OSU's Scientific Addition

The Henry Bellmon Research Center is impressive.

The exterior of Oklahoma State University’s newest addition, along busy Monroe Street in Stillwater, continues the school’s traditional bricks and faux-Georgian architecture. The windows are tall and the building curves slightly inward, drawing in the viewer. But it’s what’s inside – both in aesthetics and functionality – that really wows you.

I got a chance to tour the HBRC with the OSU/A&M Regents on their first visit to the facility. They were duly impressed, as was I.

The first thing you see is the Wall: a beautiful dark wood expanse embedded with a series of ethereal, color-shifting lights that cast a welcoming glow over the lobby. I heard a worker at the adjacent café (the aptly-named Newton’s) tell one of the Regents the lights can be programmed to have any sort of lighting effect: a wave, a rainbow – perhaps even OSU orange? The Wall isn’t much, but it provides a beautiful welcome to anyone entering the building.

But the building is more than just the lobby. Beyond security doors, graduate and research students are able to access the building’s high-tech laboratories with a swipe of a card.

OSU VP for Research and Technology Transfer Dr. Stephen McKeever took the Regents through the vast hallways and research labs of the HBRC. Like the Wall, the study rooms are decorated with glowing lights or hanging LEDs. The main areas’ staircases are broad and open from floor to floor, designed specifically to facilitate interdepartmental interaction. But that’s just the aesthetics. The labs themselves – for everything from chemistry to biophysics – are the Center’s real focus.

The university definitely didn’t skimp in this area. All labs have state-of-the-art technology, fashioned to put OSU ahead of the curve in scientific research.

And it’s being noticed – from high places.

McKeever related a story to the Regents of an executive from a top medical company who toured the facility and called it one of the top five in the nation.

The Regents appreciated that, to put it lightly.

We heard from several of the HBRC’s top scientists and researchers who have only recently set up shop in their new facilities, including Dr. Li Ma, from the Department of Food Safety and Biosecurity. Ma told us how she’s already begun a collaborative project with another department, simply because their departments are now directly next door and can share ideas and resources easily. That’s something that could never have happened before, when the departments were in completely separate buildings.

The building is named after the late Henry Bellmon, a former U.S. senator and Oklahoma governor, and is the first step in a future three-phase research complex. The two additional phases include the renovation of the current Physical Sciences building and a completely new building.

The center is definitely an advantage for the university, and the Regents all seemed to agree. While Oklahoma State University already stands out in other areas, the Henry Bellmon Research Center is a major addition that will attract top-notch faculty and continue to produce the best students for years to come.

Classen Curve Up and Running

There’s been plenty of buzz and speculation surrounding the highly-anticipated Classen Curve, the newly developed retail and restaurant center in Oklahoma City, and with good reason. Have you seen this place? Unique architecture, chic restaurants and retail rivaling Fifth Avenue. Anyone familiar with Rand Elliott’s work (i.e. Pop’s, Chesapeake Boathouse, RED Prime Steak) realizes this place screams “Rand”- sharp angles, large windows, open layout. He created the entire complex to look like a trophy case, which is fitting considering the products are worthy of display- Balliets, Uptown Kids, Café 501, RePUBlic, Upper Crust, On a Whim, Red Coyote, Metro Shoes, 105 Degrees, and who can forget the soon-to-be Whole Foods. Walking along the shops at Classen Curve will take you back to a time when window shopping was king and individualized customer service was standard. Aubrey McClendon, the developer of Classen Curve, envisioned creating a “modern Main Street”. The intimate experience of Classen Curve is exactly what consumers are missing in this superstore society. In talking with some tenants about the design of their stores, I noticed a pattern. They each referred to their stores as art. When you walk into Balliets or even Uptown Kids, you get the sense that these products are not just clothes on hangers, but true works of art. Gary Goldman of Uptown Kids told me that Rand designed the store with that particular concept in mind, framing the products in such a way that it feels more like attending an art gallery than shopping! So, I suggest you go ahead and skip the art gallery and head on over to Classen Curve and see what all the buzz is about!

