Eastern Oklahoma State PBL Wins 33 Awards
(Press Release 4-16-04)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

Submitted story

Eastern Oklahoma State College captured 33 awards at the Oklahoma Phi Beta Lambda competition held at the Meridian Convention Center in Oklahoma City, April 2 & 3. Post–secondary representatives from 11 universities and junior colleges participated.

“Lead. . . Achieve. . . Succeed!” the theme for the 2004 Oklahoma FBLA–PBL Spring Leadership Conference was appropriate for the chapter as members secured the privilege to represent the state of Oklahoma at the national competition in Denver this summer.

The conference was called to order the parade of state officers, including Eastern’s Kyle Rust who is serving as Oklahoma PBL Two–Year College Vice President. Rust walked again in the parade of presidents as he serves the local chapter.

Todd Cash was keynote speaker. Cash is in his third year as President and CEO of AdvoCare International, a nutrition company that makes cutting edge sports performance, skin care and nutritional products that are distributed through 150,000 independent distributors nationwide.

Cash attended Eastern Oklahoma State Junior College from 1981 to 1983, where he played baseball. Todd earned his degree in education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1987, following a brief playing career in the San Francisco Giants baseball organization in 1986-1987. Todd coached high school football and baseball, and worked as a firefighter in Tulsa.

Cash challenged members to “finish strong” no matter what the task. He stressed the need for character, integrity and honesty in today’s business world.

Capturing awards for Eastern were Belinda Keith, Stigler, first in Business Law, Word Processing, and the American Enterprise Project; Chris Mervyn, Wilburton, first in Computer Concepts and third in C++ Programming; Lawson Giddings, McAlester, first in Information Management and first in Network Design; Brigitte Noah, Red Oak, first in Job Interview and second in Human Resource Management; Tommy Gonzales, Wilburton, first in Network Design and second in Information Management; Amber Hubler, Quinton, first in Community Service Project and second in Word Processing; Jeremy Pebley, Wilburton, first in Community Service Project; Ashley Smallwood, Haileyville, first in Community Service Project and fifth in Computer Applications; Kyle Rust, Haileyville, first in American Enterprise Project and second in Future Business Executive; Lindy Morgan, Wilburton, first in Local Chapter Annual Business Report.

Jacob McKenzie, Alderson, second in Computer Concepts and fourth in C++ Programming; Cliffton Hill, Tushka, second in Economics and fifth in Accounting Principles; Carmen Beers, McAlester, third in Business Law; Dru Campbell, McAlester, third in Hospitality Management and fifth in Telecommunications; Dawn Wallis, Wilburton, fourth in Accounting Principles and International Business; Chris VanHorn, McAlester, fourth in Telecommunications.

The chapter was named Outstanding Chapter. Rick A. Mask, CEO of Visual Lease Services, Inc., was named Businessperson of the Year, and Eastern Co–Advisor Harold Bogard received Outstanding Local Chapter Advisor honors.

Ashley Smallwood, Kyle Rust, and Stephanie Edwards were named Who’s Who in Oklahoma PBL. Carmen Beers was elected secretary/treasurer for the state chapter of PBL for 2004–2005.

Sponsors for Eastern’s chapter are Estella Bennett–Mask, Linda Morgan, and Harold Bogard. Bennett–Mask served as Oklahoma PBL Competitive Events Chair; Bogard served as Oklahoma FBLA–PBL Computer Events Coordinator; and Morgan serves as the Oklahoma PBL State Advisor.

Future Business Leaders of America–Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., is a national student vocational education association that prepares students for careers in business and business education. Membership is over 260,000 in 11,000 chapters across the United States and abroad. Future Business Leaders of America is the high school division; Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate division.

Caption Info:

Front Row: Lawson Giddings, McAlester; Carmen Beers, Hartshorne; Lindy Morgan, Wilburton; Jeremy Pebley, Wilburton; Ashley Smallwood, Haileyville; and Belinda Keith, Stigler.

Back Row: Co-Advisor Linda Morgan, Co-Advisor Estella Bennett-Mask, Jacob McKenzie, Hartshorne; Tommie Gonzales, Wilburton; Amber Hubler, Quinton; Jackie Caughern, LeFlore; Dawn Wallis, Wilburton; Brigitte Noah, Red Oak; Christinna Campbell, McAlester; Dru Campbell, McAlester; Heather Jones, McAlester; Chris Mervyn, Wilburton; and Co-Advisor Harold Bogard.