Governor Mary Fallin and Rose State President Jeanie Webb Among Presenters at Tinker and the Primes Published August 19, 2015 by Ali Sexton

Midwest City, Okla. August 18, 2015– More than 800 participants are gathered this week for the tenth annual “Tinker and the Primes” requirement symposium.  This year’s event was co-hosted by Rose State College and the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce. 

We’ve been holding Tinker and the Primes now for ten years to bring people together to recognize the importance of supporting Tinker.Governor Mary Fallin began the symposium breakfast by reflecting on the origins of the Tinker and the Primes forum.  “We’ve been holding Tinker and the Primes now for ten years to bring people together to recognize the importance of supporting Tinker,” Fallin began. The purpose of the event is to better connect small business people with prime contractors at Tinker Air Force base. Tinker AFB is currently the largest single site employer in the state of Oklahoma and has a 3.5 billion dollar impact on Oklahoma’s economy, according to Governor Fallin.  Fallin also spoke about the Oklahoma Works initiative which, among other goals, strives to align educational outcomes with workforce and economic development policy.  The program is a coalition of state agencies, educational institutions such as Rose State College, and businesses.  Governor Fallin thanked President Jeanie Webb for the “work Rose State is doing to ensure everyone who wants an education can get one.”

One of the highlights of the morning’s breakfast was the presentation of the inaugural Tinker and the Primes Patriot Award. Rose State College President, Jeanie Webb had the honor of presenting the award to Lieutenant General, Retired, Bruce A. Litchfield. President Webb said, “This man is the definition of a patriot.” She also thanked Lt. General Litchfield for “being a partner with the community and with Rose State College.”