Tweeting Away

When Twitter was first gaining steam and on the verge of becoming the giant it is today, there was a sense it could have huge ramifications for the PR industry. But the thought of giving in and signing up intimidated me so much I almost didn’t do it. I felt there would be benefits, but I didn’t know exactly what they would look like. I started by signing myself up for a personal account (@tristanshutt) and following three friends. I didn’t know what to write or how to write it. Facebook was easy. You had infinite space. But 140 characters?! And what were these ‘@’ and ‘#’ symbols all about anyway? Slowly and awkwardly I began to grasp the concept. Eventually, The Gooden Group decided signing up was a strategic move. We started off simple: just the occasional Tweet about a client or event. But soon we started actually recommending clients join the Twitter fun. If The Gooden Group could say something about an event, why not have the client double our efforts? It seemed elementary. Before we knew it, a majority had their own accounts. Like much of the world, we saw it as a way to drive business while connecting with consumers and the general public. A client can post something and have it viewed by thousands with a click of a button. No distro list or mailers- just 140 characters.

Twitter has been an invaluable tool as we continue to learn to maximize its capabilities. Clients are able to engage and interact with the public. Pops Route 66, in Arcadia, Oklahoma, actually announces where their new Pops Mobile Kitchen will be via Twitter. With over 1,500 followers, they can alert their followers where the Mobile Kitchen will be efficiently and even last minute if need be. It is a tool they find easy and effective.

Not only can clients inform customers, they can also gauge public opinion. Twitter is a great tool to monitor what people are saying. We recently held a press conference for a client, and after the announcement, we were able to gather feedback and assess the general attitude of the public from what people were tweeting. Who needs focus groups when you have instant access to the opinions of the tweeting public!

This word-of-mouth micro-blogging went from an unknown to a must-have for our clients virtually overnight! As we continue to recommend Twitter, we will also tap into its many resources and uses. Come join the fun! Follow us @goodengrouppr .

Gooden Group Public Relations 25th Anniversary

This is my first blog. The younger (much younger) members of our office have been pushing me to blog for a long time and I developed very creative reasons not to do so, contrary to our advice to clients. My colleagues finally won. I am going to blog about a subject close to my heart – Gooden Group Public Relations.

This is the 25th anniversary for our business, a perfect time for me to pause for a quick moment from my typical frenetic work pace to reflect on these years with humility and gratitude. It’s easy to remember the companies, institutions and organizations that have given us their trust as partners down through the years. We never underestimate the importance of those relationships. We have been with clients through incredibly wonderful times and very difficult times. We have always stood proudly with our clients no matter what, because we feel blessed and fortunate to work with the finest people and companies you could ever imagine.

Nothing is more important to us than the success of our clients. I would rather be behind the curtain than in front of the curtain. I guess it’s because my Mom taught me to say “We” not “I”. Mom always gives the right advice. (Her 86th birthday is today - Dinner tonight – yeah!) For me personally, I love the challenges and opportunities this fast-paced, high-variety business brings every day.

No reflection on these past 25 years can forget the family, friends and faces that became the Gooden Group Public Relations team. When I was a kid, my dad always told me no one can succeed alone. He was right. I am sorry he passed away at a relatively young age. What I wouldn’t give to have his smiling face sitting in my office sharing with him thoughts and ideas – lots of laughs…his humor was incredible.
Starting with Brent Gooden and Company, then The Gooden Group Inc. and now Gooden Group Public Relations, great team members are a crucial element of our success. I am indebted to all who have ever worked with us. Each one has contributed mightily and Valerie and I are most thankful. We expect one of them to head one of the top PR firms in the nation sooner rather than later. Valerie is my wonderful and talented wife. She’s my partner in life – glad she is. Our company would not be what it is today without her capable hands steering the finances.

To all our tremendous clients, business leaders, company managers, esteemed colleagues, creative employees and enduring family and friends who have intersected with Gooden Group Public Relations through all of the years – thank you for a wonderful experience that is ongoing. What can I say – let’s keep rolling ahead!

Respectfully and appreciatively,
Brent

Oklahoma Virtual High School Hosts First iConnect Day

Oklahoma Virtual High School, one of the oldest and largest online programs in Oklahoma, held its first ever iConnect event in Bricktown recently. iConnect gave more than 100 virtual high school students a chance to meet their peers and teachers face-to-face.

iConnect was designed to get the students and their parents away from the computer for a day of fun and new relationships. Students and teachers used creative, interactive games and activities to make new connections with each other.

