On the Horizon: One Sweet Career

It all started in Brenham, Texas. Blue Bell Creamery first opened its doors in 1907 and soon became known as “the best ice cream in the world,” but Texans aren’t the only ones enjoying the sweet taste of Blue Bell.

For Marty Kilgore his career at the Blue Bell Creamery Plant in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, began at a very early age. After his high school graduation Marty stopped in for something other than ice cream…a job. Years later, he’s still there heading up the operation that is sure to put a smile on your face.

In this week’s video blog, Marty takes us through the massive Blue Bell plant and shows us just how your favorite flavor gets from the cow to the grocery store.

Courtenay Dehoff

On the Horizon: Give Our Vets a Fighting Chance

Too often you hear stories of our war veterans coming home to simply be forgotten. We welcome them with open -arms when they return, but often times we forget that these heroes may have trouble stepping back into civilian life.

A courageous program at Oklahoma State University, one of the few of its kind, is changing all that. The veteran entrepreneurship program brings disabled veterans from across the country together for eight intense days of training.

In this week’s video blog we meet program participants both new and old and learn how they are changing their businesses and lives for the better.
Courtenay DeHoff

On the Horizon: To Tax or Not To Tax

We all love to hate them, but we love the benefits they provide.  Taxes may prove to be the hottest issue in the state legislature this session.  During her State of the State address, Governor Mary Fallin proposed a plan to phase out Oklahoma’s personal income tax.  The three-point plan to phase out the tax is leaving some singing her praises and others raising big questions.

In this week’s video blog, we sit down with lawmakers on both sides of the issue.

Courtenay Dehoff

On the Horizon: Not a Boy’s Game Anymore

The field of engineering is typically dominated by men, but thanks to an innovative program young women are realizing their love for engineering early.  FIRST Robotics is a competition with the enthusiasm and energy of a college football game.  Students have six weeks to design a robot that can complete a number of tasks and this year, I spent the evening talking to with two girls who have big engineering dreams.

In this week’s video blog, I visit Francis Tuttle Technology Center, with one of the most prestigious FIRST Robotics teams, as they begin their journey.
Courtenay Dehoff

On the Horizon: Child labor laws – We’re talking about a way of life

Over Christmas I had the rare opportunity to turn the camera on my own family.  I managed to escape some of the holiday madness by hiding behind my lens as my family worked throughout the holidays on our ranch in Northeast Kansas.

Few issues have ignited as much debate as the proposed child labor laws and like hundreds of other families our opinions on the issue are strong.  We could think of no better way to portray this story than through the eyes of my little sister.  For a few days I followed her around our ranch in Tonganoxie, Kansas, and eventually on to our grandparent’s ranch in Allen, Kansas.  The story not only tackled the debate head on it may just have ended up being one of the most rewarding stories in my young career.

In this week’s video blog, the DeHoff family shows us what farming and ranching is really all about.
Courtenay DeHoff

On the Horizon: Economic Upturn – Real or Hype?

The 2012 Oklahoma Economic Outlook Conference was a real eye opener for me.  Economists from across the state discussed the future of Oklahoma’s economy.  While Oklahoma has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, we may not be out of the clear yet.  The rising land bubble and low commodity prices may affect the state in more ways than one.

In this week’s video blog we take a look at the one thing that is running Oklahoma’s economic show...oil.  The energy sector could prove to be our saving grace, but if troubles in Europe continue we may see liquid gold’s value to Oklahoma, drain away.

Courtenay Dehoff