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Business FYI: DMI wind tower section begin trip: Cox adds six new HD channels(Tulsa World (OK) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 25--Six wind tower sections left DMI Industries, located at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, on Tuesday en route to a wind farm site in northern Texas. It was a milestone for the 175 employees, as it was the first time since the facility began production that they saw the enormous, 50-ton sections hitting the roadways. "It is an extraordinary sight to see a caravan hauling these 80-foot tower sections," said Stefan Nilsson, president of DMI Industries. The new sections marked a significant accomplishment for the DMI team that led the company's expansion efforts in the state. It successfully concluded a stringent certification process for the project site customer and opened the door for a continued relationship. "This is also an important achievement for our wind energy partners who rely on our delivery commitment, as well as the communities of Tulsa and Catoosa who are experiencing the benefits of their generous efforts to support DMI in the region," Nilsson said. The DMI expansion into Oklahoma proved challenging at times. "It has been an extensive facility transformation and a demanding project," said Kevin Ishmael, general manager of the facility. "We have assembled a tremendous work force, bringing in folks from a number of different manufacturing capacities and training them to meet the tight demands of ours. We couldn't be more proud of them and their accomplishments to date." Less than a year ago, DMI Industries, an Otter Tail company, bought a plant built for Griffin Wheel -- a railcar manufacturer that never moved in -- to extend its geographic reach and meet the growing demand for wind towers in the southwestern states. DMI, a West Fargo, N.D.-based company, closed on its purchase of the plant and the surrounding 300 acres last August. The company is spending an estimated $35 million in renovations and start-up costs. Cox Communications has added six new high definition channels to its Oklahoma viewing lineup, bringing the total HD offerings from Cox to 100. HD programming from USA, Sci-Fi, Bravo, Lifetime, CNBC and The Weather Channel joined the Cox Oklahoma lineup on Tuesday. Cox now has 38 HD channels in Tulsa and 39 in Oklahoma City, including HD On Demand and HD Pay-per-view. Cox customers now have 100 HD choices with the multiple viewing options through HD On Demand and Starz HD. "We continue to add more HD channels and viewing choices almost every month," said Christine Martin, Cox Oklahoma spokeswoman, in a written statement. "We're committed not only to bring more choices but to deliver the quality choices our customers want." Sublett given 'Lion of the Bar' Anne B. Sublett, a partner in the Tulsa office of Conner & Winters LLP, was presented the Lion of the Bar Award by the Council Oak/Johnson-Sontag American Inn of Court recently at the annual combined Tulsa Inns of Court Banquet. The award honors an attorney for "a lifetime of contributions the legal profession, the community and the law, and a commitment to the highest principles of excellence and integrity." Sublett earned her law degree at Georgetown University Law Center. At Conner & Winters she chairs the firm's Diversity Committee, and practices in the area of employee benefits law. She is the co-founder and president of Tulsa Lawyers for Children, a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and provides ongoing assistance to lawyers who agree to provide pro bono legal representation to abused and neglected children. Canebrake offers corporate retreats The Canebrake, a restaurant and resort for corporate retreats, conferences and weekend getaways, will hold an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday at the facility, located four miles east of Wagoner off of Highway 51 on Lake Fort Gibson. Visitors can tour rooms and suites, sample items from the dining menu and visit the yoga barns. They can also tour facilities for meetings, including a conference center with rooms for groups of 75 and 25 people; and participate in activities on the challenge course, which features a 50-foot adventure center and 300-foot-long zip wire. Reservations are required. For more information, call (918) 485-1810, or visit the company's Web site at www.tulsaworld.com/canebrake Main Street over $17 million The latest figures from the Oklahoma Main Street Center show more than $17 million reinvested into downtowns across the state so far in 2008. "The composition of Main Street reinvestment in 2008 comes from both smaller rural programs like Poteau, Prague and Watonga and includes the urban neighborhoods in Oklahoma City and Tulsa," said Jim Watters, deputy state director and small business consultant for the