the end of season the store has drawn customers from places like McAlester, Jay, Okmulgee and other communities.
Johnson said the model takes advantage of discounted equipment costs resulting from store remodeling, consolidation and closures.
Pharmacy owners share with community
By Mike Elswick
While Becky and Chris Schil-
ler have only been the owners of Economy Pharmacy for just more than a year, they are continuing a long-standing family tradition of giving back to the community.
at tradition dates back more than 46 years and started with Becky Schiller’s parents and longtime Economy Pharmacy owners John and Janice Watson. For the Schillers, supporting educational e orts on the front lines is a key component of how they have chosen to continue giving back.
“My mom was a special education teacher for years while my dad served on the Hilldale School Board about
10 years,” Becky said.
e couple took over ownership of the business on July 1, 2016.
“My dad was very passionate about helping kids,” Becky said.
It was 10 years ago, when there were no other local businesses doing back-toschool supply drives, that her father kicked o an annual drive to provide school supplies to local students. e drive started with supplying a variety of items in backpacks for multiple grades. Over the years, additional businesses and groups have gotten on the back-toschool bandwagon to help students.
“ With this being the 10th anniversary of our drive,
with lots of people now giving away school supplies, we wanted to do something di erent,” she said.
is year Economy Pharmacy is sponsoring all second-grade classes across the city.
Chris said the supply giveaway will include about 460 second-graders in Hilldale and Muskogee schools. Every second-grade student, with exception of students receiving supplies through Indian tribe programs, will have their speci c school supply list taken care of by the pharmacies.
“ When they show up on the rst day of school the supplies will be there on their desks,” Chris said.
Economy sta ers will fan
out a few days prior to the beginning of school to ensure every second-grader is covered.
e number and kinds of items on the school supply lists vary from campuses, but regardless, each second-grader will have every item on their respective list provided, he said.
Hillary Garrett is in charge of public relations for Economy Pharmacy and is taking care of many of the details of going through the lists. She started the e ort in March.
“ We’re working to make it as smooth and easy as possible,” Garrett said.
Becky said with budget cuts to education the e ort like the retailer is making is more important than ever.
“It’s a way to say thank you, not only to the community, but to the teachers,” Becky said. Paper, pencils, Clorox wipes, tissues, glue sticks and scissors are among the items second-graders will receive, she said.
Another give-back e ort tied with the start of a new school year is the Aug. 4 Quarterback Challenge. e event pits booster clubs, athletes and cheerleaders from Muskogee High School against Hilldale High School.
Economy Pharmacy provides the hot dogs and drinks free to the individual school groups with booster clubs from each school providing volunteers to cook, serve and sell hot dogs and drinks. e events are held in the parking lots of both the east side and west Muskogee Economy Pharmacy locations with a school assigned to each location.
“ We buy and donate all the food and drinks with the schools getting to keep all the money they raise,” Chris said. e school that receives
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Economy Pharmacy owners Chris and Becky Schiller are seen with Hillary Garrett, public relations manager, in front of a wall of tissues and items that will be given away to Muskogee area second-graders as the new school year kicks off.
“ ere are no strings attached, you just come into one of the stores,” he said. Both children’s vitamins and adult versions of generic vitamins are provided and the families can come back every 30 days.
“ is is a way to promote better health,” Chris said. “We o er the program at all locations.”
Becky said the program is a way to help ll the nutrition de cit not met in most people’s diets.
the most donations at the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. event will be presented a check for $250 for athletic programs and another $250 going to the winning school’s cheerleaders.
“ ere’s also a trophy that’s awarded,” he said. “It’s pretty neat. ey bring out their grills, set out signs with the players in their jerseys out by the road getting people to stop and donate.”
One way the business gives back to the community is through a free vitamin program for local families, Chris said.
Yet another e ort the family is involved in is supporting the ght against Type 1 diabetes.
Becky serves on the board of the Oklahoma chapter of JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), a leading organization involved in research of Type 1 diabetes. She said Economy Pharmacy supports the JDRF “sneaker” campaign to raise money for diabetes research while sta ers also volunteer for an annual gala held each May in Tulsa.
“ We do our best to help out where we can,” she said.
