IABC Tulsa honored several communications professionals for their exceptional work at a party held at Harwelden Mansion on October 13. 2011.

Pierce H. Norton, chief operating officer of ONEOK, was named the 2011 Communicator of the Year for his recognition of the importance of and personal devotion to effective employee communications.

Ginger D. Homan, ABC, of Zia Communications, received the John Hartman Professional of the Year award, in addition to having the “Best in Show” entry for Chair & Art Pairings.

Lucia O’Connor, O’Connor Ink, was awarded the Leon Bolen Service Award, which honors an IABC member for volunteerism and support of the chapter’s goals.

The chapter awarded 32 Bronze Quill awards for work completed in 2010 and 2011. Winners included the following:

 Awards of Excellence

• Jarrod Kopp, Juliane Spinuzzi, Jessica Carthen and Ramon Cardiel, FW Murphy, for Configurator Cafe’ Direct Mail Invitation for 2010 IBEX Tradeshow
• Jessica Carthen, Ramon Cardiel and Jinger McPeak, FW Murphy, for Full Integration Marine
• Jessica Carthen, Ramon Cardiel and Jim Saunders, FW Murphy, for We Stick with Murphy
• Jarrod Kopp, Juliane Spinuzzi, Jessica Carthen and Ramon Cardiel of FW Murphy for Configurator Cafe’ 2010 IBEX Tradeshow
• Tom Droege, Nicole Morgan and Greg Rex, Rex PR, for Terminal Happiness: Tulsa International Airport Concourse Renovation
• Charlene Bassett, ONEOK, for ONEOK Quarterly
• Brad Borror, ONEOK, for Bakken Pipeline Media Outreach
• Rick Ayre and Jennifer Pigeon, ONEOK, for ONEOK Online
• Jennifer Pigeon, ONEOK, for Never Sees Obstacles Audio Piece
• Michael McCulloh, ONEOK, for Systems Analyst Never Sees Obstacles
• Hayley Westwood, ONEOK, for Email Retention Policy Implementation
• Chris Owen, Jason Hudson and Roux Carroll, RL Hudson, for Marketing Communications App
• Amethyst Cavallaro, Williams, for Williams Preventative Care
• Shannon Frederick, ABC, and Russell Shaffer, Walmart, for Home Office My Sustainability Plan Launch
• Amethyst Cavallaro, Williams, for Williams Wellness Challenge
• Lucinda Ross, Schnake Turnbo Frank PR, for Lafarge Tulsa Cement Plant In the Mix Newsletter
• Allison Starke, Schnake Turnbo Frank PR, for Trust Company of Oklahoma
• Rachel Payne, Walmart, for Take Stock In Your Future

Awards of Merit

• Jessica Carthen, FW Murphy, for Displays Your Way
• Talia Myres, Cherokee Nation Businesses, for Ours To Build On website
• Amanda Clinton, Cherokee Nation Businesses, for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa roof damage
• Lindsey Ameen, ONEOK, for Investor Relations Monthly
• Lindsey Ameen, ONEOK, for NAPTP Investor Conference presentation
• Megan Washbourne, ONEOK, for ONEOK and ONEOK Partners 2010 Annual Reports
• Rick Ayre and Jennifer Pigeon, ONEOK, for ONEOK Launches Social Media
• Megan Lewis, ONEOK, for ONE Responsibility – 2009/2010 ONEOK Corporate Responsibility Report
• Nicole Nascenzi and Keith Isbell, Williams, for Alan Armstrong Company Update
• Lizaimee Mata, Nicole Nascenzi and Amethyst Cavallaro, Williams, for Williams Route 66 Fashion Show 2010
• Lucinda Ross and RossCo Films, Schnake Turnbo Frank PR and Rossco Films, for Polypipe More Than Just Words video
• Sara Delgado, Williams, for Williams in Canada
• Peggy Striegel and John Corn, Striegel Advertising and ENERGON, for ENERCON Employee Motivation

Do you remember your first professional awards ceremony? I do.

