6A « July 24, 2019 « THE JOURNAL RECORD « journalrecord.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
Retaining and
recruiting talent
fuels growth
Oklahoma City is a great place to live
– we all know it. And now there’s a bigger
push to let the rest of the world know.
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber just
launched a new relocation and talent-at-
traction website, www.abetterlifeokc.com,
with features aimed specifically at helping
companies recruit or retain talent in the
Greater Oklahoma City region.
Professionals considering a move here
are interested in seeing multiple job op-
portunities. One of the new features of the
website is aggregated job boards search-
able by Oklahoma City’s key industry
sectors. Candidates considering a move
to Oklahoma City can quickly see demand
for their skill set from
multiple employers
and the depth of the
job opportunity here.
The housing section
highlights the metro’s
diverse residential
options with images to
show different urban
CATHY and suburban commu-
O’CONNOR nities and the unique
feel of each. Oklahoma
City’s low commute times and afford-
able housing are big advantages for our
community. There’s an enhanced online
calculator so those from outside the area
can estimate their lower cost of living in
Oklahoma City and the meaningful impact
that can have for them personally.
Beyond job opportunities and housing,
the site also shows off what it’s like to live
here and the abundance of our arts and
entertainment amenities. Videos and pho-
tos highlight everything from attractions
to districts and unique areas in Oklahoma
City, as well as stories about our culture
from the people who live here.
Our quality of life in Oklahoma City has
improved dramatically – we are a thriv-
ing, exciting metro with world-class art,
entertainment, dining and recreational
opportunities. The new website gives
potential residents a real window into the
dynamic lifestyle Oklahoma City offers
– from water sports and recreation to a
thrilling NBA entertainment experience
to the unique districts that have embraced
local art, performances, retail and authen-
tic cultural experiences.
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
is encouraging people to check out the
website and share it with their friends
and family outside of Oklahoma City. And
they are spreading this message digi-
tally to reach potential employees and
employers.
It’s an exciting time in Oklahoma City,
with so many companies expanding and
new companies moving here. The effort
we make to provide a great first impres-
sion will retain our talent in Oklahoma
City and attract new talent to fuel this
prosperity.
Cathy O’Connor is the president of the
Alliance for Economic Development of
Oklahoma City.
AROUND TOWN
Benefit for Classen School of
Advanced Studies is tasty
A tasting featuring more than 60
premium whiskeys, a whole-hog
barbecue feast and craft cocktails will
be on the table at Dunlap Codding,
609 W. Sheridan Ave. in Oklahoma
City, on Aug. 23, at a fundraiser titled
WSKY, Q and
Blues. Hosting
the event is the
Onward Okla-
homa Foundation,
established by
Mark Mann and
Marc Brockhaus,
to raise funds
JOAN and resources for
GILMORE Oklahoma-based
nonprofits serving
children and education.
The event also will feature live en-
tertainment by Justin Echols & The
Papa Midnite Blues Band, auction
items, experience packages, art and
jewelry items. The VIP Experience
will take place at 7 p.m.
“This event is a great opportunity
for Oklahomans to come together in
SPORTS BIZ
Gaining experience as an executive
I am fortunate to have worked
in different capacities for different
sports franchises during my career as
an executive. All the way from pull-
ing tarp, selling tickets, moving pens
after a rodeo, selling stadium naming
rights, being the top executive of a
franchise, creating a national champi-
onship event, to negotiating franchise
agreements.
I am proud of my accomplishments
and value the people I worked with
while I was in the industry. David
Vance, who was
the top execu-
tive at Remington
Park, the horse
racing track in
Oklahoma City,
and also among
the top horse rac-
ing executives in
JOHN the country, once
ALLGOOD told me you will
value the team
bonding that comes from pulling off a
great event. And he was right.
Like most executives in sport, I
worked very long hours, weekends
and holidays. I sacrificed a great deal
to achieve, including time at home
with family, vacations and just per-
sonal time.
