BUSINESS & PEOPLE NOTES
Wisconsin-based Greenheck Group, a global manufacturer of commercial air movement, control and conditioning equipment, has hired Rachel Anderson as director of its new Tulsa campus to lead community integration and employer-of-choice initiatives in the Tulsa region.
Anderson has more than 15 years of public relations, leadership consulting and community relations experience in Tulsa. Previous roles include vice president of inclusion and account services for Schnake Turnbo Frank, and vice president of communications and marketing for the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
Greenheck Group broke ground on its Tulsa campus in December 2017. Production of the company’s first business line in Tulsa, the Accurex brand, launched in November 2018. The number of Greenheck employees could grow to more than 600 in the next five years, and the company has created the campus director role to serve as the primary leader and point of contact for Greenheck Group within the community.
Tulsa-based Big Elk Energy Systems, LLC has named Jamin Fagan as its new U.S. director of sales.
Fagan comes to Big Elk as a longtime, active member of the hydrocarbon energy industry. Before joining Big Elk, Fagan served as director of business development for an engineering, manufacturing and construction company, overseeing significant sales growth and increasing revenue by more than 100 percent during his tenure.
As director of business development for Big Elk, Fagan will be responsible for the development and performance of all sales activities, with a primary focus on new business growth.
“We’ve experienced national, record-breaking growth at our company and its because of our people. With the addition of Jamin, we’ll not only continue that trend, but take it to the next level,” said Geoff Hager, CEO of Big Elk. “We’re excited about the depth of knowledge and industry relationships he brings to our company. He’s a perfect fit for our culture, and we’re just getting started!”
Mayor G.T. Bynum announces that James Wagner will serve as the chief financial officer for the City of Tulsa and oversee the finance department.
The Finance Department administers centralized public financial functions for the city through seven divisions: accounting, administration, budget and planning, city clerk’s office, purchasing, treasury and utility services.
Wagner currently leads the Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation (OPSI) for Mayor Bynum, which is responsible for using data to align citywide strategies toward priority goals set by the mayor and city council. Through his team’s work, city employees are using data to empower better decision making while lowering barriers to adopting new and innovative practices.
Wagner fills a vacancy left by the passing of longtime City Finance Director Mike Kier in December.
Wagner has been instrumental in creating Tulsa’s first performance management system, TulStat, and received national recognition for his role in creating the Civic Innovation Fellowship Urban Data Pioneers.
Most recently, Wagner helped acquire a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies for the Greenwood Art Project and works with the Bloomberg Philanthropies and Harvard City Leadership Initiative to create technical approaches in building a stronger animal welfare system. He was also selected as a participant in the Results for America Local Government Fellows Program.
Shane Nelson, president of Action Staffing Group, has joined the OK2Grow board of directors. He has been involved in Ok2Grow for several years. He says his involvement with OK2Grow stems from the opportunity to mentor and help educate Oklahoma students.
“To me, the bottom line is that students need opportunities and companies need employees,” said Nelson. “We have to work together to make that happen and OK2Grow is a great place to do it.
“The available workforce in our country is shrinking every year but the number of jobs available is increasing. Over the next 10 years, more than 2.5 million baby boomers will be retiring and currently, there is a major gap of eligible candidates to replace them. According to the department of labor, there will be a need for more than 3.5 million jobs in the manufacturing field, with 2.5 million baby boomers retiring during the same period. To address the issue, companies have to work in partnership with organizations like OK2Grow to help educate students on available careers and the pathway to those careers.”
SMG has named Casey Sparks manager of BOK Center and Cox Business Center. Sparks most recently served as the assistant general manager for the BOK Center for five years.
Sparks began her career in Columbia, South Carolina at the Colonial Life Arena after graduating with a degree in sport and entertainment management. Since then, she was recruited to AT&T Center, a 18,500-seat venue in San Antonio, Texas home of the NBA San Antonio Spurs before moving to Tulsa as the regional director of sales and marketing for 17 facilities, including BOK Center. Sparks was instrumental in BOK Center’s pre-opening venue development and grand opening plans, where she helped host 184 events in the first 10 months of operation. During her tenure, she led the new arena to be a national and international ranked facility for ticket sales.
“It is an honor to continue to be part of this team,” said Sparks. “Cox Business Center and BOK Center are spectacular facilities with a reputation of being the best.”
BOK Financial has named Susan Hermann, senior vice president, director, corporate communications.
Hermann brings extensive knowledge to BOK Financial, having served 18 years with CoBiz Financial, most recently as the director of corporate communications. Prior to CoBiz Financial, Hermann worked in communications and community relations for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and The Reynolds and Reynolds Company.
Hermann, a longtime Colorado resident, will be based in BOK Financial’s corporate office in Denver.
