Despite COVID19’s impact on schools, the Leadership Rogers County class of 2021 was able to tour multiple educational facilities on Wednesday, November 4. The class started their day at Claremore Public Schools, where Superintendent Brian Frazier gave some history of the Claremore school district and followed with information on projects that the school has on the horizon. Attendees were able to tour Claremont Elementary School, where the highlight was placed on the Innovation STEM lab, one of many located within each elementary school in the Claremore Public Schools district. The Leadership class was also treated to a bus tour that highlighted other campuses in the district and exciting new projects that are under construction.

The next stop was Sequoyah High School, where attendees were welcomed by Superintendent Terry Saul. Proud of his employees and students, Saul was quick to brag about how the school was able to pivot during the pandemic shutdown. Sequoyah Schools were able to broadcast live classes by partnering with RSU TV, allowing students easy access to education. The Leadership class then toured several classrooms at Sequoyah High School, including Family and Consumer Sciences and the Ag Building.

From there, attendees made their way to the Northeast Tech Claremore campus. Superintendent Roger Crutchfield spoke to the group about all the areas that are served by Northeast Tech, from full-time high school students to adult students to business and industry. Claremore Campus Director, Liberty Shere, shared with the group about new programs coming to the Claremore campus, then took the Leadership class on a tour of several classrooms, including the EAST classroom, the CNC machining shop, and the health careers lab.

To end the day, the Leadership class was welcomed at RSU by Dr. Robert Goltra, Vice President for Student Affairs. Dr. Goltra explained everything that is covered under the umbrella of student affairs and placed a strong emphasis on the community relationships that have been built between RSU and the communities served. Vice President for Development of the RSU Foundation, Steve Valencia, explained how the 501c3 organization has helped to award numerous scholarships to students, as well as fund the Hillcat Heroes program, which provided money to students in need during COVID19. Finally, RSU President Larry Rice gave a history of RSU, as well as current enrollment numbers on campus. Rice is proud of how the school has responded to the pandemic, stating that RSU “remained open due to masks, prayer, and good luck.”

The key takeaway from the day is best summed up with a quote from Claremore Public School Superintendent Brian Frasier, who said, “Education is a great equalizer. It levels the playing field for everybody and evokes options for all of us.”
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For more information regarding Leadership Rogers County, please visit leadershiprogerscounty.org.

The Leadership Rogers County Class of 2021 met recently for Health Day. The group heard from Eric Eaton, Director of Operations at Hillcrest Hospital in Claremore, along with George Valliere, CEO at the Indian Hospital in Claremore.   
The overwhelming amount of information provided by both gentlemen gave the LRC Class a much better understanding of the steps each location is taking to not only administer and care for coronavirus patients during this pandemic, but what they are doing to protect the staff and patients using strict disinfecting standards. 
The class traveled to the Northeastern Oklahoma Cancer Institute right here in Claremore where they were awed by the information received in regards to the state-of-the-art Varian Halcyon radiation machine.    
Did you know that the Varian Halcyon radiation machine at this very facility was number 19 off the production line and the first one off the line in use outside of an academic institution? This machine is incredible and has provided amazing results for our local residents. 
The class learned that the goal of the parent company of Northeastern Oklahoma Cancer Institute, Radiation Business Solutions, is to focus on providing quality care for cancer patients in rural settings. Research has shown that patients respond much better to treatment when they are able to receive it close to home. The precision and accuracy that this machine provides has significantly reduced treatment times, which allows patients to spend much less time receiving the treatment, and more time recuperating at home.   
The class also had a fun leadership activity presented by Megan Edwards of Northeast Tech. She had the class go through a stack of “Motivation” cards in which they had to narrow down the top five things that motivated them to be great leaders and/or great employees. It was interesting to hear everyone’s top five and how even those that had similar results, their varying perspectives, job roles and experiences contributed to vastly different reasons behind why they chose those motivators. 
All in all, it was a very informative day in which the class was able to listen to local health leaders talk about the amazing efforts going on in this community that perhaps we do not see on a day to day basis. Great things are happening in Rogers County! 
For more information about enrollment in Leadership Rogers County, please contact Executive Director Ashley May at [email protected]. Visit leadershiprogerscounty.org for more information.

It was Quality of Life Day for the 2021 class of Leadership Rogers County. The class toured and met with multiple Claremore area nonprofits to gain knowledge and an understanding of needs that need to be met.  

