Photo by Brent Fuchs.

It took launching two successful businesses – one of which has revolutionized the online world of entertainment shopping and garnered national acclaim as both concept and workplace – but finally, Matt Beckham feels like an entrepreneur.

“That mindset has developed over time,” says Beckham, 31, founder and CEO of Oklahoma City-based QuiBids. “I never really said to myself that I’m going to be an entrepreneur. It’s not what I thought I was going to do. But when an opportunity presented itself, it seemed logical.”

Beckham says the entrepreneurial pathway was not something he necessarily learned from his parents. His father’s work, psychology; his mother’s, social work.

“There was never that kind of family interest,” Beckham says. “In the family, there was no one to really turn to for advice in what I was doing.”

But as a youngster, a budding capitalist might have taken shape. When he was 13 years old, Beckham says he enjoyed playing with graphics editing programs, which then extended to building web pages.

“The intent wasn’t to make money – when I was 13, there wasn’t much to the internet,” Beckham says. Still, “I was kind of doing web development for clients at 15 years old,” he adds.

Beckham earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with honors from the University of Oklahoma and then spent several years working as an online marketer and media buyer.

Beckham, though, says he learned a lot from that early work experience, which he described as being similar to a start-up. It wasn’t long before he launched his own small business, and thus came the next step in his evolution towards entrepreneurialism. “I felt it was something I could do myself, so I started the company, and it worked,” he says.

Still, it was with the 2009 launch of QuiBids and the tremendous success it has enjoyed subsequently that Beckham says really drove his entrepreneurial mindset.

“Confidence from success with two businesses was definitely part of the evolution,” he adds.

For the uninitiated, QuiBids (www.quibids.com) is a web-based entertainment shopping destination with an emphasis on “entertainment.” It’s a fun and often deeply strategic portal to what can be incredible savings on name-brand, top-of-the-line products. The appeal has been strong since its launch. Not only has a group of six friends expanded to a staff of 140 people in several areas of expertise, but the company has been lauded with numerous Interactive Media Awards, international news coverage and designation by several Oklahoma purveyors – including Oklahoma Magazine – as one of the great employers in the state.

So, it’s little wonder, presiding over such a successful company still in ascent, that Beckham finally began to feel that entrepreneurial spirit take hold. However, his path developing that spirit hasn’t followed the usual – if there is any usual path in today’s business environment.

“In 2009, a friend of mine and I were looking at online auction sites and looking for opportunities to start a business,” explains Beckham. “He found a website that was a spin on the eBay auction model, and we talked about something similar. We thought we could take the concept and revamp it, and then we decided to build QuiBids. That was mid-2009, and we launched in October 2009.”

At the time, Beckham was 26 years old, and his handful of business compatriots included his brother (working remotely) and long-time and college friends of Beckham and his brother.

It was in that environment of friends collaborating on a cutting-edge business that QuiBids’ company culture began to take shape.

“My [approach] is that work should be something you enjoy doing,” Beckham says. “You work hard and you play hard. You have to work hard to achieve your goals, but you can enjoy it along the way.”

The combination of unique product and contemporary work environment clearly buoyed QuiBids’ success. “By mid-2010, [in employment terms] we just started to blow up. At this point, we have roughly 130-140 employees, and we’re looking to hire for a new entertainment shopping brand we’re launching in a few months called Shoppie,” Beckham says.

QuiBids, which has gained huge commercial popularity, was obviously also a key to Beckham’s success.

“It really is an exciting model,” Beckham says. “QuiBids is one of the business models in which when you are on the site, you are just mesmerized by it. Not a lot of sites have all of the pizazz. Sure, you can get discounts on other sites, too, but not with the bells and whistles we have. QuiBids can also obviously be strategic, and this captivates people. Is there a best time of day to be on? What’s the best plan to win that item you really want? People also like that they can buy the big names out there. Traditional e-commerce can’t provide the level of entertainment and excitement. Entertainment shopping should be able to get you hooked.”

As the company grew, so too has its efforts to engage employees in a fun and productive environment. The ping pong can get intense around the office, but other uncommon pleasantries like massage Fridays and smoothie Wednesdays illustrate the kind of environment Beckham has always sought to foster.

“I don’t micromanage employees or watch if they’re on Facebook, how much time they play ping pong, when they come and go and things like that,” says Beckham. “Work hard; play hard. We encourage fun and want work to be a place where you have fun while doing something that you enjoy. We also have a lot of employees who are referrals, so there is a network of friends.”

Maintaining that atmosphere isn’t easy as the company continues to grow.

“It gets harder, with scale, to keep the work environment the same as it once was, and a lot of companies lose this when they scale, but there are ways to keep the great aspects,” Beckham says. “It’s hard for 150 people to all know each other well. It’s one of the challenges as we grow.”

