Cox Communications Turns to Francis Tuttle for Employee Development

INFORMATION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS

performanceSUMMER 2003 • VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 3

INSIDE: A WINNING PARTNERSHIP: Entrepreneurs Cox Communications Turns to Francis Tuttle for Learn How to Defy the Odds Employee Development fter more than three years of designing training Wireless Network programs to help Cox Communications meet its Revolutionizes A strategic employee development goals, there is clearly a strong working relationship between Ken Groth, Computer Training Human Resources Leadership Development Specialist for Cox Communications and Mark Scherber of Francis New Software Tuttle’s BIS division. Complements Lean “Francis Tuttle is a comprehensive training and people development resource,” Groth said. “In fact, Francis Manufacturing Tuttle is Cox’s number one choice for employee development programs, due to their flexibility, availability and great value.” The partnership certainly has it successes. One such success is the extensive leadership development program for Cox managers, called Leadership Essentials. This management development series provides a new offer- Cox Communication’s Ken Groth (left) and Francis Tuttle’s ing for over 200 managers statewide six times Mark Scherber (right) per year and covers the gamut of leadership topics. All in all, this adds up to almost 11,000 hours of training more than two years since the program’s inception. Francis Tuttle has hosted over half of these hours. In addi- tion, employee satisfaction scores are on the rise company-wide, speaking to the long-term benefits of this key initiative. Another successful program is the driver safety training. “Safe drivers reduce claims and save the company money. More importantly, because Cox has approximately 400 vehicles on the road at any given time, the company takes seri- ously its social responsibility to ensure that their Field Service Representatives are the safest drivers on the street. This program includes extensive safety training and an employee review process that takes into account the employee’s driving record,” Groth said. There are several reasons why Cox has come to work so closely with Francis Tuttle, according to Groth. First, the training programs are fully customized, allowing Cox to touch every employee with relevant and helpful topics. Francis Tuttle also provides extensive resources in the form of qualified instructors, meeting facilities, support, best practice knowledge from clients around the city and Partnership between Cox Communications and results measurement. All of these services allow Cox employees to Francis Tuttle leads to strong employee training focus on and improve their primary business. “Cox has grown from about 300 employees to around 2,000 in the last six or seven years and has a much more complex menu of services for customers. Francis Tuttle has helped us keep our employee development on track during this incred- ible growth,” Groth said. The bottom line, according to Groth, is that Francis Tuttle is a proven strategic partner, helping Cox leverage its people and achieve its goals of value, quality and local service. For more information on Francis Tuttle’s customized training and consulting capabilities, contact Mark Scherber at 717-4744. performance

WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS PROVIDE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS Pencil It In: AUGUST 19 OKC Customer Defying the Odds: A Crash Course for Entrepreneurs Contact & Call efying the Odds, sponsored by Francis Tuttle and the Edmond Economic Centers Focus Group Development Center, is a six-week series designed to provide the tools and Francis Tuttle resources entrepreneurs need to start, grow and nurture their businesses to Economic Development D Building success. An all-encompassing resource, this seminar assists individuals in obtaining Contact Cindy Mitas the tools, resources, and financing they need on a local, regional or national basis. It motivates and inspires entrepreneurs to explore their business ideas and addresses SEPTEMBER 9 Lean Administration the emotional and psychological challenges of building a business. Additionally, it In partnership with is designed to help the State of Oklahoma with the successful development of new The Edmond Economic businesses. Development Over the course of six weeks, attendees learn the technical in’s and out’s of Association and The successful businesses. Topics include how to evaluate the marketability of an idea, Edmond Chamber development of a business plan, recognizing what kind of capital is needed to start Contact Kevin Arnold and/or grow, utilizing effective term sheets, loan papers or SBA/SBIC applications, and managing different stages of growth. Personnel issues are also explored, includ- ing tools for evaluating leadership style and chances for success, building an effective Scott Klososky presents team, creating a panel of advisors or board of directors that works, and balancing business needs with “Defying the Odds,” a course personal obligations. designed for entrepreneurs The seminar is lead by Scott Klososky, one of the first successful Internet entrepreneurs, a highly sought-after speaker and business coach. Scott has raised over $34 million in venture capital for three companies he has built over the last two decades. His portfolio includes founding one of the first profitable Soviet/American joint ventures, suffering the painful bankrupting of one of his companies and selling another venture for $115 million in 2000. Throughout the seminar, he shares his experience of building successful companies in good and hard times as well as personal stories of achieving success through adversity. “This series is a boot camp for entrepreneurs. It provides very valuable information and practical tools. It’s the kind of resource I wish would have been available when I was in the early stages of building my companies,” Klososky says. The next Defying The Odds seminar is scheduled for Monday evenings from September 8 to October 13, 2003 at the Francis Tuttle Rockwell Campus. Each meeting is from 6:00-10:00 pm and dinner is provided. For more information or to register, call Annette White-Klososky at 717-4752.