The 2021 class toured Light of Hope, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma, and the Claremore Animal Shelter. Leadership Rogers County's own Layla Freeman invited the class to start the day at Light of Hope. Nancy Phelps, the Executive Director and Layla Freeman, founder of Light of Hope, gave the group a tour of the new building and spoke about the different programs the organization offers. Light of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit assisting individuals that face addiction and other life struggles.  Resource Assistance, Community Awareness, and Encouragement Support Groups are a small portion of what Light of Hope does for the community. Groups are open to anyone, and they invite individuals, family, and friends facing the struggle of addiction or any life difficulty. "I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share Light of Hope, and all of our services and programming, with Leadership Rogers County. We believe that collaboration, partnership, and unity are the keys to building a better community. Light of Hope helps educate, bring awareness through prevention, and assist in life recovery. We cannot do this alone. Together, along with our partners and community, we are "Helping People See the Hope," stated Layla Freeman. 

The next stop on the quality of life tour was the City of Claremore's Animal Shelter. Animal Control Supervisor Jean Hurst led the discussion about the importance of the animal shelter. The animal shelter does all things animal-related within the city limits of Claremore. Supervisor Jean Hurst said she is incredibly proud of the animal shelter's classification as a "no-kill" shelter for dogs. The class saw the animals' humane conditions and how they are housed as they wait for their forever homes through adoptions. Supervisor Hurst said, "Our facilities are cleaned and sanitized seven days a week, even on holidays." 

During the day, the last stop was the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Northeast Oklahoma. Executive Director Angela Henderson spoke to the valuable work the numerous volunteers do when it comes to children that have been abused and navigating the judicial process. The volunteers are direct links to the judicial process and advocate for the children during the judicial process. The volunteers are the eyes and ears for the Court when it comes to the children's welfare. Executive Director Henderson told the group that the organization's greatest need is the need for volunteers to help the many children in need of services.

To kick off the annual Leadership Rogers County Education Day, the Leadership class started their day at Legacy Christian School. The class was able to attend the Rise and Shine Chapel Service where students prayed, worshiped, and gave an offering. The word of the week was Courage. Legacy students were then given examples of ways they can show courage. The Leadership class learned about the school’s service project for the Month: Operation Christmas Child. Many Leadership Rogers County class members took a box to help the school meet their goal of 75 boxes. After the Rise and Shine service, the Leadership class was taken on a tour by Legacy Christian School Principal Jill Hendrickson.
The next stop for the Leadership class was Justus-Tiawah’s North Campus. The class was welcomed by Superintendent Ed Crum. Here the class learned that the school has been around since 1889 and is the only K-8 school in the Claremore School District. Justus-Tiawah also offers Pre-K classes for students. With enrollment around 560 students, Justus-Tiawah offers a unique learning experience that prepares them for the future. Their vision for students is to be academically sound and prepared for what’s to come. After a tour of the North Campus, the Leadership Class made their way to Northeast Tech’s Pryor Campus.
At Northeast Tech, the Leadership class was able to sit down and speak with Superintendent Roger Crutchfield. Northeast Tech is mainly known for their classes offered to high school and post-secondary students, but they also have a wide variety of adult classes. They are proud to offer an LPN program where students can bridge to an RN associate degree. While on campus, the class was able to tour the Visual Communications, Welding, and Diesel Mechanic Departments. Students are offered on the job training and able to earn certifications upon graduation. The class was also able to see the plans for the new Cosmetology Department that is currently being built.
To end their day, Leadership Rogers County was welcomed at RSU. Here the class was able to visit the famous RSU golden dome and see the beautiful views of Claremore. The class was able to hear from RSU Professor Dr. Brian Andrews regarding his current archeological digs he is working on. Many of his students earn college credits while assisting him on digs. The Leadership class was then taken on a bus tour of RSU with stops at their Nursing and Esports Departments. RSU will soon become the second college in the US to offer a degree in Esports. After their tour, the Leadership class was able to hear from RSU President Larry Rice and learn about the history of RSU. Starting as a military academy, RSU is now an accredited four-year university governed by the University of Oklahoma.
For more information regarding Leadership Rogers County, please visit our website at leadershiprogerscounty.org.

 
The go-getting, highflying, powerhouse group known as Leadership Rogers County 2019 (LRC’19), spent their March session exploring a slice of the Media and Tourism realm within Claremore and Rogers County.  The LRC’19 group—an assemblage of positive thinkers, networkers, and pathfinders—had the opportunity to crawl inside the brains and tunnel beneath the façade (literally) of establishments such as Hard Rock Tulsa, moreClaremore, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, and the Claremore Museum of History.
The day kicked off at downtown’s North Block Common with Barby Myers, CEO/President of the Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce.  And while one might presume that the Chamber of Commerce only acts as a voice for area businesses, it is involved with much more!  According to Myers, “It’s important to have a balance of being a community partner and doing what needs to be done for business.”  Whether it means putting on events such as the Gridiron or partnering up with the city, schools, non-profits, or any aspect of the community, the Chamber is there to be relevant in Claremore.  Regarding tourism specifically, some of the factions that the Chamber is involved with include Visit Claremore, Claremore Main Street, and all of Claremore’s exceptional museums.  