I was an intern at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, and the team was kind enough to purchase a seat for me to attend the awards ceremony. We had been working all summer on improving the writing quality of the articles in the organization’s “Blue Link” employee newsletter, and the hard work paid off with an award of excellence. I remember being dazzled – not just by the quality of work recognized that night, but more importantly by the caliber of communications professionals who surrounded me.  I was awestruck. I couldn’t wait to graduate and hoped to become a part of this amazing group. And, admittedly, for a struggling college student, it was also fun to get dressed up and eat a decent meal that didn’t involve ramen noodles.

Fast-forward an undisclosed number of years later, and we’re gearing up to host yet another exciting evening. The annual IABC/Tulsa Bronze Quill awards ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 13, at the beautiful Harwelden Mansion. The impressive entries submitted by IABC/Tulsa members and guests, glamorous surroundings and continued top-notch community of communicators is the perfect mix for a fun event.

Plus, the Emmy-worth buzz has already started. Who will win Communicator of the Year? Will the John Hartman Professional of the Year award feature a repeat winner? Will Jarrod Kopp, once again, win the coveted Best in Show award?

You all want to know – don’t you? I do.

 So, make plans to join us. And prepare to be awestruck.

Looking forward to the monthly happy hour? We are delighted that our Bronze Quill events are on the night we typically host happy hour! What more excuse do you need to join us for this special event? Drinks are on the house as we celebrate this year’s award winners.

Next month, join us as we host happy hour at Vintage 1740, Tulsa’s only wine bar, located in the historic 18^th & Boston district.
Vintage 1740
1740 South Boston
Tulsa, OK
Thursday, November 10
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

To celebrate IABC Accreditation month, IABC members who apply from October 1 through November 15, will receive a $20 gift certificate to the IABC Knowledge Centre and be entered in a drawing for the following prizes:

• One-year IABC membership
• IABC Webinar
• One-year subscription to Discovery
• A copy of the latest edition of The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication
• Your choice of a book or manual published by IABC
• Two full weeks of unlimited access to Sysomos’ flagship product-Media Analysis Platform, plus 1 hour of free training
• One-hour audio CD, Linking Communication to Business Results courtesy of Sinickas Communications, Inc.
• A three-month subscription to Revving up Readership from Wylie Communications, Inc.
• Pair of IABC coffee mugs courtesy of Ann Wylie

For more information, contact recognition@iabc.com.

Each month, IABC Tulsa features a member in this section of the newsletter. This month, learn more about your new IABC/Tulsa president, Shannon Frederick. She has been an active member for many years and has never been featured for our Meet a Member section, so what better way to learn about her as she transitions to her role as president!

Shannon Frederick, ABC
Director, Global Associate Communications – Walmart

Why do you love your job?
Hands down, the best thing about my job is my team. I am blessed to work with an amazing group of professionals. They’re smart, creative and side-splittingly funny.

How long have you been a member of IABC?
I think 12 years. Other than my stint with Dallas/IABC from 2003-2006, I’ve been affiliated with the Tulsa chapter.

Have you ever served on an IABC board?
I’ve served the Tulsa chapter in four different capacities: VP of student relations, professional development, communications and now president. In Dallas, I was the Bronze Quill co-sponsor and the communications chair.

What is the best IABC meeting/seminar/conference that you have ever attended? Why?
 It’s hard to name just one, but I really enjoyed the 2010 World Conference in Toronto. It was a great opportunity to network and, as a result of the top-notch speakers, I left feeling very inspired.

How has IABC played a part in your professional development?
This is another tough question! IABC has been such an integral part of my corporate career – helping me to learn new skills, meet new people and push my own limits. When I completed the ABC process in January, it was one of the most rewarding accomplishments in my life.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Travel with my husband, snuggle my kids, drink a nice glass of wine with a tasty dinner, spend a day on the lake, read a good book, support my beloved OSU Cowboys, and laugh with my family and friends.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Hot Springs, Ark. I spent every summer during my childhood on Lake Hamilton with my grandparents and cousins.

Who is your favorite musical artist? I don’t have one.

What’s your favorite movie? I like nearly every chick flick featuring Southern women, and “Steel Magnolias” is definitely my favorite.

What’s your favorite restaurant? It depends on where I am. In Tulsa, it’s McGill’s.