Helping others is part of the job at ORS Nasco
Jaime Stout enjoys giving back to the community, something her employer, ORS Nasco, also places a great deal of importance on.
ORS Nasco is an industrial wholesaler with locations across the United States, and its parent company has the Essendant Charitable Foundation — which focuses on nationwide and global needs.
But it’s the work done by associates like Stout and her coworkers that shines bright in Muskogee.
“I just enjoy giving back and making others feel good and see the smile on their
By Wendy Burton
faces at the little things that we can do, which can bring them joy,” Stout said.
Stout has worked for several years on the council of associates who are responsible for determining what charities, events or community needs it will support.
Employees at ORS Nasco may opt to make donations to the local council’s e orts through payroll deduction, but sometimes they host or participate in fundraisers to support their charitable e orts.
Stout said there are probably at least 20 associates and their families on aver-
age who participate in the business’ charitable giving and volunteer at community events — and that group manages to accomplish a great deal in Muskogee and surrounding areas.
“In Muskogee, we donate to Habitat for Humanity, give to the Gospel Rescue Mission,” she said. “We also donate to the Fort Gibson Special Olympics, give backpacks and school supplies to area schools, and we’ve done the big ‘A Soldier’s Child’ project.”
ORS Nasco associates provided 1,500 backpacks in 2016 lled with school sup-
plies for students in Okay, Shady Grove, Grant Foreman, Whittier, Irving, Morris, Oktaha Woodall, and Wainwright. ey are set to donate 1,200 backpacks this year, she said.
Associates are encouraged to make a di erence in the communities they live in — not just where the business is located, Stout said.
ORS Nasco associates also partner with other businesses and organizations to make a bigger impact in the areas they can assist in.
ey’ve sponsored “A Soldier’s Child,” a program in which birthday gifts are pro-
out.”
Muskogee’s ORS Nasco associates also donate to the Huntington’s Disease Foundation, because an associate’s brother su ers from the disease, and they participate in a walk for the disease in Fort Smith, Arkansas, each year.
give back for a number of reasons.
“ We believe it is not only good for the community, but it’s also meaningful for our associates,” Horwich said. “It builds strong teams and relationships when people have built a bond by giving back together.”
vided for children of fallen soldiers.
e group, in conjunction with local businesses such as Wal-Mart, Advanced Workzone, Kum & Go and e Castle of Muskogee spent nearly $20,000 on gifts for children and threw a birthday party for an Oklahoma child whose father had died in action, Stout said.
“ We held a birthday party for that child in conjunction with Healthcare Solutions,” she said. “ e Sawyers donated the cake, and we went shopping for all October birthdays — for any child that is enrolled in their program that had an October birthday, which was probably around 200 children — wrapped and mailed those
In addition, they’ve added supporting the local library’s Touch-A-Truck annual event and the local re department’s National Fire Safety Council Fire Pup program this year, Stout said.
Tracey Horwich, executive director of Essendant Charitable Foundation, said the parent company provides the platform for people to
Horwich said the company’s Backpacks for Kids program is done nationwide — with more than 600,000 backpacks full of school supplies distributed annually.
But the local councils of associates have autonomy to decide what to support that is important to them.
“ Whatever it is they have a passion for in the community,” she said.
FILE PH OTOS
Irving Elementary teacher trainer Judy Myers zips up first-grader Chain Aubin’s new backpack when ORS-Nasco distributed 200 backpacks at Irving Elementary in September 2015.
Vanessa Parnell and her son, Bryson Parnell, work with Corinne Jackson to wrap gifts for a 4-year-old boy, one of many who received birthday gifts in 2015 through A Soldier’s Child Foundation.
Advantage Controls instills ‘giving back’ in its culture
By Mike Elswick
The spirit of giving back by the owners, management and sta of Muskogee-based Advantage Controls is deeply rooted in entrepreneurism.
Dan Morris, president of the company, said Advantage strives to foster a corporate culture of community involvement on a variety of fronts, from outright donations to civic organizations to allowing and encouraging team members to take active leadership roles in nonpro ts. But none of that would have been possible without starting a business from square one in 1994 and achieving growth and success.