Students receive insightful, sometimes humorous, advice BUSINESSES SUCCESSFULLY OBTAIN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS during the Defying the Odds course. Seminar: Teaming to Leverage Your Competitive Advantage Francis Tuttle and the Oklahoma Bid Assistance The seminar includes tactics for structuring and imple- Network will present a seminar on August 12, 2003 to menting an agreement as well as ample time for network- provide information on how area businesses can work ing and visiting vendor booths. Additionally, the Tinker Air together to win government contracts. The seminar Force Base Small Business Office is participating in the focuses on developing a win/win strategy and an agree- planning of the conference and their representatives will ment that meets each partner’s needs. It also provides a attend to discuss business opportunities at the base. forum for locating and developing potential subcontrac- Seminar registration is $59 per attendee before July tors and teaming partners. 31st and $75 for those registering after that date. For The seminar agenda opens with keynote speaker, Deidre more information, visit www.ft-cdc.com or call Francis Lee, Director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Tuttle at 717-4750. For information on how to obtain Policy for the Department of Defense and includes a variety booth space at the event, contact Carter Merkle at of other experts in government contracting. [email protected] or 743-5592. Defying the Odds: Grads Tell Their Stories JEFF HADLEY: PACKAGING UP SUCCESS store, called Blues 7 and located in OKC at 50th and May Ave., is the Jeff Hadley is founder and owner of Hadley Design, Inc., a place to find beautiful and unique art, furniture, home accent pieces, company that helps keep prices down for product manufacturers. purses and other gifts. Most consumers are unaware of the rigid guidelines for packaging Nix says Defying the Odds gave him great information on how to products for shipment to stores like Best Buy and Walmart. Products get started with his business idea; it cut out a lot of the guesswork. He arrive at these stores in large corrugated boxes that must be labeled also learned that there are safety nets available to ease some of the risk with bar codes and other information in precise locations. Improperly business owners take during start-up. Most of all, though, the semi- labeled boxes result in a fee charged back to the manufacturer. Hadley nar gave him the inspiration and confidence to take the leap into busi- Design makes this process manageable for manufacturers with equip- ness ownership. “It’s hard work, but you can do it,” Nix says.

ment that can either ink-jet or apply labels in just the right places on MATT GREEN: A FAN OF DEFYING THE ODDS the boxes. This automated service eliminates the cost and inaccuracy Matt Green, founder of Front Row Technologies, has a mission to of applying labels by hand. provide the maximum number of people the greatest opportunity to be After attending Defying the Odds, Hadley was able to grow his busi- a fan. His business provides an enterprise software solution that ness into a national market, and he says the class definitely helped, athletic teams and performing arts organizations can use to sell tickets particularly in attaining needed funding. Hadley says, “The class and distribute key marketing information. Founded in the fall of 2002, showed us how to properly structure our business plan to secure the Front Row Technologies is located in the Emerging Technology venture capital we needed. It also put us in contact with the people that Entrepreneurial Center, an incubator for start-ups in Norman, OK. could provide the resources we needed. It has allowed us to expand into This turnkey system provides ticket marketing, sales and management. the national market with our product. This was a great class.” Green became a fan of Defying the Odds because of the individual RUSTY NIX: HAPPY TO BE BLUE attention he received at the seminar. “The instructors were genuinely Before Rusty Nix was an entrepreneur, he was a graphic designer interested in trying to help people in the class.” He adds that Klososky with an eye for beautiful things. After taking Defying the Odds, he provided a wealth of resources and specific contacts for accomplishing started a retail business based on a concept he’d seen in Kansas City. His start-up initiatives. “The content was extremely relevant and right on.”

