Review: 10 People We Followed in 2011
Editor’s Note: For the past three years Newspapers has featured 10 People to Watch in the upcoming year. Last year’s 10 People to Watch are featured here, where we review their happenings over the year. In next month’s edition, we will list 10 People to Watch in 2012.
Dr. Gerald Clancy
Dr. Gerard Clancy, M.D., is an accomplished physician and civic leader in the Tulsa area. He is currently the president of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.
His involvement in the community spans through many organizations.
Last year, he was named the chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce. He worked throughout the year to increase partnerships between regional chambers for the betterment of all residents.
In addition, he focused on job creation, regional tourism, legislative success and education.
“We must recognize we’ve gained ground on our competitors, but yet we continue to overlook and dismiss it. In order for the Tulsa region to keep pressing forward we need to recognize that we are, in fact, moving down the right track,” says Clancy.
Ned Bruha
Ned Bruha wants to teach others a better way to control animals.
Bruha began working first with trapping and relocating animals. During that time, he found a more effective way to control them.
“Now we take care of the problem instead of the symptom, which is just removing the animal,” he says, “because there will always be an animal to replace the one that was removed.”
Bruha evicts animals from structures by fixing them and creating one-way doors which allow animals to exit and return to nature without human interference.
Research shows that relocated wildlife dies or starves within two weeks after being relocated.
In 2011, Animal Planet aired eight episodes of The Skunk Whisperer, set in Tulsa. Bruha plans to return to TV in the future, although no plans are presently in the works.
Currently, Bruha is focused on building franchises. He has already franchised in Oklahoma City.
Mike Callaway
Many great things have happened this past year for entrepreneur Mike Callaway, owner of Cal-Tech Global .
Winner of the annual SpiritBank/ Tulsa Community College Entrepreneurial Spirit Award Competition in 2010. The Sapulpa-based company is expected to triple its sales this year with continued growth in the future.
For his winnings in 2010, Callaway received the $30,000 check from SpiritBank and one year of free office space in the Tulsa Collaboratorium from Kanbar Properties.
Cal-Tech, has developed the next generation hydrogen sulfide removal compound, “Sulfabate,” for treating sour natural gas, sewer gas, and landfill gas.
Callaway, whose background is in the oil and gas industry, makes Sulfabate through his Sapulpa-based company. He compares his product to a filter that removes hazardous compounds from water. Sulfabate does the same thing for natural gas producers.
Glenn Wright
Glenn Wright has enjoyed his experience as the executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. He has lived in the community his entire life and is well known for his involvement in the aviation and oil and gas industries.
With his leadership, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum has continued to grow over the past year. Education is very important to him so Wright has helped bring in even more summer campers to learn about space and aviation.
Also, he was instrumental in trying to bring one of the retired space shuttles to the museum. Though another museum was chosen, he is hopeful about another development.
American Airlines donated an airplane to the museum, which will be turned into a passageway from the planetarium to the main building. Progress will begin this year and the master plan of the property will be continued to fruition.
Damaris Johnson
Damaris Johnson’s football and academic career at the University of Tulsa officially ended in December 2011 when he withdrew from his classes.
Johnson pled guilty to embezzlement in August 2011 and was subsequently suspended from TU’s football program.
“It was my hope that he would want to stick around and work his way back onto the field and make things better for himself,” says TU coach Bill Blankenship.
Johnson holds the NCAA’s all-time records for all-purpose yards and for career kickoff return yardage. He led the nation as a sophomore and junior for all-purpose yardage.
His ability to switch momentum in games helped him earn second-team AP All-America honors and be named Conference USA’s special teams player of the year following his junior season.
Johnson is believed to have moved back to his home state, Louisiana.
Chuck Jordan
Since being sworn in as Chief of Police in 2010, Chuck Jordan has instituted practices to help the police force run more efficiently.
Jordan reintroduced the beat system of officer deployment, where each officer is held accountable for a different area of the city.
“It has helped officers focus more closely on neighborhoods,” Jordan says, “and experience more interaction with neighborhood groups and the community.”
Jordan also implemented training academies to train new officers.
Officers undergo 10 months of general and field training.
“We have always had high-caliber officers largely due to our in-depth hiring process,” he says. Officers must have a four-year degree and undergo an extensive background check.
Mayor Ray Bowen
The city of Bixby has continued to grow and provide a place to call home for residents. Mayor Ray Bowen has enjoyed his involvement in the government for more than six years.
Last year, he helped to bring new commercial developments to the community including a new location for Reasor’s, which will break ground soon. He has also worked to increase the quality of life for residents. One project for this is the Bentley Sports Complex, which is currently making new additions for young athletes to enjoy.
He also has been encouraging the development of the Arkansas River as well as the completion of a low water dam.
Park and infrastructure were also addressed this year by Bowen with the thanks of a passed bond issue.
Remmi Smith
Remmi Smith created a challenge for children in the Tulsa area to learn about and adopt healthy lifestyles through nutrition and exercise. With the help of her family, a website and television series was launched when she was only ten years old.
Last year, she had the opportunity to partner with the luxury appliance brand Thermador. With their sponsorship, her television series became known as The Culinary Kid and Remmi was documented with her experience of attending Oklahoma State’s Culinary Arts Program.
There she studied, practiced and developed her culinary knowledge and demonstrated what she had learned with others on Cox Channel 3.
This year, keep a watch out for Remmi’s new adventures. National catering company Sodexo has named her as one of the top ten to watch.
In addition, she is working with a major producer for a national television series.
Jeff Keely
Downtown Tulsa has undergone a great transition during the past decade with the Center and ONEOK Field as well as upgrades to the Brady and Blue Dome Districts. In the heart of the Burgeoning downtown area is the excellent hotel property at 100 East Second Street, the Crown Plaza Hotel, which on Jan. 1, 2011 became the Hyatt Regency Tulsa.
Leading the transition to the Hyatt Regency was General Manager Jeff Keeley, a highly respected hotelier.
Last year under his leadership, revenues were $1 million over the previous year. The customer service score increasingly improved and an industry report showed that market share is growing impressively.
Most importantly, he and his wife had a daughter named Alexis last year. Many more wonderful things are in the works for 2012.
Dan Sullivan
Dan Sullivan has become one of the most influential legislators in the state.
He was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2004 to represent House District 71 of Tulsa, where he was selected as Majority Floor Leader. He was reelected in 2006 and 2008.
Last year in October, Sullivan was chosen to head the Grand River Dam Authority where he has been leading improvements to benefit everyone in the Tulsa region.
In addition, he has worked to improve Oklahoma’s business climate by reforming worker’s compensation.
He is currently gathering facts about dredging concerns for the .
The New Year will bring about more accomplishments and leadership opportunities for Sullivan.
Updated 01-23-2012
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