Now as a professor at Temple’s
Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Man-
agement program, I have the honor to
teach and mentor students of all ages
who are interested in the entertain-
ment business. I take responsibility
support of our students and educa-
tors,” said Mann, a community leader
and Oklahoma City Public Schools
Board of Education members.
This is the fourth year for the fun-
draiser previously known as Bour-
bon, Barbecue and Blues, an event
that raised more than $125,000.
Ticket prices start at $100 per
person and sponsorships are avail-
able. The VIP Experience, limited to
20 guests, is available for $250.
For tickets visit www.wskyqblues
2019.eventbrite.com.
Hard-hat tour
The wonderful new building
downtown for Oklahoma Contempo-
rary is so different in theme that you
just can’t avoid watching it grow.
New Executive Director Eddie
Walker is going to start offering
hard-hat tours of the building with
the fascinating exterior. Much of the
interior is yet to be completed but the
tour should be interesting.
Eddie says “We are giving two-
to share with the students what it’s
like to actually work in the industry.
These students range from upper-
level undergraduates to high-ranking
executives who work for sports
teams in North America.
And what I am about to write next
will seem like a contradiction. Sports
executives need to work every event
and gain as much experience as pos-
sible. Until they don’t.
For the young executives who
aspire to rise up in the sports indus-
try, you should try to learn as much
as possible about all phases of your
organization. First, master the skills
and tasks you are assigned by your
supervisor. Then volunteer to help or
work in another department.
For example, I started off in PR
and marketing for the Triple-A
baseball team in Oklahoma City and
then later asked to sell sponsorships.
Before too long, I was writing manu-
als for facility operations and then
managing a ticket sales team.
Volunteering to learn other skills
took time and patience by my supervi-
sors. But they recognized my eagerness
and possibly my ambition to become
a general manager one day. I worked
every game and event for six years until
l missed a game. And that was because
I attended my cousin’s wedding.
As a young executive, the more
you gain experience, trust in your su-
pervisors, and experience new activi-
ties, the more your value proposition
as an employee will increase.
hour blocks for tours this week
(it takes about an hour to make it
through the entire building). Several
of our staff will be on hand to escort
guests and answer questions.”
Here are the dates: Wednesday
7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and Friday 8
a.m. to 10 a.m.
Call 405-951-0000 for an appoint-
ment or information or if you’re
interested in a tour another time.
Historic production
The opportunity to see a huge
ship go down, you need to go see
Lyric Theatre’s musical production
of Titanic downtown at Civic Cen-
ter Music Hall. Not only can you be
thrilled at the event but you can even
see a display of articles truly from
the Titanic.
Curtain times are Wednesday and
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.;
Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sun-
day, 2 p.m. For tickets, call Lyric’s box
office at 405-524-9312 or purchase at
the Music Hall.
Now, here is the lesson I had to
learn once I reached upper manage-
ment. I didn’t have to work every
game. I didn’t have to be at every
event. I didn’t have to work all day
during the day and then work the
entire game that night.
Why?
Well, I had hired a very good sup-
port staff that knew how to manage
their own staff. As the very intelligent
advice goes, “hire good people, and
get the hell out of the way.”
My staff appreciated that I didn’t
ask them to work every game as well.
I was good as long as someone was
there managing that department’s
responsibilities. They were more re-
freshed during a long, grueling season.
It worked well for us as we con-
tinued to set high attendance marks
and generated very profitable returns
each season. The culture was great.
And that is what makes good organi-
zations – a healthy culture.
So for all sport executives of all
rankings, look at where you are and
how you can best contribute to the
culture of your organization. That
may mean working every game or
preserving yourself to be the best
leader.
John Allgood is academic director
and assistant professor for the Executive
Master of Science in Sport Business pro-
gram at Temple University in Philadel-
phia. He originally worked in the sports
industry in Oklahoma beginning in 1995.