The construction of a trauma emergency center and eight-story patient tower, in the works since 2003, will soon begin on the west side of Saint Francis Hospital’s main campus at 61st Street and Yale Avenue.

“This will be the biggest expansion in the 51-year history of Saint Francis,” said Jake Henry Jr., president and CEO, at the Sept. 29 groundbreaking.

The $200 million addition, which will be equipped with 235 beds and allow for an estimated 34,000 more patient visits annually, will not only profit Saint Francis, but also be a “significant economic stimulus” for Tulsa, Henry said.

“We’ll see tremendous economic growth opportunities,” agreed Dr. Gerard Clancy, chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber.

The construction will bring in nearly 900 workers over a two-year period and alone provide a more than $20 million stimulus, Clancy said. The three-year construction period is projected to contribute more than $5 million in taxes.

Following completion, more than 800 high-paying jobs will eventually be created, as well as new opportunities for University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University medical students. One year of operation will support almost $50 million in income.

“Better health and more jobs — that’s a win-win,” Clancy said.

Overall, he concluded, the expansion will account for about $111 million in growth both directly and indirectly.

When Henry’s team began developing the plans, they were trying to “project what the demands would be in 2015.”

“We planned it well,” he said. “It’s been systematic.

“When complete, it will punctuate Saint Francis’ efforts to meet not only the health care needs of northeastern Oklahoma today, but indeed those of future generations, no matter what future landscape may emerge in health care.”

Despite any governmental or economic plights — “it’s a time when things are rather unsure,” Henry said — health care services will always be indispensable. Rather, the question was “How do we prepare ourselves to deal with changes and challenges?”

“We’ve always had good health care,” he said. “We will continue to expect that. This project will extend the life and the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Tulsans in the coming decades.”

Henry said Saint Francis currently occupies about 40 percent of the local health care market, and the next closest system occupies less than 30 percent.

The Trauma Emergency Center & Patient Tower, along with the 2008 openings of The Children’s Hospital and Heart Hospital, also on the midtown campus, has gained the hospital an edge over others in the region in the past few years.

“You always look at competitive advantage, and I think this gives us a competitive advantage,” Henry said.

The facility, which will feature a separate pediatric center, intensive care and surgery rooms, a new chapel and convent, an 8,900-SF lobby that will connect all wings of the hospital, and two helicopter pads, will total 500,000 SF, with 50,000 SF of renovated space and 450,000 SF of new construction.

Upon completion of the tower, the total room count for the campus will be more than 1,100.

“The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy has been bestowed upon some of the most historic aviation leaders in the world, and General Stafford can be certainly included in that list,” said NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney, who chaired the selection committee. “We are honored to be able to present the great trophy to him.”

Stafford will be presented with the award during the Wright Memorial Dinner on Dec. 16 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Established in 1948 to honor the memory of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Trophy is awarded annually to a living American for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased for General Stafford,” said Victor Bird, director of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, who was one of three aviation officials to nominate Stafford for the Wright Trophy.

“General Stafford is a true aviation pioneer in every sense of the word and definitely deserves this award. His contributions in aviation and space are unmatched,” Bird said.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also praised Stafford for his pioneering achievements and service to his country.

“I join all Oklahomans in congratulating General Stafford on receiving this prestigious award,” Fallin said. “Our nation owes him a great deal of gratitude for the truly remarkable and far-reaching contributions he has made in aviation.”

Bird said Stafford has been very supportive of various aviation-related issues with which the Aeronautics Commission have been involved, most notably the Aerospace Industry Engineer Workforce Bill in 2008. The measure provides certain tax credits to new engineers in the aerospace industry and to the companies that hire them.

“Late in the legislative session, it appeared that support for the tax credits was waning somewhat; however, General Stafford come to the state Capitol and met with key lawmakers about the importance of the tax credits to Oklahoma’s aerospace industry,” Bird recalled. “It was really amazing seeing all of these legislators pouring out of their offices just to meet him when word got out that he was in the building.”

Bird said he was humbled by Stafford’s willingness to help “seal the deal” with respect to the engineer tax credits measure, and for his unwavering support for other Aeronautics Commission projects and initiatives such as the Aircraft Pilot and Passenger Protection Act. That measure was signed into law in 2010 and protects airports from encroaching development and aircraft from tall structures.

“The general has been one of our most ardent supporters, and we are grateful for his friendship, his candor, his honesty and his wisdom,” Bird said.

U.S. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) agreed with Bird that Stafford’s selection as the 2011 Wright Trophy recipient was well deserved.

“Tom Stafford has been my hero even before his trips to space.  I have been truly blessed to be a close friend of his ever since,” Inhofe said, adding that he and Stafford share a love for aviation.

Inhofe said one of the best kept secrets in Oklahoma is the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, birthplace and childhood home of Gen. Stafford.

