Word From The Herd

“Because I didn’t quit football, I didn’t quit a lot of other things.” Stephan Moore, Executive Director of Shiloh Camp, joins Thomas Hill for an inspirational conversation about life lessons, leadership traits, and ways to invest in the people around us. Stephan shares foundational truths he has learned from family, coaches, and numerous others in his life along with leadership wisdom which he passionately pours into the young people at Shiloh Camp. Stephan works diligently to create “a place of belonging in an environment saturated with love and highlighted with excellence,” as he teaches future leaders how to maximize who they are. “Excellence does two things, Stephan says, “it inspires people, and it brings honor and glory to God.”

“Joy was one of our top core values.” Meg Salyer, co-founder of Accel Financial and respected community influencer, joins Thomas Hill for a delightful conversation about how to enjoy your workplace, the benefits of creating unity, and the importance of personal connection. From growing up on Long Island with “service as a part of my DNA” to Oklahoma City’s Automobile Alley, Meg is known for making the places people live and work better. Her advice to young leaders—actually to everyone—is to SAY YES. When you do, Meg explains, “You always get more than you expected, and you just never know what door that experience may open for you.”

“We’re in a business of serving other people.” Shane Wharton, President of Love’s Travel Stops, a company with 30,000 employees, joins Thomas Hill for a meaningful conversation about taking care of people. Shane details how this mindset is modeled by Love’s leadership with their consistent focus on the care and health of each employee. (They even have a life-altering employee profit sharing program named Love Shares!) This caring attitude is passed on to employees, Shane explains, and is evident as they celebrate the opportunity to give back to the community with the Children’s Miracle Network campaign each year. During the COVID crisis, Love’s led the industry with innovative measures to keep their employees safe. The top priority was to take care of the Love’s team first, Shane said and added, “If we do that right, they’ll be glad to take care of our customers, and our customers will be safer, too.“

“We’ll win or we’ll lose, but we’re not going to hide the ball.” Sandy Coats, Site Director and Senior Counsel for Boeing Defense Oklahoma, joins Thomas Hill for an engaging conversation about life and leadership. With many years as the US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, Sandy has firsthand knowledge of the challenging yet rewarding work of earning justice for hurting people and giving them their lives back. “One of the hallmarks of a good leader is the ability to listen.” Join this discussion as Sandy shares straightforward wisdom on delegation, ethics, and his two business pet peeves!

“We have the responsibility to do something with the blessings God gave us.” Lee Roland is a recognized and celebrated Difference Maker. With his years as an educator and administrator, Lee brings first-hand knowledge and mesmerizing stories to this gripping conversation with Thomas Hill. The principles Lee used to radically transform a challenged school translate to all areas of leadership and include expectations, mindset, and accountability. Listen as Lee shares the key element necessary for transforming behavior, and hear his passion when he declares, “If you don’t want to serve people, you have no business leading.”

"I want to fall in love with helping other people win.” Lance Lang, founder of Hope Is Alive, joins Thomas Hill for a personal and inspiring conversation about addition, recovery, vision, and hope. While sharing what drives him (“It’s always about the next person”), Lance talks about why people are drawn to vulnerable leaders and the warning signs that indicate a person is headed toward a crisis. Although his passion is helping the hurting, Lance lives with constant hope. He summarizes this outlook by saying, “Whenever I have a mindset of hope, no matter the situation, I believe that good is going to come from it. Good things are on the horizon.”

“It’s more than just a job. It’s a group of people together pulling in the same direction.” Ryan Plotkin, President of MD Building Products, joins Thomas Hill for a candid conversation about creating relationships, being authentic, and using what Ryan refers to as the leader’s best tool – his ears. “You have to build the environment for people to be heard,” he says. Ryan leads a family company and warmly shares, “Nothing is tighter than family,” noting that his father is his biggest mentor, and his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, modeled positivity. It’s all about relationships. This leadership philosophy drives Ryan as he walks the factory floor, listening, asking questions, and pouring into people. He firmly believes, “Shared experiences are what we are going to talk about years and years in the future.”

“If you don’t take care of your people, there’s no way your people are going to take care of your customers.” Percy Kirk, Sr. VP/Regional Manager of Cox Communications, joins Thomas Hill for a conversation about leadership, community, and the importance of direct involvement. From the employee led Cox Charities initiative to the Chamber’s focus on growing the community to the remarkable vision of the MAPS project, Percy shares a leader’s view of how great things can be accomplished when “we are willing to all engage and lean in together.”

“Don’t we all need some soul rest these days?” Dr. Richard Kopke joins Thomas Hill for an introspective conversation about destiny, joy, spiritual mission, and doing life at work. Dr. Kopke, Legion of Merit recipient and renowned otolaryngologist, is doing ground-breaking work in the restoration of disabling hearing loss. From miraculous healings in Middle Eastern refugee camps to daily medical research, Dr. Kopke’s passionate faith is his guiding star, shining brightly in his valuing of people and his desire to care for their souls.  “Whether by medicine, man’s hands, machines, or miracles, one of my greatest joys is to see people hear again because restoring hearing restores relationships.”

“When we can help, there are lots and lots of stories of success.” Ann Felton Gilliland, CEO & Chairman of Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity joins Thomas Hill for an encouraging conversation about how adding to people’s lives provides them the opportunity to grow and change for the better. Under Ann’s leadership, the Central Oklahoma Habitat organization has grown tremendously, building over 1,000 homes for families in Oklahoma. Ann credits her “great mentors and great partners”, as she shares about positivity, tenacity, and the generational impact of the work she leads. Her personal perspective is, “I get to do this. It’s been such a blessing in my life.”