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PrintTulsaPeople Q&A: Becky J. Frank
Chairman and CEO, Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR; 2012 chair, Tulsa Metro Chamber
Since joining Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR in 2000, Becky Frank has helped the public relations firm more than double in size while also serving the community as a volunteer for the Tulsa Metro Chamber, the Tulsa Area United Way, The Foundation for Tulsa Schools and the Tulsa River Parks Authority.
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A self-described “Tulsa girl,” Becky J. Frank is both an influential leader and a passionate community advocate. Her confidence coupled with an instinct for business has proven a highly successful combo, and two of the area’s leading organizations have taken notice.
Frank takes the reins of the Tulsa Metro Chamber’s board of directors this year and will chair the Tulsa Area United Way’s annual campaign in 2013. Whether it is government affairs or civic engagement, economic development or fundraising, she is up for the challenge yet humble about being offered these opportunities to serve Tulsa.
Just who is Becky J. Frank? (Here’s a hint: She isn’t all business.) TulsaPeople caught up with Frank to talk Tulsa, the importance of leadership and why giving back to her community feels good.
What is your primary focus (or two or three) for the chamber as its 2012 chair?
First and foremost, in everything we do, we must focus on job creation and retention and economic growth. With that in mind, my primary focus areas are the advancement of Tulsa regional cooperation and determining what our vision is as a region; assessing and embarking on a regional branding and identity; and setting the stage for what follows Vision 2025.
… Regional cooperation: Over recent years, the Tulsa Metro Chamber has worked with our outlying communities to build relationships. Major strides were made this year when six area chambers of commerce, including Broken Arrow, Bixby, Jenks, Sapulpa, Sand Springs and Owasso, signed a compact with the Tulsa Metro Chamber to collaborate on regional economic growth. This effort was monumental for us and I commend our current chairman, Dr. Gerard Clancy, who, with area representatives, recognized this as a priority. As I look toward 2012, I see advancing the regional agenda as a priority as we identify opportunities to grow our economy, add jobs and create efficiencies.
In October, for a second year, the Tulsa Metro Chamber hosted a delegation of business and government leaders on the “What’s Next” intercity visit to study best practices in regionalism, economic development, tourism development and quality-of-life initiatives. We had more than 90 regional leaders during the visit in Indianapolis. …. We returned with an energized, motivated group of leaders who are already applying lessons learned to improve our collective economy and quality of life. I’m excited for the continuation of this discussion and the outcomes.
Regional branding and identity: What’s our competitive edge? And what perceptions do prospective business developers, visitors and meeting planners have of the Tulsa area? What’s our collective vision for the Tulsa region? If you ask these questions to 10 different people, you’ll get 10 different answers. We need to look in the mirror and determine what the perception of our region is today, where we’re going and establish our brand. And, yes, we all need to be singing from the same song sheet.
Beyond Vision 2025: The Tulsa area is rejuvenated, and the stage is set for us to begin discussions about where we go from here. We’re on the heels of the remarkable success of Vision 2025 with projects that enhanced our community beyond our dreams. So, where do we go from here? I would like for us to begin those discussions as a region, as we continually want to strive to make the Tulsa region the very best that it can be.
Although Tulsa has had its bumps and bruises during the national recession, why do you think Tulsa has weathered the storm better than many other cities?
Tulsa has certainly seen its share of rough times in decades past. Lessons learned ensured the Tulsa Metro Chamber made a concerted effort to diversify the base of businesses in the Tulsa region so it isn’t solely reliant on one industry. The Tulsa region benefits from a resilient economy that provides a steady balance in a downturn. In the end, it is the conservative nature of our business leaders and the strong work ethic of our citizens that remain the backbone to our economy.
The chamber hasn’t had a female chair for more than 10 years. What does this leadership role mean to you?
I am honored for the opportunity to serve as chair of the Tulsa Metro Chamber Board — a responsibility I take very seriously. When I was invited to serve, I spoke with Paula Marshall, who was the last woman to serve as chair in 1999. (Barbara J. Gardner was the first in 1996.) Paula highly recommended it and encouraged me to accept. And I’m glad I did. I’m honored to serve for many reasons. I’m proud to be a representative of small businesses. I don’t believe the community realizes that small business represents 85 percent of the chamber membership. And certainly I’m proud to be the third woman to serve as chair and hope to help pave the way for more diverse leadership.
This year, under the leadership of Shane Fernandez, the chamber launched Mosaic, a program to build the business case for diversity and inclusion. You’ll find Mosaic will throughout all aspects of the chamber, including leadership opportunities. I’m proud to be affiliated in a leadership capacity with a dynamic organization focused every day on building our region and enhancing our quality of life in meaningful ways. This is truly an exciting opportunity for me.
What do you consider the greatest strength you bring to this particular role?
I’m a relationship builder, and I believe that’s best done by sitting down, face to face, and talking about goals, challenges and asking questions. It’s amazing what you can learn and the commonalities you can discover. Our public relations and management consulting firm, Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR, is in the reputation-management business. We’re about building relationships and opening up communications to reach a common goal. We’re conveners of people. This is what I do. And, as simple as it may sound, these are the things that are often … overlooked.
Tulsa has a new crop of city councilors thanks in part to the chamber’s political action committee. Why did the chamber get involved?
I’m very proud of the work done by the chamber’s TulsaBizPac under the leadership of its chair, David Page. Tulsa was in desperate need of a group of city councilors who would work respectfully with each other and with the mayor to move the city forward with civility. The chamber’s TulsaBizPac allowed individuals to collectively participate in the political process by identifying and supporting individuals who are concerned with reforming issues that impact business’ competitive edge and quality-of-life initiatives.
I have great respect for the reelected and new city councilors, who, along with the mayor, will lead us into new heights in the coming years. And I’m grateful for their commitment to providing the unified leadership, with dignity, that our community has been craving — something that we, our children and grandchildren can be proud of.