The possibilities are Wireless Network Enhances Computer Training virtually limitless when Francis he word is getting out: the BIS team’s wireless network, created and maintained by Kathy Fleming, makes Tuttle’s wireless computer training more flexible and effective than ever for BIS clients. The network, consisting of 13 laptop network training is computers and a projector linked via a wireless network, is essentially a mobile software training unit. This equip- utilized by Tment travels to client office sites, along with Francis Tuttle software instructors, to make computer training as convenient businesses. as possible for clients. In less than one hour, this system can be set up and ready to host 12 students on-site. Any PC-based software class offered by Francis Tuttle can be loaded onto the networked computers, so classes of all lengths and levels are available. Classes can also be customized to fit a particular client’s needs. The benefits this system offers are numerous. First, the flexibility of both class content and setup are unmatched. Additionally, employees need not leave their office environment, saving the client travel time and costs. The schedule can be designed to best meet the needs of trainees’ work schedules and, if necessary, trainees can remain close to their desks and other tasks. Finally, the network system allows for collaboration among students in the class, enhancing the learning tactics and more fully recreating a real-world working scenario. To find out more about the wireless network, contact Kathy Fleming at 717-4759. performance New Software Is Companion for Lean Manufacturing s manufacturing professionals know, Lean Manufacturing is the term used for identifying and implementing “best practices” in the manufacturing process. One tactic for doing so is value stream mapping (VSM). VSM consists generally of walking the Call 717-4740 or manufacturing floor to trace the current steps in taking raw materials to finished product, evaluating those steps to deter- mineA which ones add value to the product and which do not, and eliminating unnecessary steps to save time and cost in production. find us on the web at: www.francistuttle.com/bis VSM is best done by hand with paper and pencil, because the learning is in the process. This creates a need for an easy way to distribute the resulting map to company management to facilitate discussion of the proposed changes. That’s where eVSM 2002, a new software tool based on Microsoft Visio, comes in FRANCIS TUTTLE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SERVICES CONTACTS handy. Intended as a companion to VSM, eVSM makes Team Leader Jim McGuinness 717-4379 [email protected] the process of converting a hand-drawn map into digi- Computer Software Training Kathy Fleming 717-4759 [email protected] tal form easier and faster. Construction Trades Coordinator David Tichenor 717-4144 [email protected] The benefits of eVSM are clear. First, the software eCommerce / eBusiness Assistance Clark Jermain 717-4745 [email protected] allows for easy distribution of maps via intranet sites or Government Contracting Assistance Judy Robbins 717-4741 [email protected] in hard copy form. Also, the software allows for Manufacturing Extension Agent Marty DiRado 717-4132 [email protected] creation of multiple maps, facilitating “what if” analy- Manufacturing Extension Agent Ron Holmes 717-4133 [email protected] Market Development Cindy Mitas 717-4225 [email protected] sis and smoothing the implementation process. Organization Development/Leadership Cathy Bolton McCullough 717-4138 [email protected] eVSM was created by GumshoeKI, a software Personnel Selection/Human Resources Larry Ratliff 717-4251 [email protected] development company, and TechSolve, Inc., a National Quality / Manufacturing Mark Scherber 717-4744 [email protected] Institute of Standards and Technology for the Small Business Development Annette White-Klososky 717-4752 [email protected] Manufacturing Extension Partnership. It is supported Technical Training Basil Collins 717-4291 [email protected] on Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Technology / Manufacturing Kevin Arnold 717-4738 [email protected] For more information on eVSM 2002, contact Kevin Safety Coordinator Justin Smedley 717-4761 [email protected] Safety Specialist James Ergenbright 717-4608 [email protected] Arnold at 717-4738.

12777 N. Rockwell • Oklahoma City, OK 73142-2789

performance is provided quarterly by Francis Tuttle Rockwell Campus: 12777 N. Rockwell Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73142 Portland Campus: 3500 N.W. 150th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73134 Web address: www.francistuttle.com Francis Tuttle Board of Education: David Brown, President; Bruce Moran, Vice President; Buddy Sanford, Clerk; Bob Turner, Member; Dave Gillogly, Member; Dr. Kay Martin, Superintendent and CEO

If you have a success story to share in a future issue of performance please contact the Francis Tuttle Marketing Department at 717-4167. Contributors to this edition include: Paula Gower, Editor; Caroline Humphreys, Writer; JMG Design, Graphic Design & Production; Ted West Photography Francis Tuttle Technology Center District No. 21 does not discriminate in its programs, services and employment practices on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability, age or veteran status.