Oklahoma
Forbes named these Oklahoma employers some of the best in the country: See the list
National parks within driving distance of Oklahoma City
These national parks are great for a weekend road trip out of Oklahoma.
With more people content to remain at their current jobs, Forbes recently released its 2024 Best Employers by State.
The media company partnered with Statista to survey more than 160,000 employees working for companies with at least 500 people in the United States.
Forbes listed 35 companies in Oklahoma with 19 headquartered in Oklahoma.
Here’s which companies in Oklahoma made the list:
No. 1: Chickasaw Nation Department of Commerce
CEO: Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby
Headquarters: Ada
Industry: Travel and leisure
Employees: 13,500
Year founded: 1983
No. 2: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
CEO: Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton
Headquarters: Tuskahoma
Industry: Government services
Employees: 12,000
Year founded: 1820
No. 3: American Electric Power
CEO: Benjamin G.S. Fowke
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Industry: Utilities
Employees: 17,250
Year founded: 1906
No. 4: Oklahoma Heart Hospital
CEO: John R. Harvey
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Health care and social services
Employees: N/A
Year founded: 2002
No. 5: Saint Francis Health System
CEO: Cliff Robertson
Headquarters: Tulsa
Industry: Health care and social services
Employees: 11,000
Year founded: 1960
No. 6: MidFirst Bank
CEO: Jeff Records
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Banking and financial services
Employees: 3,268
Year founded: 1982
No. 7: Costco Wholesale
CEO: Roland M. Vachris
Headquarters: Issaquah, Washington
Industry: Retail and wholesale
Employees: 208,000
Year founded: 1983
No. 8: Oklahoma State University – Main campus
CEO: Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum
Headquarters: Stillwater
Industry: Education
Employees: 8,882
Year founded: 1890
No. 9: Dell Technologies
CEO: Michael Saul Dell
Headquarters: Round Rock, Texas
Industry: Semiconductors, electronics, electrical engineering
Employees: 42,560
Year founded: 1984
No. 10: Tyson Foods
CEO: Donnie D. King
Headquarters: Springdale, Arkansas
Industry: Food, soft beverages, alcohol and tobacco
Employees: 120,000
Year founded: 1935
No. 11: Stillwater Medical Center
CEO: Denise Webber
Headquarters: Stillwater
Industry: Health care and social services
Employees: 2,000
Year founded: 1916
No. 12: University of Oklahoma
CEO: University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr.
Headquarters: Norman
Industry: Education
Employees: 18,000
Year founded: 1890
No. 13: OGE Energy
CEO: Sean Trauschke
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Utilities
Employees: 2,329
Year founded: 1902
No. 14: Cherokee Nation
CEO: Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskins Jr.
Headquarters: Tahlequah
Industry: Government services
Employees: 11,600
Year founded: 1839
No. 15: Target
CEO: Brian C. Cornell
Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Industry: Retail and wholesale
Employees: 415,000
Year founded: 1902
No. 16: Arvest Bank
CEO: Kevin Sabin
Headquarters: Lowell, Arkansas
Industry: Banking and financial services
Employees: 6,462
Year founded: 1961
No. 17: Cox Entertainment
CEO: Alex Taylor
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Telecommunications services, cable supplier
Employees: 50,000
Year founded: 1898
No. 18: Amazon
CEO: Andrew R. Jassy
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Industry: Retail and wholesale
Employees: 1,525,000
Year founded: 1994
No. 19: Oklahoma State University Medical Center
CEO: Johnny Stephens
Headquarters: Tulsa
Industry: Health care and social services
Employees: N/A
Year founded: 1972
No. 20: Whirlpool
CEO: Marc Robert Bitzer
Headquarters: Benton Harbor, Michigan
Industry: Semiconductors, electronics, electrical engineering
Employees: 18,880
Year founded: 1911
No. 21: Oklahoma Department of Human Services
CEO: Deborah Shropshire
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Government services
Employees: 5,000
Year founded: 1936
No. 22: Sodexo
CEO: Sophie Clamens
Headquarters: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Industry: Business services and supplies
Employees: 435,159
Year founded: 1966
No. 23: U.S. Department of Defense
CEO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III
Headquarters: Arlington County, Virginia
Industry: Government services
Employees: 3,400,000
Year founded: 1947
No. 24: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
CEO: U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough
Headquarters: Washington, District of Columbia
Industry: Government services
Employees: 400,000
Year founded: 1930
No. 25: Enterprise Mobility
CEO: Andrew C. Taylor
Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri
Industry: Travel and leisure
Employees: 90,000
Year founded: 1957
No. 26: Oklahoma City Public Schools
CEO: Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Education
Employees: 4,285
Year founded: 1889
No. 27: Macy’s
CEO: Antony Spring
Headquarters: New York, New York
Industry: Retail and wholesale
Employees: 85,581
Year founded: 1858
No. 28: FedEx
CEO: Rajesh Subramaniam
Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
Industry: Transportation and logistics
Employees: 600,000
Year founded: 1971
No. 29: One Gas
CEO: Robert S. McAnnally
Headquarters: Tulsa
Industry: Utilities
Employees: 3,900
Year founded: 2014
No. 30: AT&T
CEO: John T. Stankey
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Industry: Telecommunications services, cable supplier
Employees: 149,900
Year founded: 1876
No. 31: Hobby Lobby
CEO: David Green
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Retail and wholesale
Employees: 43,000
Year founded: 1972
No. 32: Devon Energy
CEO: Richard E. Muncrief
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Construction, chemicals, raw materials
Employees: 1,900
Year founded: 1971
No. 33: State of Oklahoma
CEO: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Government services
Employees: 30,000
Year founded: 1907
No. 34: City of Oklahoma City
CEO: Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
Industry: Government services
Employees: 4,500
Year founded: 1889
No. 35: Norman Regional Health System
CEO: Richie Splitt
Headquarters: Norman
Industry: Health care and social services
Employees: 2,700
Year founded: 1946
Oklahoma
Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.
OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.
One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
At this time no cause has been reported.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma
Navy Coach Brian Newberry Talks Oklahoma Prep, Going for 10 Wins
NORMAN — Bowl season is a bit unconventional for Navy.
The Midshipmen annually play against Army six days after the bowl schedule is released. That was the case this year, as Navy beat the Black Knights 31-13 on Dec. 14.
Beating Army is always a highlight for the Midshipmen. But the drawback for them is that they have less time than their bowl opponent to prepare for the game.
In this case, that’s Oklahoma. The Sooners will enter the game with more than two weeks of preparation for Navy’s triple-option offense.
“It’s just a little different,” Navy coach Brian Newberry told reporters earlier this week. “They’ve known they’re going to play us for a little time now.”
Navy Coach, Oklahoma Native Brian Newberry Grew Up On OU Football
Navy does, however, enter the Armed Forces Bowl with momentum.
The Midshipmen (9-3) eased past Army last week in Landover, MD. They outgained the Black Knights 384-179 and forced Army quarterback Bryson Daily to throw three interceptions.
Navy’s rivalry win was its third in the last four games after the Midshipmen went on a two-game skid in the middle of the season. Newberry cited his team’s physicality in recent games, particularly in the Midshipmen’s drubbing of Army.
“I was so impressed with how our kids handled the moment,” Newberry said. “Army’s a really, really good football team. I thought we physically dominated the game in the way that we blocked, beat blocks, the way we tackled. I thought we outplayed them in all three phases, so I’m really, really proud of that.”
A stark difference between the teams is the number of players that have entered the transfer portal.
The Sooners have seen 25 players from their 2024 team enter the portal. The Midshipmen have suffered only one departure in the winter portal window with defensive back Lorenzo Vitti.
On one hand, that makes Oklahoma preparation tough for Navy.
“It’s interesting,” Newberry said. “We’re going through their two-deep and trying to figure out who’s going to play and who isn’t. It’s a little bit of a challenge in that regard. And it could certainly change with a different quarterback.”
But largely, the Midshipmen’s lack of transfers gives Newberry confidence that his team will be bought in for one more game in 2024.
“The portal can affect us, players can jump in the portal — we’re not getting that,” Newberry said. “It’s challenging to build a culture anywhere in college football right now, one that’s built on a certain level of trust. They know each other really, really well. They’ve fought through adversity. They stay the course, they pay the price and they have an opportunity.”
Navy will also play for more than just another win; the Midshipmen are looking to make history.
Navy has reached the 10-win mark just four times in program history. The Midshipmen did so three times under former coach Ken Niumatalolo from 2009-2019.
Having a shot at history while playing Oklahoma — the state that Newberry hails from — excites the coach.
“It’s the last time that this team gets to play together,” Newberry said. “They want to go out the right way against a storied program like Oklahoma. It’s a great reward to play in a bowl game, but it’s a game we want to win.”
The Midshipmen and Sooners will play in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth at 11 a.m. on Dec. 27.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis Sees Armed Forces Bowl as Growth Opportunity
As Danny Stutsman departs from Oklahoma, Kip Lewis seems to be the next man up.
A redshirt sophomore linebacker in 2024, Lewis was one of the Sooners’ better defenders. In addition to his 28 solo tackles, Lewis intercepted two passes, running both of them back for touchdowns.
Lewis hopes to be the leader that Stutsman was over his four years at OU. But his goal isn’t to be a Stutsman clone.
“I feel like I’m my own player and my own leader in how I do things,” Lewis said. “Danny’s a great player, great leader. Taught me everything I need to know. I think I’m just my own person. I don’t think I need to step into his role and be the Danny. There’s only one.”
Lewis played and started in all 12 of the Sooners’ games in the 2024 season. It was his second season as a regular on OU’s defense after playing in just two games as a true freshman.
In Oklahoma’s first season as an SEC squad, Lewis and his defensive counterparts saw plenty of offensive stars. Between Garrett Nussmeier at LSU and Quinn Ewers at Texas, there was never really a dull moment for the Sooners during conference play.
Lewis will see a different type of challenge at the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy.
WATCH: Navy HC Brian Newberry Ahead of Armed Forces Bowl vs. Oklahoma
The Midshipmen — like the other service academies — run a triple-option offense. While Navy, Army and Air Force struggle to get the highly-touted recruits that other programs draw, the unconventional offense sets them apart.
Thankfully for Lewis, this style of offense isn’t new.
“I’m a little used to it. So it’s been a minute since I played it, but it brought me back to my roots playing the Wing-T. There’s a team called Pleasant Grove out there in Texas, so they used to give me a run for my money back in the day.”
Navy finished the regular season 9-3. The Midshipmen started the season 6-0 before losing three times in a four-game span.
They ended the season well, though, beating both East Carolina and Army by double digits to end the regular season.
Lewis and multiple of his teammates tuned in as the Midshipmen beat Army in the annual rivalry game.
“They showed a lot of fight, a lot of grit,” Lewis said. “I think that’s an important key into playing football.”
Lewis will play only one more game as an underclassman. Then, he’ll step into the role of other defensive leaders the Sooners have seen recently, whether that’s Stutsman, Billy Bowman Jr., Woodi Washington or others.
Games like the Armed Forces Bowl will help him get there.
“Just always having to bring my best effort every day,” Lewis said. “Just bringing everything I’ve got. Just every day, I bring my value into whatever that is, whatever I’ve gotta do for my team. I think it’ll be a big role.”
The Sooners will battle the Midshipmen on Dec. 27 in Fort Worth. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
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