The Woodward News

Local News

April 1, 2008

Industrial Foundation to welcome Meacham

Oklahoma State Treasurer Scott Meacham is the featured speaker for Thursday’s Woodward Industrial Foundation annual meeting.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Josie Adams Cultural Centre on Main Street.

Meacham was first appointed to the state treasurer’s position by Gov. Brad Henry, then in 2006 ran and won a full-term. He is also Gov. Henry’s finance director.

Industrial Foundation members will also go over some business and elect new board members, said President LaVern Phillips.

Phillips said he also expected several area legislators to attend the meeting.

The Industrial Foundation is coming off a busy year that included the opening Providence Place, an assistant living center, opening of an Air Evac base, the start of the Northwestern State University building and a decision by Mutual of Omaha to keep an operation in Woodward, among other things.

“We were very involved in the assisted living center and to see the fruits of the effort there was big time,” Phillips said. “We did the application for the funding and they’ve got a really great board. We’re excited about it.”

The Mutual of Omaha news was a rare case of a company reversing a decision to close a facility. In fact, it came after the company had sold its building to Haines Capital Group.

Mutual of Omaha is now leasing the East half of the 60,000 square foot building for a satellite customer service center. Mutual of Omaha has been a presence in Woodward since 1991.

“It had been such a benefit and to think we had lost them due to business reasons, then for them to reevaluate and decide to stay in the community has been a real plus for all of Northwest Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma,” said Phillips.

The presence of a campus building for Northwestern, which is expected to be ready for the fall semester, is the result of years of work by the industrial foundation and other higher education supporters in Woodward.

“What a wonderful site (along 34th Street),” Phillips said. “We had a lot of support from Sen. Owen Laughlin and Rep. Jeff Hickman. It’s going to be wonderful for future generations.”

The foundation has continued its efforts in a number of other areas, including work with the Lt. Gov.’s turkey hunt and helping sponsor a reception at the Oklahoma Centennial Celebration to promote and sell what Woodward has to offer.

A reception for Meacham will be held following the meeting.

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