“It all started with the ba-
sic need to make a living for our family. at’s step one,” he said. “Step two is trying to take care of the people who you’ve taken under your wings. We call them team members.
“Once you get successful you may get to the point where you can reach out and help others. I’m very fortunate I’m in that position,” Morris said.
Morris said a big personal inspiration in his life has been his big brother and business partner, Dick Morris.
“He always preached ‘give back, give back, give back,’” he said. “We’ve taken it to another level by making it a part of our corporate cul-
ture.”
Advantage Controls has an employee recognition program that celebrates a monthly MVP at a company-wide luncheon. e winner earns a special parking space, a plaque and a cash award. One of the criteria considered when the MVP is selected is their community involvement, Morris said. e monthly luncheon also o ers an opportunity to celebrate team member anniversaries and communicate company events, including how Advantage Controls is doing from a nancial standpoint.
At the end of the year the 12 monthly MVPs are voted on by peers and then
reviewed by the rm’s leadership team to decide who will win the Advantage Spirit Award, which includes an all-expense paid vacation along with time o with pay, Morris said.
“One of the things that quali es a person to be a MVP, which potentially quali es you to be the Spirit Award winner, is some kind of community involvement,” Morris said. “ at’s a di cult thing to measure because some people are very humble and don’t really want others to know what they’re doing, but usually, we can nd out.”
It is that “above and beyond” that is expected of workers that can make one
team member stand out over others who also are well quali ed, he said.
“ You’ve got to show up on time and be a good worker, but those are things we pay you for,” Morris said.
e company also hosts events in the community that allow sta ers to participate in and sometimes get out of their comfort zones, he said.
At Advantage Controls the giving-back spirit starts at
the top, said Lisa Smith, executive director of Lake Area United Way.
“ e amount of community involvement you see from Advantage Controls is amazing, especially for a smaller company,” Smith said. “Both the owners and their employees have the biggest hearts.”
Smith said Dan Morris is the immediate past president of the United Way who continues to serve on the board.
She also is aware he has been involved in the state chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association for about 30 years. He also is a strong supporter of the Bridges Out of Poverty program.
e company and its employees also have played roles in assisting a local food bank, sending team members to Leadership Muskogee, supporting Junior Achievement and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame among other
nonpro t groups. Advantage Controls also is a Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce Legacy Member.
“It all starts with the attitude that none of this would be possible if the company was not pro table,” Morris said. “After that, it all comes from people who care.”
Morris said with strong leadership in place at the United Way and the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association he plans to step back and focus his attention on other causes like Bridges Out of Poverty.
For team members who want to be members of local civic organizations, the company pays for their membership dues, he said.
“ We never had a whole lot to o er until we were able to build a business that provided resources,” Morris said. “ e biggest thing is giving people the opportunity to make their lives better.” e company has about 150 employees with about 135 of those based in Muskogee, he said.
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Advantage Controls team member Kevin Farrow, left, looks over a control board ready for shipment with company president Dan Morris.
TTCU encourages community support
By Mike Elswick
One of the positive aspects of working for the Muskogee branches of Tulsa-based credit union TTCU for Ron Morton is the emphasis on giving back to the community.
“ We’re part of this community and want to be involved,” said Morton, branch manager. “It’s a sense of pride we have.”
He has been with the credit union since it opened its rst Muskogee branch nine years ago, but his philosophy of giving back dates farther in the past than that. Morton was involved with the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce and other community groups before joining TTCU.
For the institution, it has roots that go back 80 years to the founding of the institution as a teacher’s credit union in Tulsa. Educational causes are near and dear to the corporate philosophy, Morton said.
Toward that end, TTCU sta ers in Muskogee have been active as one of the sponsors for the Rougher Nights at Muskogee schools.
“ We do a lot of backto-school events at area schools,” Morton said. “We do things like pass out pens, pencils and paper to help teachers out.”
E ach August as area schools gear up for the start of a new school year, TTCU sta ers can usually be spotted at each school district,
sometimes as early as 6:30 a.m. for kicko events to welcome teachers, sta and students.
