Business in brief: Tulsa businessman to be inducted into OSU business school Hall of Fame

STILLWATER — Bryan Close, a 1966 Oklahoma State University hotel and restaurant administration graduate, will be honored this fall as one of three distinguished alumni inducted into the OSU Spears School of Business Hall of Fame.

The longtime Tulsa businessman will be honored in a Nov. 17 ceremony along with several other OSU business school alumni.

The annual Spears Business Hall of Fame banquet recognizes graduates with distinguished professional careers who have given back to their communities and displayed exemplary leadership skills. Close will be honored as an inductee into the Spears Business School’s Hall of Fame, the highest honor awarded by the school.

“We have the privilege of honoring Bryan Close, who has distinguished himself in business and public service,” said Jim Payne, dean of the Spears Business School. “We take great pride in the distinction Bryan has brought Spears Business and OSU.”

Born in Kearney, Nebraska, during World War II, Close’s family settled in Tulsa after living in 10 different houses during his first eight years of life, OSU said in a news release.

In 1966, he graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration.

Following graduation, he returned to Tulsa to manage the supermarket where he had worked since high school. He eventually accepted an opportunity at a large Kansas City company that managed several restaurants around the country.

This led to an assignment in Tulsa to run the Financial Club, a private club on the top floor of what was known then as the Southland Financial Center Building. Later, a three-year stint with Steak & Ale resulted in management responsibilities in numerous cities as the company grew.

In 1974, Close’s father started a company, now called CloseBend, and asked his son to do the bookkeeping. After his father’s death in 1999, Close became the company’s president, a position he currently holds.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fernanda Pedraza-Schmitt has been named Oklahoma district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce Fernanda Pedraza-Schmitt as Oklahoma’s district director,” SBA Regional Administrator Ted James said in a news release. “I have worked closely with Fernanda on many issues impacting Oklahoma small business owners and look forward to seeing the continued impact across the state.”

“I am honored to lead the Oklahoma Office and to continue to help start and grow small businesses in Oklahoma,” Pedraza-Schmitt said in the release.

“I look forward to continued collaborations with federal, state, and local agencies, resource partners and nonprofit organizations to maximize outreach to the business communities and expand the economic impact in the state.”

Pedraza-Schmitt previously served as deputy district director and acting district director for the SBA’s Oklahoma District.

She holds a master’s degree in global technology and development from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Barrett, the honors college at ASU, along with an international studies certificate and French and Chinese minors.

She is Mexican-American, and her native language is Spanish. Before joining the SBA, Pedraza-Schmitt interned for the State Department at the U.S. embassy in Port Louis, Mauritius, where she worked with the foreign affairs and economic development departments.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The third annual state suppliers expo is set for Thursday.

The purpose of the event is to encourage private companies to partner with the state, convey the state’s needs for such partnerships and deliver hands-on learning to help businesses navigate the state procurement process.

“Attendees can communicate with influential state leaders and learn about opportunities available to do business with the state,” a news release says.

The conference will include representatives from the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services’ Central Purchasing, state agencies, Cabinet secretaries, current and potential state suppliers, and guest speaker State Chief Operating Officer and OMES interim Director John Suter.

The expo will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, 100 Mick Cornett Drive.

For more, visit oklahoma.gov/stateyourbusiness.