Finding just the right employees for the particular work environment has been one of the keys to the company’s growth.

“There are so many reasons we’ve been successful, it’s hard to pin just a few down,” Beckham says. “It started with our initial team, a really exceptional team for a start-up or even a mid-size company. Once you get past that, it might be our ability to analyze data, our marketing efforts and merchandising efforts. I look at it like a puzzle – it won’t work without all the pieces fitting together. Every person is a puzzle piece.”

Great employers, Beckham feels, foster an environment such as the one he does at QuiBids – a place where work doesn’t feel like work.

“People show up and feel like they are there to have fun,” he says. “Not everyone is like that. You have to hire the right people and, hopefully, people who love what they do. Ideally, an employer offers the opportunity to the right employees to do work they like to do in an optimal setting – things like having a good supervisor and fun amenities.”

Beckham says the upcoming launch of Shoppie will expand the company’s offerings in entertainment shopping. “That’s how we see ourselves, as entertainment shopping, and Shoppie is the next step in that evolution. Ultimately, we want to expand our entertainment shopping presence, because there is a lot of room for growth there, and there is tremendous potential,” he says.

As for the personal satisfaction he’s gained with his QuiBids success, Beckham has a no-nonsense perspective.

“My personal satisfaction is not failing,” he says. “As an entrepreneur, you’re always worried about your worst day – the company fails. Succeeding has allowed me to continue to play, to build new businesses. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if we hadn’t been successful. Then Shoppie wouldn’t be possible. My biggest success is continuing to be able to do what I love.”

If three years of writing this special report has revealed anything in aggregate, it is that Oklahoma’s economy, fueled by private industry, is far more diverse than many people may imagine. Yes, the fields most associated with Oklahoma make up a large portion of the state’s employers: energy, agriculture, aerospace and manufacturing. But with lower profiles are the countless other business entities, large and small, that support those major sectors, and businesses in other fields fewer people associate with the Sooner State, such as biomedical and several other branches of technology-based commerce.

Most, if not all of, these diverse aspects of Oklahoma’s economy have revealed themselves in this special report over the past three years. Either in companies that have made it into the pages of the report to follow, or in those who have been nominated and are not yet ready to be included in the lofty litany, countless businesses have been excited to participate in Great Companies To Work For.

Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than the two CEOs we’ve opted to interview in conjunction with Great Companies – both of whom happen to head companies honored in this special report. Not long ago, neither Oklahoma Magazine staff and advisors nor most in Oklahoma may have heard of Oklahoma City-based QuiBids.com. Meanwhile, Tulsa’s Bama Companies is an icon of almost a century known to virtually every local resident. Helmed respectively by our interview subjects, Matt Beckham and Paula Marshall, these great companies came to the attention of Oklahoma Magazine in our first Great Companies To Work For editions. We discuss their different paths to success and what it is about their company culture makes them great places at which to work. We’re honored to feature them this year, when once again the very-different QuiBids and Bama are recognized in these pages.

That diversity illustrates the ongoing challenge to evaluate employers that are very different. Once again, this year Oklahoma Magazine offers A Sample of Great Companies To Work For, in which the best effort has been made to evaluate businesses that can be relatively compared, as well as spotlight various employment sectors that rationally have to be evaluated internally because they stand out so distinctly from other sectors.

Companies selected for inclusion in all parts of this special section were selected based on evaluation of data submitted via online application, in some cases a two-step procedure, as well as automatic renomination and re-evaluation of companies who appeared in or applied for inclusion in previous Great Companies. Business and community leaders were also asked for nominations, which was followed by data collection and evaluation. In a non-scientific method based on the collection and evaluation of company data, employee perspective, public recognition and contribution to their communities, Oklahoma Magazine endeavored once again to identify the state’s great employers, in a score of sectors and sizes and present to you a little information about each.

Now in its third year, 2013 Great Companies To Work For demonstrates that our often-underexposed diversity is our strength.

Build It Like Beckham

The Unlikely Pie Maker

2013 Great Companies To Work For Ring Of Honor

A Sample Of Great Companies To Work For

In an ideal world, there would be little connection between politics and art. In my mind, art of all types is the singular expression of one artist's perception of the world around him – be it sociological, aesthetic, philosophical or political. Overt politics expressed in art tends to turn off half of potential viewers and diminishes what might be a terrific work. Art is the ongoing search for human truth while politics if the ongoing search for some human's power.

The nexus of art and politics has always disturbed me. From the days of World War II and portrayals of the "yellow devils" to other propaganda-driven works throughout our history, this nexus has served politics more than it has art. Just a few years ago, a recorded conversation involving White House staff demonstrated the desire the political class has to control art, when it was asserted that artists seeking NEA support would have a better chance of support if artists' work somehow advanced the political agenda of the President of the United States. We have also seen for years how financial support for artists tends to flow to artists who are amenable to acting as agents of the state.