“ ere’s a need and the teachers really appreciate it,” Morton said.
e credit union also is active in showing support to students and educators by supporting sponsorships of sporting teams, yearbooks and a variety of other endeavors.
e credit union also donates sta time to help determine the teacher of the month for Hilldale schools.
T TCU Muskogee sta ers and Morton have donated time to teach business-related classes at Hilldale High School.
“ We talk about business
and personal nance topics,” he said.
T TCU, as an institution and through sta support, have also been strong supporters of Save Our Schools, an e ort to help ll the gaps in budget cuts at the state and local levels.
“ For us, it’s a sense of pride,” Morton said. “We’re part of the community and we want to be involved.”
But community support from TTCU is not limited to educational causes.
Junior Achievement’s fundraising bowling night and a corporate youth shing day, where TTCU gives out shing poles to youngsters at the Bass Pro Shop in Tulsa, are other ways local sta ers and others with the
institution give back.
Morton serves on the Muskogee County Conservation District helping local farmers and ranchers. He has served as chairman of the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership committee.
Morton also has served on the board of the Muskogee County Council of Youth Services. With a mission of striving to improve lives of families through pre -
vention and intervention services, that service on the MCCOYS board ts well with the TTCU corporate philosophy of serving young people and institutions that support them.
TTCC also participates in a big way in Muskogee parades for the Azalea Festival and the Christmas parade.
“ For parades, it’s not just our sta here, we have about 50 to 60 people participate,” Morton said. “ ose that
can’t ride on our oat will walk the route.”
T TCU also gives back to area schools through its school pride VISA Card program where a percentage of purchases made by customers using the cards go back to the schools whose card the customers have selected to support.
Morton said thousands of dollars have gone back to area schools. Presentations of checks from the school pride program are usually made
branch
for TTCU, holds a planning calendar like those that will be given away to area teachers prior to the start of a new school year. TTCU staffers annually pitch in to support education and local teachers.
twice each year, according to Donita Quesnel, TTCU vice president of marketing.
“ TTCU has donated nearly $28,000 to Muskogee area schools,” Quesnel said. ose bene ting include Muskogee Public Schools, Hilldale schools and those in Fort Gibson, she said.
“ We have 16 branches throughout Northeast Oklahoma, but it all started 80 years ago at Tulsa Central with a cigar box in a teacher’s drawer,” Morton said.
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Ron Morton,
manager
Community involvement part of Firstar culture
By Mike Elswick
Firstar Bank has a company culture that celebrates and encourages community involvement and giving back in a variety of ways.
Ginger Batson, senior vice president for marketing, said sta ers are involved with a number of charities that support Muskogee.
“Our community spirit originates from our chairman who’s local and who has always stressed the importance of giving back to the community,” Batson said.
Mike Leonard is the chairman of Firstar, an institution founded about 16 years ago with community support a part of the culture.
“Every employee of Firstar Bank has ‘community involvement’ listed in their job description because we truly
feel that we have an obligation to give back to those who support us,” Batson said. “We ask our employees to keep track of the hours they volunteer, and we regularly celebrate the milestone of 100 hours of service.”
rough the middle of 2017 the bank has had six employees who have each reached 100 hours of service, she said.
“ We try to do everything,” she said. “From building a cardboard boat for River Rumba to things like working in the parks or collecting school supplies.”
For the Muskogee Exchange Club’s August River Rumba at the Port of Muskogee, Firstar’s team starts working on their entry months before the event.
“It’s something fun and
di erent,” Batson said. “We’re really competitive and usually win the People’s Choice Award — we get in costumes and have dressed as pirates, ‘50s characters and Star Wars characters.”
Batson said Firstar sta ers are a mainstay at the Lake Area United Way’s annual Day of Caring.
“ at’s a blast for us — we’ve painted several nonpro t o ces at Day of Caring,” Batson said.
e nancial institution has about 40 employees in the Muskogee market and about 150 sta ers system-wide.
“Firstar Bank has been the top nancial institution giver to the Lake Area United Way — out of 13 banks/ credit unions — every year since we started 15 years
ago,” Batson said.
Firstar has 100 percent of its employees participate in the United Way campaign, which in turn supports a variety of local charities, she said.