“When I fly my plane around the state, a frequent stop is in Weatherford where, on many occasions, my brother Tom will walk through the museum with me,” Inhofe said.

Stafford, 81, first fell in love with aviation as small boy growing up in Weatherford. He served many years in the U.S. Air Force flying various types of aircraft; however, it was his time spent at NASA with the Gemini and Apollo missions as well as the Apollo-Soyuz Project that made him a household name.

In December 1965, Stafford took his first space flight when he piloted Gemini VI for the first historic rendezvous in space with Gemini VII. He later would command another Gemini mission that led to Stafford developing the rendezvous techniques essential to every one of the Apollo missions.

Nearly four years later as commander of Apollo 10, Stafford and crewmembers Gene Cernan, a previous Wright Trophy recipient, and John Young helped pave the way for Apollo 11’s historical moon landing two months later. Stafford and crew performed vital photo and radar mapping of the lunar surface that was used by the Apollo 11 crew. Apollo 10 was also the first flight of the lunar module in moon orbit and the first rendezvous between the command module and lunar module while orbiting the moon.

Following his mission to the moon, Stafford headed up the NASA Astronaut Corps where he was responsible for selecting and training crews for the remaining Apollo and Skylab missions.

But perhaps his most memorable mission was in July 1975 when his Apollo spacecraft docked with the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, a culmination of a partnership forged between the U.S. and Soviet Union just a few years earlier. The ensuing handshake between Stafford and Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov will forever be remembered as a major milestone in the evolving relationship between the two nations.

In November 1979, Stafford retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant general but not before making another contribution in aviation. His familiarity with stealth technology played a key role in the development of the B-2 stealth bomber. In fact, the story goes that Stafford sketched out specifications on a piece of hotel stationary that eventually led to the development of the B-2.

Stafford continues to make a lasting impact in aviation and aerospace today, serving on various boards, committees and task forces, and appearing before Congress as an advocate for the aerospace industry.

The mission of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission is to promote aviation, which includes ensuring that the needs of commerce and communities across the state are met by the state’s 113 public airports that comprise the Oklahoma Airport System, and fostering the growth of the state’s aerospace industry.

The merger expands McAfee & Taft’s Tulsa office to more than 180 attorneys and adds expertise in commercial litigation and products liability defense.

“Even before we opened our doors in Tulsa three years ago, we were committed to enhancing the firm in a very intentional, strategic way, as opposed to growing simply for growth’s sake,” said Richard Nix, managing director of McAfee & Taft in a written release. “Our expansion is aligned with the shifting needs of our clients and the changing marketplace.”

McAfee & Taft will retain all ECSL employees, who will join the firm’s downtown location at 1717 S. Boulder Ave., Suite 900.

“From a cultural standpoint, our joined firms are a great fit,” said Mary Quinn Cooper, ECSL co-founder and senior partner. “We’re both known for our collegial, collaborative working environments, and we have tremendous respect for our McAfee & Taft colleagues, both personally and professionally. More importantly, from a client perspective, this move provides us direct access to even greater resources and a full complement of legal services that few firms can provide with such depth.”

McAfee & Taft opened its Tulsa office in May 2008 with eight lawyers. In November 2009, it acquired Joyce & Paul PLLC, a local boutique law firm specializing in regulatory and environmental law. 

Today, SRG produces shielded enclosures and enclosure components that are used in a variety of enterprises, including telecom research and development and medical imaging, and for classified purposes by government agencies. They are also one of the foremost producers of honeycomb waveguide, an integral piece of virtually all shielded enclosures.

“We’re probably No. 2 in the world in manufacturing and supplying honeycomb waveguide, which is used in all radio frequency enclosures to allow heat and air condition to enter the enclosure while still blocking radio waves,” Mike Lahita said.

But the story behind the story dates back almost two decades before SRG opened its doors.

Mike Lahita received his first education in importance of RF shielding, shielding that blocks radio frequency electromagnetic radiation, after joining the U.S. Air Force in 1976.

“I ended up in cryptographics, so I spent my three years in the Air Force on the ground in a secure communications facility,” he said. “That facility had RF shielding in it and we had to maintain that as well as do our jobs.”

The experience he gained in the Air Force paid off in 1980 when he returned to the private sector. Mike Lahita caught on with a Connecticut company that was, at the time, the world’s largest manufacturer of RF shielding. Due to his experience with the necessary equipment, he quickly found himself moving up in the company’s testing division.

“I was there seven months and was promoted from field tester to a supervisor in the test department,” he said. “Seven months after that, I was made manager of the test department. I had 18 testers at one time, and it was my job to train them on how to do all this testing, but along with that I was involved in a lot of the research and development.”

Mike Lahita moved to Tulsa in 1986 to start a shielding company under Braden Steel Corp. The division he started, Braden Shielding Systems, is still operating.

But in 1994, the couple — Theresa Lahita owns 51 percent of the company — decided to venture on their own.

