Nextep News
April 2006
Nextep: One of the best places to work in Oklahoma
We are so excited to announce that Nextep has been named as one of the Best Places to Work in Oklahoma. The selection process was conducted by Modern Think LLC, a workplace excellence consulting firm, and was based on collected data and internal employee surveys. The criterion upon which each submitting company was judged includes policies, practices and demographics.
Twenty-five winners were selected, 12 in the medium category and 13 in the large. Nextep is in the medium category, which consists of companies that have between 20 and 199 employees. These finalists will be ranked at an awards dinner on May 4 at the National Center for Employee Development in Norman, Oklahoma. OKCBusiness will publish a special commemorative magazine featuring the companies on May 15.
This is the inaugural year for this program which is sponsored by OKCBusiness, the Oklahoma State HR Council, The State Chamber, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and their partners.
Payroll Account Manager Sharon Thomas earned the Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC). The FPC is the American Payroll Association’s (APA) certificate of achievement, which recognizes those who demonstrate professional commitment and knowledge in the field of payroll.
A member of the National and Oklahoma chapters of APA, Sharon has been an employee of Nextep for nearly five years and was instrumental in getting the company involved in the Ronald McDonald House program.
Director of Risk Management Jason Novak has become of one of only 10,000 people nationwide to hold the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation. Administered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), this certification is extremely difficult to achieve and adds to Jason’s vast knowledge and experience in the world of Safety and Risk Management.
Jason began working toward this goal more than a year ago, often spending evenings and weekends studying at the office. He devoted the time and effort required to pass this exam, and we congratulate him.
Mr. Novak earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Central Missouri State University, and a Masters’ of Education Degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. He is a member of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and a frequent guest speaker at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Please join us in congratulating Nextep Senior Business Consultant Richard Harris’ daughter Zita for her recent accomplishment: she submitted Louis D. Brandeis High School as the winning namesake for the newest school in the Northside Independent School District (NISD).
The NISD School Board assigns the task of naming each new high school to the seventh grade history students who will most likely attend the school. The students spend time researching Supreme Court Justices and make a presentation to the board. This year seven teams presented, and after a month of deliberation, Zita’s submission was selected as the winner. According to Pascual Gonzalez, Communications Director for NISD, Zita was the only one among the seven who presented by herself, rather than with a group. “She impressed the board with her thoughtfulness and presentation” he said.
Zita gave a speech at the groundbreaking March 30, which was attended by members of the school board, media and other important community leaders. “I feel very honored that my work was recognized by the school board and superintendent of Northside School District. Not many students get to say they were part of naming a school,” she said.
Zita will also play a role in the formal dedication of the school, which is scheduled for the summer of 2008.