Complete the following: The future of the field of communications . . . will still revolve around one fundamental skill: writing.

What advice would you give to new communications professionals?
Join IABC and get involved!

By Shannon Frederick, IABC/Tulsa President

The little chapter that could.

Rumor has it that’s the phrase often used at IABC International to describe our Tulsa organization.

Now tell me you didn’t just smile after reading those first two sentences. 

The honest truth is that it’s hard not to smile when you realize one of the world’s premier strategic communication groups is right here in little ole Tulsa, Okla. It’s no secret that just over two years ago, our chapter wasn’t doing so well. A distressed economy had taken its toll. Membership was down. Attendance at the monthly meetings was dismal. Not as many professionals were entering Bronze Quill.

My how far we’ve come.

IABC just released its latest growth and retention report which contains statistics ranking regions and chapters by their overall growth from June 2010 to June 2011. IABC/Tulsa was again recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing chapters in the world.

Consider these numbers: IABC memberships have increased 4.25 percent over the past year. During this same time period, memberships to the local Tulsa chapter have increased 33 percent.

It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Even more amazing is we are in good company on this top 10 list with chapters in Auckland, Russia, France, Barbados and other international locations.

Behind the scenes at our chapter, there’s a lot of hard work that has gone into helping us achieve this growth surge. Rest assured, the new executive board, which has just started its term, plans to keep the course – ensuring all of our members are certain about the value in belonging to IABC/Tulsa. If you have any ideas about how we can continue to improve in this area, we want to hear them. Shoot us an e-mail at iabctulsa@gmail.com.  

I hope this report makes you feel proud to be connected to IABC/Tulsa. And if you haven’t yet decided to become a member, please take the time to think about this great opportunity to be a part of an organization in Tulsa that is at the top of an important list.

After all, there’s more to the great state of Oklahoma than just AP polls and football.

Never Let the Creative Process Die

Are your communications lacking creativity lately?

If so, get ready to put your right brain in high gear and rediscover your creative mojo. Bill Hinkle, professor of advertising at the University of Tulsa, and longtime advertising executive, will share tried and true ways to ensure you never let the creative process die.

Bill’s career spans more than four decades in advertising – from retail stores and advertising agencies, to agency owner, restaurateur and now professor. Bill Hinkle has proven ways to help ensure creativity is part of your daily communications processes.

Be sure to reserve your seat today. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us for happy hour at the Tulsa Press Club on Thursday, September 15, at 5:30 p.m. Network with other professionals and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Bring your friends and spread the word!

RSVP now. Networking is free and drinks may be purchased at the bar. This is a great time to come to an IABC Happy Hour if you have never been. It is also another opportunity to support the Tulsa Press Club!

Join your fellow IABC Southern Region members in New Orleans for the 2011 Southern Region Conference October 12-14. Information about the conference, including the Silver Quill Awards, is available on the Southern Region website. Reasonable rates, excellent food, culture and shopping, plus the opportunity to hear some of the world’s most premiere communications professionals speak about a variety of engaging topics. What more could you want from a conference? Did we mention it is in NEW ORLEANS?!

Don’t forget…September 2011 is a Worldwide Membership Month! This means that for new or lapsed members who join or re-join IABC, the application fee is waived. Please remember: applications must be *received* at the San Francisco Headquarters office during the month of September to qualify. This promotion does not apply to current members, transitional members or students, who never pay the application fee anyway.

International is also hosting an open house of the members-only IABC website in September. For the month of September, the public will have free access to:

• Discovery, IABC’s new enhanced-search content archives. Discovery contains archives of Communication World magazine, CW Bulletin, and select Research Foundation reports, along with searchable Knowledge Centre manuals.
• MyComm, IABC’s online communication planning tool (although the public won’t be able to share plans)
• Read access to MemberSpeak and the IABC Buzz, IABC’s online areas where members ask questions and share personal and professional info
• The Job Centre, IABC’s job listing site (Members still have priority access to listings, however.)

To try it out, sign up at:
http://www.iabc.com/login/trial.cfm (This login will not be available before or after the month of September.)