Next on the agenda was Ashley May to speak about moreClaremore, for whom she serves as Media Director.  May gave a brief history of the media outlet’s beginnings, which involved Amy Gordon, owner and founder of moreClaremore, “wanting to create a place, like a website, where everyone in town could find out everything going on in town,” said May.  Enter Gordon’s brother and cofounder, Robert Melton, and the website was born.  From the outset, the product of moreClaremore has been pure, relentless optimism.  “We always say, be great, be helpful, and everything we do is positive,” said May.  A source for news, a comprehensive community calendar, a business directory, and much more, moreClaremore’s success has spawned groups and events such as the Claremore Collective and the West Bend Block Party. 
Once warm and dry within the confines of North Block Common, LRC’19 then journeyed through drizzly rain a few blocks east to the former Will Rogers Library building that now houses the Claremore Museum of History (MoH).  Upon the first step inside the group was greeted by a booming, “Hello there!” from a beaming Andy Couch, Executive Director/Curator of the museum.  Couch, who is also an LRC’19 member, immediately tasked everyone with a scavenger hunt for facts, which turned out to be one of his crafty ploys designed to make his fellow LRC’19 members experience various exhibits of the museum.  With a relatively small footprint that sees 4000-5000 visitors per year, the MoH packs a punch.  It preserves the history—including original artifacts—from some of Claremore’s greatest such as, Lynn Riggs, Patti Page, Stuart Roosa, and now Andy Payne!  Like a prideful father, Couch boasted, “The Claremore Museum of History is Oklahoma’s greatest secret!” 

A quick trip back across town led the LRC’19 gang to the famous Will Rogers Memorial Museum.  Joined by Executive Director, Tad Jones, and Will Rogers impersonator, Andy Hogan.  The world-class memorial museum is the ultimate tribute to Will, the Great American Cowboy Philosopher.  While one can spend days/weeks touring the place, the LRC’19 trip was rather brisk, but not without a major highlight:  a trip into the mausoleum!  Carefully, the group made its way down the steps into the underground tomb where Will, his wife, Betty, and three of their four children are interred.  Some members also got a sneak peek into a backroom vault, which contained some of Will’s personal items including the overnight bag that he had with him on his final flight in Alaska. The Memorial has been a part of Rogers County for over 80 years and is, perhaps, the mecca of the flourishing tourism operation in Museum City.
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The final trip of the day was to Hard Rock Tulsa.  A vast, gleaming hotel/casino featuring nine restaurants, a golf course, a major concert venue, and much more—one would likely be hiding under a rock if he/she didn’t know about this place.  Led by a very knowledgeable Sr. Sales Manager, Marke Burroughs, the LRC’19 bunch toured the sprawling casino, including the newest wing that includes the Track 5 dance hall that is part of a 65,000-square-foot expansion.  Burroughs ended the tour with a lengthy Q&A in one of their luxurious hotel rooms.  Once the group was sufficiently informed, Hard Rock Tulsa provided a delicious lunch for all. 
Leadership Rogers County is a program designed to develop talent and broaden perspectives. Whether you are a present or future community leader, want to build your networking circle, or just have fun learning about your city, the LRC program provides you with practical information concerning community problems and issues.  Apply today at www.leadershiprogerscounty.org.
 
 For more information about the locations visited, check out the following websites:

• Will Rogers Memorial Museum:  www.willrogers.com
• Claremore Museum of History: claremoreMoH.org
• Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce: claremore.org
• Hard Rock Tulsa: https://www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com/

 
 
 
 
     

Leadership Rogers County spent the day touring Tulsa’s Port of Catoosa and two manufacturing facilities, Steel and Pipe Supply located at the Port of Catoosa, and Pryer Aerospace located in the Claremore Industrial Park. The group also received insight from a panel of local Economic Development experts: John Feary, Executive Director, Claremore Industrial & Economic Development Authority; Jill Ferenc, City Planner, City of Claremore; and Jessica Jackson, Executive Director, Claremore Main Street.

