Fellers Marketing buys Texas company

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jul 12, 2001

Fellers Marketing and Advertising has purchased Round Rock, Texas- based Viseta, a privately held company that focuses on Web application design and development, integrated marketing, and distance learning solutions.

"The acquisition of Viseta provides us with a unique opportunity," said Jeff Smith, principal and chief operating officer of Fellers. "Many agencies position themselves with an in-house staff for interactive development, however, what Viseta brings us is a separate, established company with true depth, experience and infrastructure to meet the broad and current demands for this area of business."

Viseta's expertise ranges from e-mail marketing campaigns to providing distance learning solutions. Viseta's clients include AV Labs, Dell, Girlstart, La Frontera, PlanView, Star of Texas Rodeo and TL Ventures.

Fellers, based in Austin, Texas, has offices in Oklahoma City, Dallas, Lubbock, Houston and Amarillo.

Room for expansion

The Norman City Council has approved an ordinance that would allow a major Norman thoroughfare to be moved so Oklahoma Memorial Stadium can expand.

The council voted unanimously to close portions of public right- of-way and public utility easements on Jenkins Avenue, between Lindsey Street and Brooks Street. A Cleveland County judge must approve all vacated easements by the city.

University of Oklahoma officials want to relocate 900 lineal feet of Jenkins Avenue about 110 feet to the east to accommodate additions to the east side of the stadium.

Public traffic will be rerouted to Classen Boulevard, while emergency traffic will be rerouted down Faerie Queen Lane and through some existing parking lots.

"This is, for us, the beginning of the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium expansion," said Brian Maddy, OU vice president for administrative affairs.

Maddy said the road will be closed for about a year while the expansion takes place.

OU has not purchased any of the properties in the area so far.

According to Maddy, the total project will increase the stadium's capacity to more than 80,000. The project includes a new upper deck on the east side, which will add 4,500 general public seats; 2,265 club seats, a new club lounge and 27 new suites capable of seating 18 people each, for a total of 486.

The project is expected to take about a year, with a completion date of January 2003.

Running for mayor of Tulsa

A former Tulsa County district attorney has announced his intention to run for mayor of Tulsa.

"I know our past, and I'm committed to our future," Bill LaFortune, 43, said as his uncle, former Tulsa Mayor Robert LaFortune, looked on.

"Whether it is economic development, creating jobs, increasing public safety so that we move toward becoming `America's Safest City,' protecting our valuable water resources or assisting our public schools, I believe I am the most-qualified person to address these issues."

Tulsa City Councilors Sam Roop, Brady Pringle and Clay Bird attended the announcement to show their support of LaFortune, a Republican.

Bird and Roop earlier expressed interest in running for the post, but Bird said they changed their minds after learning that LaFortune would seek the office.

LaFortune practices law at the firm of Normam Wohlegmuth Chandler & Dowdell, where he has been a shareholder and director since 1998.

He served as Tulsa County district attorney from 1995 to 1998 and was an assistant attorney general from 1990 to 1993 before being appointed to a Tulsa County special judgeship.

LaFortune also was a Tulsa County assistant district attorney from 1988 to 1990.

An inside job

Les Landes of St. Louis-based Landes Communications will present "Marketing is an Inside Job" to the Oklahoma City Chapter of the public Relations Society of America at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.

He will describe the principles and mechanics for creating and maintaining the organizational alignment for a marketing communications program.

The cost of the luncheon will be $13 for PRSA members, $15 for non- PRSA members, $10 for PRSSA students and $13 for non-PRSSA students. Call 770-7772 to make reservations by noon Monday.

Berry promoted

W.B. "Bill" Berry has been elected senior vice president of exploration and production Eurasia-Middle East for Phillips Petroleum.

Berry, 48, was vice president of exploration and production Eurasia-Middle East. He was elected to the position of vice president of international exploration and production new ventures in 1997, after heading up the company's China operations since 1992. The government of China recognized Berry as one of the 31 outstanding foreign experts in the country in 1996. A native of Mississippi, Berry holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in petroleum engineering from Mississippi State University.

Helping small towns

A public school administrator from western Oklahoma has been named to a panel that will focus on promoting economic development in small towns.

Don Dale, superintendent of Woodward's High Plains Institute of Technology, was appointed by House Speaker Larry Adair, D-Stilwell, to the Small Community Economic Development Incentive Task Force.