With that kind of corporate support it is not surprising that Firstar sta ers have been named “Best Volunteer” the past two years in the Muskogee Phoenix Hot 100 competition.
Financial adviser Bryon Brust took the honor in 2016 while Kathryn Kolmer won the title in 2017. Batson said Kolmer is involved in several endeavors.
“She’s a pretty remarkable lady,” Batson said.
Kolmer, an administrative assistant, volunteers her time at events like the Azalea Festival Cooko , Garden
of Lights, Touch A Truck, Neighbors Building Neighborhoods’ Halloween Bonanza and River Rumba.
“ Why not give back?” Kolmer asked. “ is is our home, plus it’s fun and we enjoy it.”
Brust helped establish the Hilldale Education Foundation and helped form a guiding board for the group that has grown from seven to 15 board members. In 2016, the foundation gave back $26,000 to the schools.
“Nearly all of it went to
help teachers,” Brust said.
“In these times of education budget cuts they need all the support they can get to help our students succeed.”
Brust said the foundation has helped fund programs like a school robotics team and a school resource o cer for Hilldale schools.
“It’s been awesome to watch it grow, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he said.
Batson said while Kolmer and Brust are shining examples of the type of caring sta ers at Firstar, there are
many others involved in giving back, too.
“Every year we organize a school supply drive that collects more than 2,000 items for 15 schools in Muskogee,” she said.
Sta ers are involved in the mud volleyball tournament for Women In Safe Home/ Muskogee County Council of Youth Services, Bowl-Aon for Junior Achievement, Azalea Festival cleanup and the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
“Every year, we organize a holiday toy drive and collect Christmas gifts for WISH, the Gospel Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army,” Batson said. “We o er School Spirit Debit Cards
that donate a percentage to the schools each time they are used.”
Since inception, Firstar has given more than $85,000 to schools through the debit card program, she said. is is the ninth year for the program with the bank donating $9,356 to 18 schools in Muskogee and Sequoyah counties.
“In addition to the debit card donations, we annually give over $25,000 to local charities and organizations,” Batson said.
“As you can tell, Firstar is a local bank with a big heart,” Batson said. “We love Muskogee and are thankful to have so many loyal customers.”
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Firstar Bank staffers Kathryn Kolmer and Bryon Brust have been recognized for their community volunteer efforts both by the bank and through Muskogee Phoenix Hot 100 competition.
Profiles Muskogee Area Business
CommunityCare, one of the largest health care companies in Oklahoma, is locally owned and operated by Saint Francis Health System and St. John Health System in Tulsa. CommunityCare offers a wide variety of group and individual products, including HMO, HRA, POS and PPO plans, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare supplement plans, an employee assistance program and a workers’ compensation plan.
CommunityCare is proud to be Oklahoma’s best choice for health care.
The Springs Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, a Grace Community
Phone: (918) 683-2914
Website: www.springsok.com
About us:
The Springs offers in-patient skilled nursing; physical, occupational and speech therapy; and long-term care.
The Springs is a bridge from hospital to home — a road to recovery from strokes, accidents, surgery and disability.
Private rooms, a beautiful building, 5 Star Dining and personalized care plans are among the reasons to choose
The Springs.
Edward Jones
Website: www.edwardjones.com
About us:
Edward Jones Financial Adviser Greg Gaither believes it is important to invest his time to understand you and your financial goals. Dreaming up the ideal retirement is your job, but helping you get there is his. He works closely with you, your certified public accountant, attorney, and other professional to determine the most appropriate financial strategy for you and your family. He believes in a personalized approach to investing for his clients and understands that goals, circumstances, and priorities are unique for each individual.
He began his Edward Jones career in 1984 as a financial adviser in Van Buren and Fort Smith, Ark. He relocated with Edward Jones to Muskogee in 1988. He became a limited partner with Edward Jones in 1989, and was named a principal with the firm in 2002. He was a regional leader for Edward Jones from 1997 to 2007.
Gaither is committed to meeting his clients face to face and building strong relationships. Relationships are key to providing clients with quality financial guidance. Financial planning can be an intimidating endeavor, and Gaither is dedicated to helping his clients successfully maneuver the process of planning, managing, and investing their finances.