It's a repugnant tactic with a historical basis – and it is certainly not new.

Through January 5, 2014, the delightful Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman is taking a unique look at how the nexus of art and politics shaped Cold War art in Latin America. While propaganda art from the U.S. and the former Soviet Union have often been explored in exhibits, this exhibit takes a look at another important Cold War part of the world and how art was… influenced to shape public perception and opinion.

From the museum: "During the Cold War, the Organization of American States, formerly the Pan American Union, actively promoted artists from Latin America and the Caribbean that demonstrated affiliation with influential modernist styles such as Constructivism, Surrealism, Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism.

Jose Gomez Sicre, the Visual Arts Specialist of the OAS, exhibited artists sympathetic to international trends in contemporary art with the intention of demonstrating the cosmopolitanism of Latin artists and emphasizing freedom of expression in the American republics.

Libertad de Expresión examines how both the OAS and its cultural institution, the Art Museum of the Americas, advanced Latin American art and democratic values during the Cold War. Ironically, Gomez Sicre’s support for freedom of expression did not include artists of a socialist or communist bent, and he refused to exhibit leftists at the museum.

The exhibition features more than 60 artists, including Joaquin Torres Garcia, Roberto Matta and Jesus Rafael Soto."

This fascinating exhibit is a must-see for scholars seeking a better understanding of the role of the arts in manipulating public opinion. It may also be revealing to those interested in the complex nature of this country's relationships with Latin America. Interestingly, by restricting art communicating Leftist/Marxist messages, the OAS might well have set in motion Leftist activism in Latin America today. Censorship is censorship, no matter the goal, and the end result of the art community is often to revolt against all types of censorship.

Being old enough to remember the Cold War, and being fortunate enough to have traveled to oppressive dictatorships, it isn't a personal distaste for the above-mentioned policy that makes this exhibit most interesting to me. It's the backlash. The act of creating art is not a clinical thing; it's an almost violent struggle with the individual artist's personal perspective and observations combating the need of the aesthetic. I might loathe the messages of collectivism and servitude to the state; but more repulsive to me are any efforts to restrict the observations of true artists. From the example accentuated in this exhibit to today's American policy of financially supporting only counter-culture artists, art and politics are like oil and water. They do not – and should not – ever mix.

This terrific exhibit is a good illustration why that is so.

Libertad de Expresión continues at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art continues through January 5, and is well worth the effort to see – and to study. For more information, visit www.ou.edu/fjjma/.

-Michael W. Sasser is Oklahoma Magazine’s senior editor and an award-winning journalist. For comments or suggestions, reach him at [email protected].

Honesty is key to evaluating our personal eating habits and how we might improve them. That is, at the end of the day when we take stock of how we managed our regiment today, it's easy to glaze over that donut you gobbled in the office or the sugary beverage you just had to have midday. However, an honest look at our habits is the only way we're ever going to improve them.

Let's take an honest look at vegetables then. An astounding number of adult friends over the course of my life have had the same aversion to vegetables as one might expect of children. In my observation, this is more true of people in their 20s and more true when it comes to men than to women. Maybe it's a leftover from years of being force-fed veggies by mom as a child. I know, in my case, I grew up with a distinct distaste for vegetables because of how they were often prepared in my home; in the 1970s it seems there was no vegetable that couldn't be boiled down to mush or soaked in butter. Only years later, when I began my personal journey to improved nutrition, did I learn countless vegetables and preparations that elevated them to the position they play in my regiment today – often as the centerpiece of healthy, delicious meals.

Here are a few rules of thumb I've discovered when it comes to making vegetables a magnificent component of your healthy diet.

* Boiling or over-steaming reduces the nutritional value of vegetables and makes them less appealing to many people's palates. Consider sauteeing, stir-frying or roasting to maintain texture and nutrition.

* While it's hard to argue that butter makes pretty much anything taste better, it also decreases the nutritional value of vegetables. Butter substitutes are dubious at best. Instead, consider cooking them with olive oil. You will get a lot more complex flavor, and healthy fat, while also enjoying the benefits of the vegetable. Today, the only vegetables I personally prefer with butter are corn, peas and green beans. Try the recipe below to see if crisp, olive-oil seasoned vegetables aren't a huge improvement from those soggy, sagging veggies of the past.

* Liven up vegetables you might not already be fond of and see if that doesn't change your mind. Add an Asian chili sauce to green beans to replicate something you might find in an Asian restaurant. Garlic (my personal "must" for all vegetables) and ginger can liven up snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower and crisp green beans.