The day began with an overview of Tulsa’s Port of Catoosa provided by Sheila Shook. Shook stated, “The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is a 445 river mile system running from Catoosa to the Mississippi River.” Further, Shook told Leadership Rogers County, “Catoosa is 420 feet high in elevation than the Mississippi River.” Locks and dams are needed for barges to navigate. The locks and dams act as elevators to raise or lower vessels. Shook told the group, “There are 18 locks on the navigational system with five in Oklahoma and 13 in Arkansas.” The Port provides an efficient way to ship raw materials, such as rolls of steel, to Oklahoma, which are then transported to manufacturing facilities to create finished goods. The Tulsa Port also provides a way for grains to be shipped to and from Oklahoma.


Leadership Rogers County toured Steel and Pipe Supply, where Kelly Marsh explained how rolls of steel shipped on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation system are processed for manufactures in the area. Marsh stated, “The large rolls of steel are unrolled and cut to the dimensions each specific manufacturer needs.”  The steel is stacked on pallets and trucked to various manufacturers in the area.

Leadership Rogers County was treated to lunch with three local economic development experts. John Feary stated, “Many jobs have been added in the Claremore Industrial Park over the last few years. Motor Sports of Tulsa is the most recent addition, who projects adding 100 new jobs over the next year.” Motor Sports of Tulsa is licensed to manufacture aerospace parts, which provides some diversity in the manufacturing sector of our local economy.

John Feary discussed the new Country Club Road initiative. “The new road will open up land for development opportunities,” said John Feary. Jill Ferenc talked about the Plaza area and Opportunity Zones. Jill stated, “Real estate investors are still interested in the Plaza and the Plaza is now in the Opportunity Zone.” Opportunity Zones are part of the 2016 Tax Reform. Jill told the group, “Opportunity Zones create a tax incentive for developers to invest capital in a particular area.” Claremore’s Opportunity Zone includes the downtown. Jessica Jackson stated, “The Main Street Program provides grants to help with redevelopment of historic main streets.”

Following lunch, Leadership Rogers County toured Pryer Aerospace with Douglas Brehm, Director of Safety & Production Readiness. Brehm stated, “Pryer has experienced significant growth and plans to expand in the near future.” Pryer Aerospace has two locations, one in Tulsa with about 100 em
ployees and the Claremore Industrial Park location with 30 employees. Brehm said, “Pryer has several large contracts and needs work ready employees to meet the demand.”

Leadership Rogers County learned the local economy is strong and diverse. Rogers County has opportunities for employment in manufacturing. Retail continues to grow. The opening of Country Club Road and Highway 20 expansion will open up additional economic growth opportunities. Tulsa’s Port of Catoosa is a great asset for Rogers County and all of Northeastern Oklahoma with the ability to ship products and raw material all over the world.
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For more information about Leadership Rogers County, please click HERE! ​

December’s Leadership Rogers County meeting was centered on health, both in the community and on a personal level.
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The meeting began with a presentation and discussion with Jeff Campbell from the Rogers County Health Department. Jeff’s responsibilities include inspection of restaurants, hotels and pools in and around the Rogers County area.

Jeff was asked what the biggest concern for local restaurant patrons should be, to which he answered, “Hand washing. 92% of food-borne illness can be prevented by proper hand washing.”

The next visit was to the Hillcrest-Claremore hospital. Hillcrest-Claremore is an 89-bed facility and employs over 300 people. They are rated in the top 10% in the nation for safety and recently received an A rating from Leapfrog, an independent rating system for hospital services.

The hospital tour included stops in the Cath Lab where they do lifesaving heart procedures; the Emergency Room that can see over 70 patients per day during flu season; Radiology that does over 3200 mammograms per year; Labor & Delivery which delivers over 700 babies a year and the 6 bed Intensive Care Unit.

Lunch was provided by A Perfect Pair, a healthy meal delivery and catering service based out of Pryor. A Perfect Pair provides healthy, pre-made meals and snacks to those looking for gluten-free, Paleo, Ketogenic, and Whole 30 options. The menu is posted a week in advance and orders are due by Thursday. Meals are then delivered to multiple locations in Claremore, Pryor and Miami.

After lunch, the group visited the Claremore Indian Hospital for a discussion and tour provided by Chief Executive Officer George Valliere. The Claremore Indian Hospital serves all federally recognized tribes, 29 of which can be found in Oklahoma.

The Claremore Indian Hospital is a 46-bed facility offering family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, pharmacy and labor and delivery. Claremore Indian Hospital currently has 110,000 active patients and runs off of a funding plan started in 1970 which was based on just 30,000 patients.
Chief Executive Officer George Valliere stated “Our goal is to provide the best primary care we can. We do what we can and we do it well.”