Rockin’ Acoustic Circus, a well-known Tulsa bluegrass band was a big hit with the students. Band members are also Oklahoma Virtual High School students who crisscross the country as a warm-up band for big name blue grass bands. The virtual classes allow the band members the flexibility to accel in school at the same time they are accelling on the music stage.

iConnect was also an opportunity for parents to meet with teachers and learn more about virtual learning from the source of the teaching. Oklahoma Virtual High School is part of Oklahoma City-based Advanced Academics who partners with schools and districts throughout the nation to deliver customizable online learning solutions that include web-based curriculum, highly qualified teachers, a 24/7 support environment, and a proprietary technology platform specifically designed for middle and high school education (grades 6-12).

Branding Success The Campaign for Oklahoma State University

Ride ‘Em Cowboy blasted through the atrium of the OSU Student Union as an orange-clad crowd of more than 1000 cheered OSU President Burns Hargis as he announced a $1 billion campaign to raise private funds to strengthen student scholarships and aid, endowments for faculty support, as well as fund advanced research and academic initiatives, and upgrade teaching and research facilities.

This was the culmination of more than a year’s behind-the-scenes work by Gooden Group Public Relations.

Our team crisscrossed Oklahoma and Texas to interview the biggest names in Orange – Boone Pickens, Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders, Robin Ventura and countless alums, teachers and students to create a series of videos for the campaign.

It was thrilling to catch the vision President Hargis has for the University and the commitment Billionaire Boone Pickens still has for his alma mater. It was fun to hear Garth Brooks talk about his days in Stillwater, what he calls “a great place to birth your music!”

The experience brought back great sports memories from OSU’s past listening to Robin and Barry humbly recall their glory days as Cowboys. It was moving to hear the story of campaign co-chairs Ross and Billie McKnight who met at OSU as young students and began an amazing life together that spans three mighty industries of banking, cattle and energy.

All were once simply students – who took their talents to unrivaled new heights - and now inspire the next generation to pick up the OSU mantel and carrying it even farther. That is the essence of Branding Success the Campaign for Oklahoma State University.

New Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus Joins American Heart Association Urging Women to Wear Red Friday

The new Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus was the location for the 2010 kickoff of Wear Red Day in Oklahoma. This year’s event featured Oklahoma women with heart disease who were revived in a 911 emergency. Their rescuers were nominated for the 2010 Oklahoma Heart Hero award.

Wear Red Day is to heart disease what the pink ribbon campaign is to breast cancer. The goal is to better educate women about their risk of heart disease. Most women don’t realize heart disease is the number one killer of women.

Three Oklahoma women and their rescuers were featured. This is the 4th year for the Oklahoma Heart Hero award that in the past has honored family members, friends, strangers and emergency professionals who sometimes put their own lives on the line to save another. The story of one winner was so compelling the story literally circled the globe as news outlets from as far away at Japan and Germany came to Oklahoma to tell the story.

This year’s winner is Albino Garza from Hobart. Garza’s was about to go to sleep around midnight a little over a year ago when he realized his 32-year-old wife Amy was making strange sounds in her sleep and looked very strange. Panic began to rise and when he checked her – he could find no pulse. Albino quickly began CPR and called 911. He told their 8-year-old daughter Jolie to wait outside for the ambulance and bring the EMT’s to her mother when they arrived. Amy reached the Oklahoma Heart Hospital alive but in a coma. The immediate worry was that Amy’s brain had been oxygen starved for an unknown period of time. To save her brain, Amy was placed in a hypothermic state and remained in a coma for 14 days. When she suddenly awoke with no apparent permanent injury, he doctor called it a miracle. Amy has been diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Long QT Syndrome. Because of Amy’s near death event they discovered daughter Jolie also has the same heart defect. Both Amy and Jolie now have Defibrillator/pacemakers to prevent their heart from going into that deadly rhythm.

Hardly a dry eye was left in the house after Albino told his story. The purpose of the Oklahoma Heart Hero award is to honor those who are prepared to deal with a cardiovascular emergency, educate others how to become prepared, and serve as an incentive for others to be trained in CPR and the use of an AED (automatic external defibrillator).

More than 41 million American women are living with one or more types of cardiovascular disease, yet only one in five view heart disease as their greatest health threat. One in three women has cardiovascular disease, and every minute one woman died as a result of this health threat. That’s why Go Red for Women, powered by the American Heart Association’s research, is educating and connecting millions of women of all ages in an effort to beat women’s number one killer.