“The actual intent of SRG was to be a broker of services, not a manufacturer,” Mike Lahita said. “What happened was that I wound up winning jobs against the companies supplying the material. So, they decided, two weeks before we were supposed to ship our first order, that it was not in their best interest to supply us with materials.”

With the supply chain suddenly nonexistent, SRG was pushed into manufacturing. A year later, they expanded the operation by purchasing a honeycomb waveguide company and moving it to Tulsa.

“Morgan Stanley released findings that 91 percent of us have our phone within an arm’s length 24/7,” said Wheeler, the director of digital media at Comm-Arts. “This cannot be said about any other medium. Mobile needs to be an essential part of a business’s marketing, communication, sales or operational strategy.”

Wheeler is one of the masterminds behind the Art of Mobile Conference, to take place Oct. 27 at Tulsa Community College’s Center for Creativity. Also involved in planning the conference are mobile innovators Matt Galloway of Architactile LLC, Mike Ishmael of Red Dirt Mobile LLC and Jeff Rhoton of iMobilize Media LLC.

The conference is designed for professionals of all technical skill levels who want to gain a better understanding of how emerging mobile technologies can be used to accelerate their business. The lineup of presenters includes experts in the field, and marketing and business professionals will deliver panel discussions and case studies. A keynote will be delivered by Kevin Thibodeau, Apple Inc.’s director of U.S. iPhone and iPad channel sales.

Content will address how the versatile nature of modern mobile devices can create enormous opportunities, as well as confusion regarding what’s possible and where to start.

As technology rapidly advances, companies need to understand what their users expect out of an application or mobile marketing channel. They need to comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of a mobile website or app and whether to develop for iOS, Android, Windows, RIM or all of them.

“Those who attend will be educated on the importance of mobile technology and how they can incorporate it within their companies,” said Kayvon Olomi, founder of Tulsa-based AppTank, who also will present at the conference. “The conference is going to show the importance of mobile technology and how it will evolve and be incorporated in your daily life.”

Wheeler said one of the conference’s goals is to act as a catalyst for growth by explaining what mobile tools can do and how they can affect a business.

“I believe Tulsa — and Oklahoma ­— are at the threshold of the mobile explosion,” he said. “The conference can be the spark that ignites the mobile explosion. However, the conference isn’t about hype. Mobile has had enough of that already. Bottom line, it’s about business development. It’s about how can mobile help accelerate your business and its bottom line.”

Nicole Nascenzi, communications specialist for Williams Cos. Inc., will be among those seeking insights on mobile initiatives.

The new company will continue to operate under the existing names for the time being, said Dan Frey, president of Rely Energy.

“The THG merger dramatically expands our combined energy management and service offerings and provides the scale and expertise to comprehensively manage the energy requirements of commercial, industrial and governmental facilities of any size,” he said.

Since its inception in 2010, Rely Energy has rapidly developed and deployed services and systems to help commercial energy users track, manage and reduce energy costs through implementation of best practices for energy management, purchasing and conservation. THG, which will become a subsidiary of Rely Energy, has been similarly engaged in the Texas energy markets since 2004.

Rely Energy and THG together have more than 20 employees. Their current customers include universities, hospitals, municipalities, industrial companies, commercial office buildings, churches, restaurants and hotels.

The clinics are staffed by St. John Urgent Care and are open four days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The clinic at 2445 S. Jackson Ave. is open Mondays and Wednesdays, and the clinic on the third floor of City Hall is open Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Tulsa County was working with health insurance provider Community Care on a similar arrangement when the opportunity to team with the City of Tulsa became apparent through discussions between the two staffs.

“Our joint health initiative between the city and county is a great win-win for city and county employees,” said Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. “This is a good step in our new collaborative effort. It demonstrates we can work together to develop good programs that emphasize the sharing of services to serve a broader community. In addition, we accomplish the mission of governments working together, something that 73 percent of citizens agreed they want in our recent citizens’ survey.”

Fred Perry, chair of the Board of County Commissioners, said, “The combining of resources, which in this case involve facilities and employees, for the benefit of the taxpayers is always a good thing since public dollars are maximized. In this case, there is also the advantage of possible reduction in health insurance costs, less employee time off the job and better health of our employees.”

The sole branch of First State Bank will reopen today as a branch of Bank 7, and depositors of First State Bank will automatically become depositors of Bank 7. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC. The bank’s customers were urged to continue use of their existing branch until they receive notice from Bank 7 that it has completed systems changes, allowing other Bank 7 branches to process their accounts as well.

As of Sept. 30, First State Bank had about $43.5 million in total assets and $40.3 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the failed bank’s deposits, Bank 7 agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC estimates the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $20.1 million. Compared with other alternatives, Bank 7′s acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC’s DIF. First State Bank is the eighth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year and first in Oklahoma. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Home National Bank in Blackwell on July 9.