The 100 Gal

My favorite gift to give this year is the 2023 Christmas ornament from Friends of the Mansion. This year’s ornament is a stunning tribute to the Oklahoma Room in the Governor’s Mansion, a timeless space born in 1928 and adorned by the unique touch of each First Lady.

This ornament, No. 27 in the annual collection, was meticulously crafted in the U.S. with a 24-karat gold finish. It symbolizes Friends of the Mansion’s dedication to preserving the beautiful, historic Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion.

The ornament is now ready for purchase; limited quantities available. Secure yours today by visiting fomok.org/ornaments.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

For many years, a young engineer at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation would physically turn around traffic signs before and after every Oklahoma State University football game to help ensure safe traffic flow.

Sometimes, traffic jams extended almost to Stillwater on Highway 51, so the young engineering mind of Gary Ridley recommended a two-lane ramp onto I-35 to increase public safety. Eventually, Ridley rose to become the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation. Last month, ODOT recognized his innovative solution and decades of transportation achievements by naming the intersection of I-35 and Highway 51 “The Honorable Secretary Gary M. Ridley Memorial Interchange.”

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

The public relations industry recognized Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma with its top honor, the Best of Show Award, for its very successful influencer marketing campaign at the Annual Public Relations Society of America (Oklahoma City Chapter) Upper Case Awards. Goodwill was also honored for its Secondhand Sunday campaign, with the “Let’s see if this works” category among the four awards won at the gala.

988 Oklahoma’s public relations work was honored with five awards and Rose State College was recognized with awards in crisis communications, video marketing and digital advertising categories.

Congratulations to our clients for a remarkable year!

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Everyone loves a good sandwich and National Sandwich Day is a great reason to honor one of the world’s most versatile and beloved culinary creations by having your favorite sammie. One of mine is the Thanksgiving Panini at Fox & Rye in Edmond – it’s a seasonal delight that reminds me of the coziness of Thanksgiving dinner.

Whether you prefer a hearty sub, a delicate tea sandwich or a vegan wrap, National Sandwich Day is the perfect excuse to honor this humble yet remarkable food item that satisfies appetites everywhere.

Click here for some OKC sammie spots and a little sandwich history.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Hear from Emmy Award-winning journalist Paula Faris, who advocates for mothers in the workforce, next Tuesday, Oct. 24.

After two decades in broadcast journalism, including “Good Morning America,” Faris ditched her successful career and founded CARRY Media™ to address working mothers. Faris published “You Don’t Have to CARRY It All: Ditch the Mom Guilt and Find a Better Way Forward.”

Faris is the keynote lunch speaker at the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women Summit at 11:30 a.m. at Oklahoma City Community College. Tickets are $75 per person; available at OCSW Fall Summit or call (405) 401-6970 for sponsorship opportunities.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Sen. Darrell Weaver held an interim study on how to best educate younger students from becoming human trafficking victims. Weaver noted the average age for victims is continually lowering and is now 12 years old.

Experts from the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, Institute for Child Advocacy, The Dragonfly Home and The Demand Project testified before the Senate Education Committee.

The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women has conducted research, hosted summits and published reports on human trafficking since 2012. This year, it launched the “Not Me” educational initiative aimed at reaching students in high school and college.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

With a unanimous vote, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women (OCSW) re-elected its officers for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

The commission traveled the state on a journey visiting 15 non-profits, tribes and colleges, listening to life stories of women on economic barriers for advancement and quality of life challenges. Their stories will be championed through recommendations for legislation and policies by OCSW in its annual report to help remove the stigmas and obstacles holding back women.

OCSW also launched the “Not Me, Not My Community” initiative to educate Oklahomans on the early signs of human trafficking.

Congratulations, ladies!

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

For 90 years, the Oklahoma City Town Hall has brought national speakers to Oklahoma for its annual speaker series.

In 1933, the Junior League of Oklahoma City launched a cultural lecture series called Town Hall that was so popular it continued in the following years. After three years, organization of the series was transferred to a community-wide Board of Advisors to enrich, entertain, stimulate, inform and educate Oklahomans through a forum of nationally recognized speakers.

The 2023-2024 Lecture Series opens Thursday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. at Church of the Servant, with professional diver and shark whisperer Cristina Zenato.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Trailblazing Wanda Jackson, considered the first female rock ‘n’ roll singer, is a rare living Oklahoman to have a portrait permanently installed in the State Capitol. Her portrait by Oklahoman award-winning artist Tracey Harris was unveiled this week by Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Jackson combined country and rock genres to become known as the “Queen of Rockabilly,” and is the only person to tour with both Elvis and Adele. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

Learn more: Wanda Jackson Fan Club.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Only six blocks from where Crossings Community Church began in 1959, the current Mayfair Church of Christ will become the next Crossings location.

In 1999, to accommodate growth, Crossings relocated to N. Portland and Memorial. Since then, Crossings has expanded its ministry offerings to several church locations, clinics for uninsured, a community center and in prisons.

Crossings’ new Belle Isle location at NW 50 and NW Expressway will minister to the growing population with the goal of opening by Thanksgiving. If interested in being part of the start of the new Crossings Mayfair location, complete the Crossings Mayfair Interest Form.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Oklahoma companies are bouncing back from the pandemic with 18 making the 2023 Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies. The rankings are based on percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022.

For complete results of the Inc. 5000, go to inc.com/inc5000 and sort the interactive database by state, city and industry. The median growth for Oklahoma’s 18 companies is 198 percent, adding 1,756 jobs and 12 were repeat honorees.

