Co-workers turn layoffs
into business opportunity
Tulsa World, Sunday, July 20, 2003
Co-workers turn layoffs into business opportunity
LAURIE WINSLOW World Staff Writer
07/20/2003
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page E1 of Business
Dana Gray went into the telecom field because she thought she would have job
security.
Their business, Lamer Gray
Marketing and Public Relations, in turn is helping a handful of ex-WilTel
employees who are trying to start their own companies.
The firm, located in Broken Arrow, specializes in marketing and public
relations for nonprofits, helping with Web site design, grant writing and
fund raising, and coordinating special events. They also serve small and
medium-size businesses.
Clients include Tulsa
Scottish Games and Domestic Violence Intervention Services Inc. For the
latter, the firm recently helped promote a fund-raising concert at the Brady
Theater featuring rock singer Joan Jett.
"It's so exciting to watch it gel," Gray said of their business. "There's a
lot of potential, and it's rewarding, not just from a business perspective."
After working in an environment of continuous layoffs and watching friends
go through one trauma after another, it's exciting to be doing work that
helps people, she added.
The new firm also holds the promise of keeping Gray and Lamer from becoming
underemployed, as the local communications market is flooded with talent
looking for work.
Gray and Lamer, who have 45 years of combined experience in the public
relations field, knew each other long before they started working together
at the telecom company.
Lamer holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma
and a master's degree in business administration from Southern Nazarene
Univer sity. She serves as adjunct instructor of marketing, public relations
and international business for Southern Nazarene and the University of
Phoenix.
Gray holds a master's degree in telecommunications management from Oklahoma
State University and a bachelor's degree in mass media news and
advertising-public relations from the University of Tulsa.
"The business has really taken off," Lamer said. "The economy has been so
hard, but the community has really rallied around our company and what we're
trying to do for nonprofits and people who've been laid off."
Volunteering for nonprofits always has been part of both women's values, and
they encourage former co-workers searching for jobs to volunteer and keep
their skills sharp.
"When you meet people, it helps keep your hopes up," Gray said.