By considering taste and texture, most vegetables can be transformed into something that will surprise you and hopefully become a fixture in your healthy menu planning.

The following preparation has worked for me with asparagus (particularly in season), broccoli, Brussels sprouts and even whole carrots. It demonstrates how taste and texture can combine to create easy, healthy dishes that also happen to be healthy.

* Toss cleaned, trimmed vegetables in a large bowl, with enough olive oil to coat, salt, pepper and fresh chopped garlic. Let sit for at least 15 minutes in the fridge, but longer won't hurt these hearty vegetables.

* Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

* Pour out vegetables into baking pan, making sure as best you can that they are spaced apart in the pan and lightly coated with your olive oil mix.

* Here's the tricky part. Different vegetables and different size vegetables will require different cooking times. While there is a little room for error here, you will want to keep an eye on your work. Place vegetables in over and keep an eye on, checking first after 15 minutes and then in 5-10 minute increments afterwards. You will know when the vegetables are done when there is a slight char on the outside. Toss when you first notice the char and replace in over until they appear equally cooked. You're looking for a roasted, even crispy exterior and a moist, toothsome interior – NOT soft.

* Serve immediately, as maintaining the wonderful texture they emerge from the oven with is difficult in re-heating.

Follow these simple instructions and you'll transform simple vegetables into easy, delicious components of a healthy meal, using only the healthy fat in olive oil and basic seasonings. Paired with simple grilled chicken or fish and you have a meal perfect for weight-loss purposes. It's also an easy way for the young single to impress a date. Those handy steamer bags have nothing on the delight that is roasted asparagus.

Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.

-Michael W. Sasser is Oklahoma Magazine’s senior editor and an award-winning journalist. Neither a medical nor nutrition expert, he shares his personal weight loss journey exclusively with Oklahoma Magazine readers. Reach him at [email protected].

When the 2013 Williams Route 66 Marathon arrives this weekend, be prepared to either join the race or stand back. As is always the case, this year’s marathon weekend will send thousands of runners out into the streets of Tulsa. Last year’s marathon and half-marathon races each sold out with more than 6,700 total participants signed up for those events. That’s not counting the thousands who took part in the relay, 5k and fun run-walk events. The weekend of Nov. 23-24 is all about running, health and promoting fitness, and it continues gaining attention from the running world beyond Tulsa’s city limits. Expect another sell-out event bringing in 10,000-plus participants in addition to their supporters, vendors for the health expo and onlookers ready to celebrate at the finish line. Register now at www.route66marathon.com to join and see a schedule of events.

Opens Saturday, Nov. 23

Philbrook Museum of Art decks the halls with holiday décor, trees and gift items that could easily find their way into your home. Philbrook Festival of Trees opens this weekend to festive cheer with its annual display and sale from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. The museum, 2727 S. Rockford Road, Tulsa, opens later that night for the illuminating Garden Glow, a display of thousands of lights on the museum's celebrated grounds. Guests can roam the grounds while sipping hot cocoa or take part in hands-on art activities. The atmosphere and live music at Garden Glow are free and open to the public from 5-8 p.m., making it the perfect beginning to three festive weeks at the museum and the start of a marvelous holiday tradition. For more, go online to www.philbrook.org.

The weekend

So you’ve already put up a few strands of colored lights on the eaves – you’re in great company. Some of the state’s best holiday light displays turn on this weekend ahead of Thanksgiving making an official start to the holidays.
The Midwest City Holiday Lights Spectacular begins Friday, Nov. 22, with an opening night ceremony at Joe B. Barnes Regional Park. This is one of the state’s largest drive-through displays boasting a 118-foot Christmas tree decked in more than 9,000 twinkling lights and a forest display choreographed to Christmas music. Watch a forest in its metaphoric dance (www.midwestcityok.org).
Follow the trail of lights to Yukon’s Chisholm Trail Park and other city park, where gazers can catch 100 acres of light attractions by car, on foot via walking trails or horse-drawn carriage. Yukon’s Christmas in the Park kicks-off on Saturday, Nov. 23, with music, games, photos with Santa and more (www.cityofyukonok.gov).
The Pine Lodge Resort in Ketchum invites the family to an “old-fashioned” light display. The Winter Wonderland Christmas Light Tour features log cabins, antique cars and more sights along Grand Lake to warm the heart, and it opens Thursday, Nov. 21 (www.pinelodgeresort.com).
Then, there’s the Chickasha Festival of Light (opens Saturday, Nov. 23) with miles of strands strewn across the grounds of Shannon Springs Park and so bright it’s even considered a top holiday light attraction in the nation by some. Find your way to Chickasha by following the lights southwest of Oklahoma City (www.chickashafestivaloflight.com).