A PARK GROWS IN TULSA A GATHERING PLACE – PART 6
Cimarex employees Jose Severino, senior reservoir engineer; Dana Nichols, manager of production administration; Tom Jorden, president and CEO; Mandi Ammann, facilities coordinator; and Joe Anderson, manager of land administration.
‘Living gift’
Energy company gives $5 million for park programming despite downturn.
THE ELEMENT: PARK PROGRAMMING
As construction continues on A Gathering Place’s more tangible elements, plans are already underway for park programming. “The park will have beautiful aesthetics, but it is the programming that will be the life of the park,” says Jeff Stava, executive director and trustee of Tulsa’s Gathering Place LLC. The all-ages programming will comprise five categories: cultural, arts and crafts, health/wellness/physical activities, nature/science/gardens, and annual events and festivals.
T H E D O N O R: CIMAREX ENERGY CO.
Cimarex is an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations across the Midwest, including Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. But it chose to make its largest single philanthropic gift of $5 million to endow programming for A Gathering Place for Tulsa. 32
TulsaPeople FEBRUARY 2016
This, during an energy sector downturn. “The vision of the George Kaiser Family Foundation and team for A Gathering Place was very persuasive,” says Tom Jorden, Cimarex president and CEO. “Following the example of some of our peers in participation was very meaningful to us.” Jorden admits the economic climate is challenging but says Cimarex has remained relatively healthy. Tulsa is home to the company’s largest office, which employs more than 400 people. “We viewed we had the where-with-all to make a statement” that would express Cimarex’s gratitude to Tulsa, Jorden says. “There is no more meaningful time to make the statement than when things are tough.” And so, Cimarex and A Gathering Place will develop a programming series that will honor Cimarex’s Tulsa employees and all of the people of Tulsa, and afford all children and families the opportunity to play, learn and explore in the city’s largest park. “We’re not so interested in having our name on buildings,” Jorden says. “This is more of a ‘living gift.’” tþ
Rendering courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
by MORGAN PHILLIPS