Business Leaders Networking Social Hour

Ken Fergeson is a community banker and Chairman of NBC Oklahoma, a state-chartered bank with seven locations in Altus, Enid, Kingfisher, and Oklahoma City.  He was inducted into the Oklahoma Bankers Association’s 2018 Inaugural Hall of Fame Class and into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2009.  He received the Oklahoma Governor’s 1994 and 2000 Arts Awards and most recently selected as a 2019 Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador and recipient of the 2019 Volunteer Service Award from Paseo Arts Association.

Fergeson has served as chairman of both the American Bankers Association as well as the Oklahoma Bankers Association.  Over sixteen years ago Ken created the NBC Oklahoma Artist Series, a program that champions Oklahoma artists by commissioning them to create an original piece of art.  Ken then turns the art into prints, posters and postcards for bank customers as gifts.  Ken has also been responsible for large-scale commissions of public art; the Vision Seeker sculpture, by Harold Holden, sits in the Altus City Park and was a gift to the City of Altus as part of a partnership between NBC Oklahoma and the Altus Public School Foundation.

As a passionate supporter of the arts, Ken is past-chairman of the Mid-America Arts Alliance Board and the national organization, Americans for the Arts.  In addition, he serves on the boards of various arts associations including the Oklahoma Humanities Council, Oklahoma Arts Institute, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahomans for the Arts, the Three Rivers Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, and the Oklahoma State University Postal Plaza Art Museum.

Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a masters in economics from Texas Tech University.  Ken and his wife Mary Ann live in Altus, Oklahoma.

He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of World Pac Paper, LLC. He has created and grown his business to be an award winning and innovative global distribution company in the high-quality printing & packaging papers, packaging and recycling solutions industries. Taking, nearly, twenty-five plus (25+) years of industry experience, with six (6) leading Fortune 500 companies, lastly as Vice President National Sales with Coca Cola North America to become an entrepreneur. He employed and created best practices, which have set the tone for sustainable growth. The company has been recognized by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, one of the nation’s largest Chambers (representing approximately 4,000+ businesses) as the “Small Business of the Year” (2010) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. as a "Blue Ribbon Small Business Award" winner (2011), and is an Inc. 500, BE 100 and IC 100 company.

Edgar, a Distinguished Eagle Scout, is a graduate of Morehouse College with post graduate - Advanced Management / Executive Education experiences through Leadership Cincinnati, the Regional Leadership Forum (Fellow), Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. As a successful entrepreneur, in June of 2015, he was selected as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® (Regional Award Winner) Lifetime Achievement Honoree. Edgar has been twice named (2011 & 2012) as one of the Tri-State’s most influential leaders, “The Power 100” by Cincy-The Magazine for Business Professionals. In May 2010, he was named the Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Ohio and Region V of the United States, which covers Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In January 2008 he received the Innovative Creative Entrepreneur Award (ICE) – Outstanding Alumnus from the Morehouse College Entrepreneur Center. He and his company are the recipients of numerous, other, business awards and community honors, honoring outstanding performance, economic contributions and leadership excellence. More recent community honors include: The Medical Mutual 2016 Pillar Award for Community Service, which recognizes the critical tie between the for-profit and non-profit communities and the work they do to enhance the community, the Beacon of Light Humanitarian Award from Lighthouse Youth Services, The First Tee: Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Award for Confidence, and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Business Award for Community Involvement (2016).

In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Edgar has served on several corporate boards and he is an avid, and engaged, community leadership volunteer and currently serves as Chairman of the Executive Board of Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) (New York, NY), a division of Americans for the Arts and he is also a Vice Chair and Board Member of Americans for the Arts (Washington, DC). He is a Life Trustee of ArtsWave (he served as Community Campaign Chair in 2011). He is also a Life Associate Trustee of Marietta College (Marietta, OH) and Vice Chair, Board of Trustees of Union Institute & University (Cincinnati, OH). He is also a Board Member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH, and is Chairman Emeritus of the Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). Additionally, he is past Council President & Chairman of the Board-Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America, he served on the Public Media Connect (CET & ThinkTV Network) board (2014-2020). As well as, Procter & Gamble's Supplier Diversity Advisory Council (SDAC)(2017-2020) and on the City of Cincinnati Economic Inclusion Advisory Board (2016-2018). Edgar is a past Chapter Chair of the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross (2006-2008). He is also a past Vice Chair of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce and a former board member (2011-2017) of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Washington, DC).

www.worldpacpaperllc.com

Barbara Wight is the Chief Financial Officer at Taylor Guitars, one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium acoustic and electric guitars. In her role, Ms. Wight retains global responsibility for all financial, information technology and legal interests on behalf of the company, which annually manufactures and distributes over 160,000 guitars in both domestic and international markets. At Taylor, Ms. Wight is instrumental in both operations management and compliance issues related to binational manufacturing, as the company maintains factory complexes in  El Cajon, California and Tecate, Mexico. In addition, the company owns an ebony mill in Yaoundé, Cameroon and a Forestry Company in Hawaii  (both in conjunction with wood suppliers).

Currently, Ms. Wight serves on Board of Directors for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the Board of Directors for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and she is a member of the Secretary of Commerce’s District Export Council.  She has recently joined the Business Committee for the Americans for the Arts and loves exploring the cross section for business, infrastructure and the arts.

Past Board service includes the San Diego County Water Authority, the San Diego Conservation Garden and the World Trade Center San Diego.

www.linkedin.com/in/bwight