Inc. Editor-in-Chief Scott Omelianuk stated, “Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic. To make the Inc. 5000 is truly an accomplishment.” Congrats to all 18!

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Oklahoma’s governor is the first to stand with women and define sex-based words such as “woman.” Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the Women’s Bill of Rights by executive order that protects women-only spaces, such as restrooms and locker rooms.

Stitt was joined with bipartisan support from Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) and Independent Women’s Voice and Law Center. The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women issued a statement that the governor’s action helps its mission of improving quality of life and economic opportunities for all women, including access to safe spaces, which is a basic human right all women should expect.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

The surprise summer box office hit, “Sound of Freedom,” is based on real-life, modern-day slavery of trafficking humans, which the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women aims to end statewide.

Each year, an estimated 4,000 Oklahomans seek help from trafficking situations. In early 2023, the “Not Me Anti-Human Trafficking” initiative launched to educate Oklahomans on recognizing the early signs of human trafficking. The Commission held “Community Conversations to Stop Human Trafficking” at colleges in Alva, Lawton, Seminole and Weatherford, and more are planned for this fall and spring.

“Sound of Freedom” is worth seeing before it leaves the theaters.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission was honored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies with the 2023 Commission of the Year Award.

The eight-member Commission launched an aggressive statewide effort to reduce barriers for access to fish and wildlife resources by adding public target shooting ranges to nearly 20 wildlife management areas, acquiring three new public areas opening thousands of acres, establishing the non-profit Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation to conserve the state’s unique wild spaces and outdoor traditions, and encouraging creation of the Oklahoma Fishing Trail. Results are record-breaking license sales and participation.

Congrats to Oklahoma’s Wildlife Commission!

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Fair Miles Oklahoma, a program developed to research alternative funding methods for road and bridge maintenance, is collecting data from participants.

Fair Miles Oklahoma currently has more than 200 Oklahomans across the state collecting data and reporting driving habits. These volunteers are sharing information about their driving through various methods, including a downloadable phone application or manually tracking their miles. More than 100,000 miles have been logged since sign-ups began earlier this year.

It’s not too late to sign up and shape the future of funding for safe roads and bridges in Oklahoma. Please visit www.fairmilesok.com to learn more.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Empower your company’s next generation of leaders at a summit featuring Grow with Google Director Jesse Haines on Wednesday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Oklahoma City Community College.

As the presenting sponsor, Grow with Google is a $1 billion global initiative to create economic opportunity for all by helping professionals grow their skills and careers to succeed in the digital economy.

The event is hosted by NextGen 30 Under 30 Foundation and 55 Over 55 Inspiring Oklahomans. Find out how your company can join Google as a sponsor or RSVP today at Emerge Empowered Summer Summit 2023.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Golf has been great for Tulsa. After hosting the PGA Championship in 2022 at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa scores again with the LIV Golf tournament at Cedar Ridge Country Club.

On the third and final day, the weather delay created some excitement, but nothing compared to the three-way playoff where Dustin Johnson bested Cameron Smith and Branden Grace to win the championship with a 15-foot putt.

This was Johnson’s first win this year. Among the six golfers who played for Oklahoma universities, Eugenio Chacarra finished the best in fifth place.

See each player’s final score at LIV Tulsa Leaderboard.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Oklahoma plays a key role in global trade with top exports in transportation equipment, machinery, electronics, chemicals and agriculture. U.S. Global Leadership Coalition tracks how each state benefits from international trade.

In 2021, Oklahoma exported $6.2 billion worth in goods, supporting 463,000 state jobs. Nearly 3,000 Oklahoma companies are exporting goods to countries around the world, and 84% are small and mid-size companies. The top countries receiving Oklahoma products are Canada, Mexico, Germany and Japan.

Visit Oklahoma Fact Sheet to learn more and discover how many international students are enrolled in Oklahoma colleges and universities and Oklahomans studying abroad.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

They had no business plan, no knowledge of the industry and just a small amount of money scraped together to invest. But that didn’t stop Burt Holmes and the late Chester Cadieux, two buddies from junior high in Tulsa, from opening a convenience store in 1958 on South Peoria Avenue.

That store was the first QuikTrip.

The first few years were tough, but their sales were soon more than $1 million a year. In 1968, they expanded outside Oklahoma when store #150 opened in Missouri.

QuikTrip recently added its 1,000th store. The company has 28,000 employees with $11 billion in sales.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership will honor four business and community leaders for their outstanding contributions to the downtown community at the 36th Annual Dean A. McGee Awards on Wednesday, June 7, in the First National Building Grand Ballroom.

Gary Brooks will receive the Dean A. McGee Award for his lifetime contributions to downtown; the Stanley Draper Award will be presented to Wiley Williams for his efforts in community excellence; Charles Nicholas (posthumous) will receive the Neal Horton Award for revitalization of downtown and Jane Jenkins will receive the President’s Award.

For tickets or sponsorships please visit the Downtown OKC website.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR

Seven accomplished Oklahoma women will be inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women on Friday, April 28, at 5:30PM in the Omni OKC.

Inductees are recognized for elevating the quality of life for Oklahoma women, opening new frontiers or serving as role models in professional achievements. The 2023 honorees include leaders in providing services to survivors of domestic violence, developing affordable housing for families, increasing healthcare services, developing strong communities and developing jobs programs for incarcerated women.

Please visit www.ok.gov/ocsw for more information on inductees along with sponsorship information.

– Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Jones PR