The next stop was the Claremore Recreation Center. The Claremore Recreation Center offers those in and around the Claremore area a great place to exercise and take steps toward a healthy lifestyle. They have everything from cardio equipment, a junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, fitness classes for every skill level and a large gym and full-size tennis courts.

The day ended with a discussion with Jody Reiss, Program Director of the TSET Healthy Living Program. Jody explained that healthy living is a sum of small changes made throughout your day. Moving just a little more each day helps to promote healthy habits. Jody had the group stand and do some low impact exercises to demonstrate the difference just moving a little throughout the day could make.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The 2019 class of Leadership Rogers County was excited to kick off their year of development and learning Friday, September 21st. 

Each year before the class embarks on their mission of learning everything they can about Rogers County, they spend some time getting to know each other. The students spent their first day at Northeast Technology Center learning about their strengths while also getting to know the strengths and personalities of their classmates. 
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“I was surprised to learn all the areas my strengths could attribute to my career that I had not considered. It was great working in small groups sharing top strengths we each had,” said Sara Moss, class attendee. 
The following Saturday, the classmates used skills and knowledge from their first meeting to tackle the RSU ropes course together. Individuals were able to pull from their discovered strengths to motivate classmates along the obstacles of the course.

“The ropes course was a day of overcoming fears and learning to work as a team. I was able to accomplish things that earlier in the day I didn’t think I could do,” said LRC student Christi Mackey. 
Over the next six months, the leadership class will meet once a month to gain a new perspective on different aspects of the Rogers County community and explore what the county has to offer.
For their October meeting students toured several facilities including: Habitat for Humanity ReStore of Claremore located on 202 N Owalla Ave. Claremore, OK 74107, the Claremore Animal Shelter located on 815 W Ramm Rd. Claremore, OK 74017, and the William W. Barnes Children’s Advocacy Center located on 213 E. Patti Page Blvd. Claremore, OK 74017. Students were able to ask questions about each organization to better understand the organization’s role in the community. 

After the onsite tours the group gathered at Destiny Life Church where they participated in “speed dating” with even more local non-profits from our community. During the brief information sessions, the students were able to spend five minutes with each organization learning about what they do and where they may have the most need. 

A common theme from each organization the student’s met with was the need for volunteers. “None of these organizations are going to turn down financial assistance but what we are truly lacking and want to see more of is people in the community volunteering their time. This can mean serving on a board, heading up a committee or just helping at events throughout the year,” said Courtney Blevins, LRC Class of 2019 student and board president of the Habitat for Humanity Claremore affiliate. 

One after another the non-profit organizations told the students of how integral community support is to their survival. Andy Couch who is a LRC Class of 2019 student and the Executive Director of the Claremore Museum of History said, “I would like to see more participation. Donations and volunteer work are always welcome. However, what I want to see the most is the community supporting our local museums through memberships and participation. The MOH is home to several hidden gems, including: items from the musical Oklahoma!, Andy Payne, Stuart Roosa, and so much more.” 

One organization in critical need left a lasting impression on many of this year’s students. Volunteers for Youth serves the most vulnerable individuals in our county, our youth. The group was formed in 1998 and recently celebrated their 20thanniversary. The organization operates seven (7) mentor and classroom programs within the community. Last year they were unable to match 34 boys needing mentors because they did not have enough male volunteers. “I believe this is a call to action to the men in our community. Donating as little as one hour per week to a young boy who needs a mentor can be life changing to both the child and the mentor,” says Matt Boyer, LRC Class of 2019 student. 

Another shocking revelation came when the students learned that Volunteers for Youth is currently operating on reserves. Unfortunately, they could run out of funding as soon as early 2019. “We were shocked to learn that Volunteers for Youth is facing potential closure. This will be a huge loss that will be felt throughout the community. We need to act fast and help this organization,” says LRC student Aubree Pixley.  

After hearing from the local non-profits, the LRC Class of 2019 is committed to making monthly donations to fill as many of these needs as possible. Next month they will be donating snacks and supplies to the Children’s Advocacy Center with donations of bleach and soap to the Claremore Animal Shelter in the very near future. 

As a class, they will also be giving cash donations when tangible items are not requested. “I think it’s important that we give back to our community in any way we can. As we learned today, that doesn’t always mean a monetary amount, it can sometimes be as simple as an hour of your time. I hope others will follow our lead and do the same,” says LRC student Ryan Kelley. 
 
If you would like more information about Leadership Rogers County, please visit our website at www.leadershiprogerscounty.orgor visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/leadershiprogerscounty

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