Oklahoma Main Street Center. "Ten Main Street communities make up nearly 80 percent of the total $17.2 million reinvestment so far in 2008." The communities are: Poteau ($3.1 million); RedFork District in Tulsa ($2.8 million); Ada ($2.06 million); Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City ($1.1 million); Prague ($948,305); Tahlequah ($882,000); Watonga ($808,000); Stockyards City in Oklahoma City ($745,000); Eastside Capitol Gateway in Oklahoma City ($673,520) and Woodward ($472,200). More than $623,669,000 has been reinvested overall in the history of the Oklahoma Main Street Program. These figures include reinvestment from more than 65 communities that have participated in the project since the center's establishment in 1986. QuickBooks training session June 3-4 A two-part QuickBooks training session will be held June 3-4 in Sapulpa, sponosored by the Women's Business Center of Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma Inc.. Wanda Estus, who has taught the class for the past two years, will present parts 1 and 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at Central Tech, 1720 S. Main St. in Sapulpa. The class is being given to help small businesses with their accounting systems. Registration is $100, and covers a manual and lunches. Class size is limited, and the deadline to register is Tuesday. For more information, contact Barbara Rackley or Lori Smith at (580) 924-5094, or (800) 658 2823, or register online at www.tulsaworld.com/rei Business growth focus of conference Community leaders and economic developers can learn more about innovative approaches to help existing businesses remain healthy and strong at a two day conference on June 16-17. The "Taking Care of Business" conference, presented by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, will provide a close-up look at the solutions and resources communities are using for successful business retention and expansion programs. The conference will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 16, and from 8-11:30 a.m. June 17 at the Reed Conference Center, 5800 Will Rogers Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Registration is $50 and includes two meals, a networking reception, and all conference materials. The deadline to register is June 6. For more information or to register, visit the group's Web site at www.tulsaworld.com/tcbregistration , call Christy Davis at (405) 815-5345, or e-mail Davis at [email protected]. Chart signs up for overseas venture Chart Industries Inc., a global manufacturer of equipment used in the production, storage and end-use of hydrocarbon and industrial gases, has announced that a subsidiary with a plant in Tulsa has entered into a joint venture to manufacture air-cooled heat exchangers in the Middle East. The Tulsa plant, part of Chart Cooler Service Co., is joining with the Middle East firm S&A Abahsain Co., and Specialized Industrial Equipment of Houston to create the joint venture Abahsain Specialized Industrial Co. Chart Cooler Service Co. is part of Chart Industries' Energy and Chemicals group. A state-of-the-art 85,000 square foot manufacturing facility, office space and a warehouse will be built in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The joint venture also has the potential to increase production at Chart's Tulsa plant. "Saudi Arabia is an ideal location for this joint venture because the region is one of the more significant users of air cooled heat exchangers," stated Wayne Pyle, president of Chart Cooler Service. "Abahsain has 60 years of in-region service to the petrochemical and energy industries. Their customer contacts, coupled with Chart Cooler Service's experience providing high-quality, low-cost air cooler solutions, along with SIE's marketing expertise in the Middle East, should prove to be a powerful combination." TenkillerProperty.com in top 100 list TenkillerProperty.com has been named one of the nation's Hot 100 fast-growth businesses by Entrepreneur magazine. The real estate brokerage firm ranks 91st on the list for its rapid sales growth and positive job growth, among other select criteria. The ranking appears in the May issue of Entrepreneur. No Action Line The Action Line consumer assistance column will return May 29. The Tulsa World welcomes briefs about new businesses, relocations and workshops. Briefs about awards are welcome, but they cannot be awards given within the company or from a business aZliate. Submit briefs to: Business FYI Sunday, Tulsa World, P.O. Box 1770, Tulsa, Okla. 74102, or by e-mail to [email protected]. Photographs will be considered, and should be identified on the back; e-mailed photos should be in the JPEG format, and also should be identified. Photos cannot be returned. To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Tulsa World, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |