TU’s Collins College Inducts Malcom, Thomas Twins
HALL OF FAMERS: From left, University of Tulsa President Steadman Upham with newly inducted Collins College of Business Hall of Fame members William Thomas, Robert Thomas and Steve Malcomb and TU Collins College of Business Dean Gale Sullenberger.
The University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business inducted three of Tulsa’s top business leaders at its Hall of Fame ceremony on Nov. 1 at the Allen Chapman Activity Center on the University of Tulsa campus.
Steve J. Malcolm was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the 2011 Outstanding Business Leader. Brothers William and Robert Thomas were recognized as this year’s Outstanding Entrepreneurs. TU’s College of Business founded the Business Hall of Fame in 2000 as a community forum to honor the widespread contributions of outstanding Tulsa business leaders. With the inclusion of the three new honorees, a total of 35 individuals belong to the Hall of Fame.
“These individuals are truly the driving force behind our community and our economy,” say Gale Sullenberger, Dean of the Collins College of Business. “They create jobs and career opportunities for thousands of our friends and neighbors in Tulsa, in Oklahoma and beyond. They generously advance our community by providing resources and assistance to service agencies. And they inspire our students through their examples and often through direct involvement in our programs.
Malcolm is the recently retired chairman, president and chief executive officer of Tulsa-based Williams. His retirement in 2010 marked the end of a 26-year career at Williams in which he held leadership positions throughout the company, including areas encompassing business development, gas management, and midstream gathering and processing. After serving as the president and of the company’s Energy Services business unit, Malcolm was named of Williams in January of 2002. He steered the company through several tumultuous years and ultimately led Williams to its position as the 10th largest producer of natural gas in the United States. By the time he retired in 2010, Malcolm had taken the company’s market value, which was nearly nothing when he took over, to more than $14 billion.
Malcolm has served on the boards of the of the , of Greater Tulsa, St. John Medical Center (Tulsa), The University of Tulsa Board of Trustees, Tulsa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League Advisory Board, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and many other foundations and community service organizations. Malcolm is a 1970 civil engineering graduate of the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla).
Twin brothers William and Robert Thomas are lifelong Tulsa residents and business partners. Their entrepreneurial spirits emerged early in life when the two started a lawn-mowing business in their neighborhood. They played football for The University of Tulsa where they both received Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science in 1975. They began a real estate company in 1976 and in 1989 shifted their focus to the senior housing industry and founded Senior Star Living. Now the company has 12 retirement communities in six states that are home to nearly 2,000 residents.
William served as the chairman for the American Seniors Housing Association, where in three years he was able to boost the organization’s fundraising by 1,000 percent. He is the chairman of the Tulsa Community Foundation Board of Trustees and serves in volunteer leadership positions for a number of other local non-profit organizations including Senior Services, Sooner Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The University of Tulsa Board of Trustees, Philbrook Museum of Art, the Domestic Violence Intervention Service, and the 2012 Philbrook Wine Experience with his wife, Susan.
Robert currently holds national executive leadership positions for the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, where he serves as treasurer, and the American Senior Housing Association. Locally, he serves in volunteer leadership positions for the Tulsa Community Foundation, Senior Services and the Sooner Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. His previous leadership positions include an eight-year term with the National Alzheimer’s Association Board, the Mental Health Association in Tulsa, Street School and the Alzheimer’s Association.
The Collins College of Business Hall of Fame inductees have distinguished themselves by paving the road for others, building community partnerships and generously giving their time and efforts to philanthropic organizations. For more information on TU’s Business Hall of Fame, call Amy Berry at 918-631-3111.
Updated 11-21-2011
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