Headlines of the Week

State of imagination: Creative Oklahoma gears up to host world forum
The Journal Record
March 8

OKLAHOMA CITY – Throughout the state’s history, Oklahomans have been called free-spirited, gutsy, determined.

Now add creative to the list.

Creative Oklahoma is an organization that was started in 2006 to foster creativity in culture, commerce and education. Its board, comprised of thought leaders from every area of society, envisioned harnessing Oklahoma’s creative spirit and cultivating it in a way that changed the state’s future.

“The seeds of this project have been planted in Oklahoma for a hundred years or more,” said John McCarroll, Creative Oklahoma board member and executive director of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority. “This is a creative place to be, and folks in Oklahoma sometimes don’t give themselves enough credit for how creative they really are in solving problems.

“This project has planted a flag in the ground to celebrate our creativity, but also to encourage others to say, ‘I’ve got an idea. I can contribute,’” he said.

Since its inception, Creative Oklahoma board members have been making strategies, raising money and rewarding those who are doing innovative things. But now the group has thrust Oklahoma into the world spotlight. In 2007, Oklahoma was named one of 12 “districts of creativity” around the world – the only U.S. representative – which connected the state with others on the same creative journey. Then Creative Oklahoma made a bid to host the World Creativity Forum – and won.

From Nov. 15-17, delegates from around the globe will visit Oklahoma City to connect with each other and to see what Oklahoma is all about. Susan McCalmont, Creative Oklahoma board member and executive director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation, said New York and Los Angeles have been the only exposure to America that many of the international delegates have. Many of them are curious about what Oklahoma has to offer.

McCalmont, too, was once one of those outsiders, having moved to Oklahoma 20 years ago from Washington, D.C.

“You see Oklahoma as a young state, but it’s a diverse mix of cultures and has a strong frontier entrepreneurial spirit,” McCalmont said. “It’s one of the last places in America where you can live the American dream. The branding of the conference is ‘Creative Frontiers,’ and we see Oklahoma as a true creative frontier. Look at any discipline, and we are producing global entrepreneurs and leaders. There’s something very special about this place.”

Creative Oklahoma is unique because it seeks to leverage creativity in all areas of life, McCarroll said. Creativity traditionally has been associated with arts and culture, but it extends beyond that to education and commerce, he said. Creativity means things like discovering the newest way to generate energy, a novel way to battle disease and an original approach to teaching young people.

And, like the state’s entrepreneurial spirit, Creative Oklahoma isn’t a mandate but a cause shared by many types of people.

“No one in government or someone from a major industry is saying, ‘We’re going to do this,’” McCarroll said. “It’s really a grass-roots effort.”


Senate passes bill on workers’ comp
The Journal Record
March 10

OKLAHOMA CITY – A proposal that makes major changes in the state’s workers’ compensation system passed the Oklahoma Senate this week on a 28-18 vote.
The measure, Senate Bill 1973, now moves on to the House of Representatives.

Under the measure, the number of the state’s workers’ compensation court judges would be reduced from 10 to eight. The bill also increases the judge terms from six to eight years and limits each judge to one term.

The measure’s sponsor, Senate Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said the changes would aid the state’s business community.

“These reforms are vital to ensuring the economic viability of Oklahoma business – both large and small,” Coffee said. “With the reforms outlined in this legislation, Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system will be more fair, equitable and efficient.”
Coffee said the bill also would allow the system’s current judges to be reappointed to one eight-year term and defines the position of the court’s medical director.

“This bill is the product of hours of discussions with all stakeholders in this issue, from business to the medical and legal communities,” he said. “Business owners are reluctant to open new businesses or expand existing in our state, due to the costs of doing business.”

Coffee said the measure would exempt employers from liability for injuries arising outside the course of employment and take a big step toward making Oklahoma more business-friendly, while protecting the rights of injured workers.”

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen claims reduced statewide, but awards have increased exponentially, causing unreasonable hardships on employers and workers both,” he said.

Manager of MAPS for Kids tapped to oversee MAPS 3
Brian Brus
March 11

OKLAHOMA CITY – The manager of Oklahoma City’s MAPS for Kids tax-supported school capital improvements program will also oversee $777 million in MAPS 3 projects, City Manager Jim Couch announced this week.

Eric Wenger said the two programs will be run with separate employee teams, but out of the same office. In 2001, Wenger was appointed program manager for MAPS for Kids, which is slated for completion in the next two years.

The MAPS 3 package of projects is the third in a series of temporary sales tax issues to support metropolitan area projects, the basis for the acronym. MAPS for Kids was the second package. MAPS 3 was passed by about 54 percent of city voters in December. The 1-cent sales tax is set to expire after about seven years. By then, several projects will be well under way. The list includes a 70-acre downtown park, streetcars, a convention center and hiking and biking trails. The money will also pay for a whitewater kayaking site on the Oklahoma River, sidewalks, neighborhood senior health centers with aquatic facilities and improvements to State Fair Park.
As part of the administrative process, a public advisory board will be established to ensure transparency. Board members will be named by the end of this month, Wenger said.

Wenger and his staff will be responsible for daily management of tasks such as hiring architects and engineers, placing competitive bids and scheduling advisory board meetings.

The most challenging aspect of the job that Wenger is expecting, based on his past MAPS experience, will be the changing market for a long-term program.

“It’s going to be the economy,” he said. “Since this is a sales tax project, collections will be variable and not totally foreseeable. We can make some projections, but there will be change throughout.

“So the biggest thing we’ve learned is to always maintain adequate contingency funds. Never budget 100 percent of a project’s value,” Wenger said. “Most people do that for things occurring in the construction phase, but you really have to do those things much, much earlier in the process.”

Wenger worked for the city’s Public Works Department from 1994 to 1998, and served as project manager for the design and construction of the Bricktown Ballpark and downtown Arena. He left for a private firm shortly before returning as associate civil engineer in 1999.

“Eric has earned the confidence of everyone who has worked with him,” Couch said. “He is a proven leader with experience in delivering MAPS and MAPS for Kids projects in budget and on time.”

Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology created jobs in Oklahoma in 2009
OKCBiz
March 11

Last year, 2,815 jobs were created or retained in 2009, with help from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. The firm recently released the figure as part of its 2010 Impact Report.

Among other reported findings:
• Employees of OCAST-funded companies were paid 19 percent more than Oklahoma’s average per-capita income.
• OCAST funded 82 projects in 2009, and award recipients filed a total of 207 patents in the year.
• During the organization’s 22-year history, OCAST has invested $178,034,917 in Oklahoma companies and researchers, and funded a total of 2918 projects.

Companies and researchers use OCAST's awards as a basis to attract national grants and private funding to grow their businesses, resulting in more than a $3.5 billion return to Oklahoma.