Meridian News

Successful business startups aren’t always traditional businesses. In fact, some of the most successful businesses were once ideas that few thought would work.

When Daniel Mercer, Mark Seibold and JD Merryweather, co-founders of COOP Ale Works, formulated the idea of opening a craft-beer brewery in Oklahoma City, they focused on creating a quality local beer that would appeal to customers looking for something better than the average brew. Now with six signature beers and several seasonal blends, this local brewery is making it big.

Michael Orr, an adult student from Perkins, recently won first prize at the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference.

Orr, a student in the Digital Media program at Meridian, competed in the Computer Aided Modeling contest where he was given a scenario or prompt to design a 3D roller coaster for a fictional amusement park. As part of the skills contest, Orr researched roller coaster rides and created initial profiles, concept designs and prototypes for three roller coasters.

Students in the Masonry program at Meridian Technology Center recently spent time learning how to weld.

Basic welding skills can be an asset to masons. Learning the fundamentals of using a welding torch and making simple cuts will allow them to work more effectively and efficiently when on the job, according to Masonry Instructor Bret Pickens.

In addition to learning their trade, throughout their career training at Meridian Masonry students have the opportunity to receive various safety certifications including OSHA 10 and CPR.

It’s a wrap for Red Stag Media.

After two years of residency in the Meridian Technology Center for Business Development, the media production and Web design company recently transitioned from a startup company to a self-sustaining business.

Red Stag Media CEO Brian Alford couldn't be more prepared to break from the herd.

With bachelor degrees in Management Information Systems and Marketing from Oklahoma State University in 2007, Alford entered the Information Technology field hoping to find his ideal job.