Small Business Leaders Named by Tulsa Metro Chamber
AWARD WINNERS: Displaying their awards with representatives from the Tulsa Metro Chamber are, top row from left, Linda Wingo, Tulsa Metro Chamber board member and co-chair of the Small Business Awards Committee; Lori Santiago and Fred Ramos, Minority Small Business Champions; Britt Radford, Family Owned Business of the Year; and Derrick Gates, Chair, TMC Small Business Council. Front row, Jeff Beasley, Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Sheryl Chinowth, Women in Business Champion; Colleen Payne-Nabors, Small Business Person of the Year; Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor; Marvin Krueger, Financial Services Champion; Risha Grant, Small Business Journalist of the Year; and Steve Turnbo, Chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber
Don Sibley, Tulsa Metro Chamber
The Tulsa Metro Chamber honored local small businesses May 16 at the Doubletree Downtown Hotel before a packed ballroom. Small business people create jobs and serve as the state’s economic foundation with much grit and determination. The following lists the award winners, their awards and their companies.
• Small Business Person of the Year—Colleen Payne-Nabors, founder and owner of MCI Diagnostic Center. Payne-Nabors started Mobile Cardiac Imaging in 1998 with one employee, a van, and a desire to offer cardiac health care to rural communities. Today, the company has nine mobile imaging units, two diagnostic clinic locations, and 24 full-time employees.
• Family Owned Business of the Year—OCV Control Values, run by founder Tex Radford’s son, Britt Radford. The company started in 1942 as a one-man operation called Aeroparts Manufacturing. Today, the company employs 80 people, many of whom have been with the company for years, including the president, Scott Dill, with 33 years.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year—Jeff Beasley, founder of Straxis Technology. Beasley started Straxis in 2000 and expanded services from Web design to CD-ROM presentations, print design, custom software, e-commerce security, data recovery, and system audits.
• Minority Small Business Champions—Fred Ramos and Lori Santiago, with the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, for their dedication in helping Hispanic business owners start and operate companies.
• Women in Business Champion—Sheryl Chinowth, owner, broker and CEO of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors, for mentoring other women in her company and helping others balance work and family.
• Financial Services Champion—Marvin Krueger, a professional certified accountant, who has spent several years advising start-up businesses and helping owners with financial and legislative issues.
• Small Business Journalist of the Year—Risha Grant, owner, publisher and editor of the bimonthly Xposure Business Magazine.
State SBA Honors Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration’s Oklahoma district honored small business owners across the state for their business and advocacy accomplishments.
Awards presentations were made April 26 during a luncheon in Midwest City. The state awards ceremony follows National Small Business Week (April 10-14). The regional and statewide award categories and recipients are:
2006 Oklahoma Small Business Person of the Year
Phillip Craig Miller, CEO of Long Wave Inc., in Oklahoma City.
2006 Oklahoma Small Business Champions (regional winners)
Roger Pugh, Small Business Exporter of the Year, president and owner of L&W Equipment, Poteau;
David L. Perkins, Small Business Journalist of the Year, president of D.L. Perkins, Tulsa;
John Jay Kinder, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, owner and president of The Jay Kinder Home Selling Team, Lawton.
2006 Oklahoma Small Business Champions (state winners)
Scott N. Burnett, Family-Owned Small Business of the Year, president of Burnett, Inc., Tulsa;
Paul Ellwanger, Financial Services Champion of the Year, executive vice president of City National Bank & Trust, Lawton;
Lynn Flinn, Women in Business Champion of the Year, owner of EWF International Franchise, Tulsa;
Carl McKittrick, Home Based Business of the Year, president of McKittrick’s Precast, Tulsa;
Hari Musapeta, Minority Small Business of the Year, president of P&R Supply, Tulsa;
Guy M. Thomas, Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year, founder of Veterans Enterprises, Tulsa.
Updated 05-30-2006
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