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Bartlett Co-op Presented Oklahoma State Business Partnership Excellence Award
Miami, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education presented the Bartlett Co-op Association with the Oklahoma State Business Partnership Excellence Award. This award is designed to recognize successful partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses.
The Bartlett Co-op Association, established in April of 1950 in its namesake Bartlett, Kansas, is a patron-owned agriculture cooperative with seven locations in southeast Kansas and one location in northeast Oklahoma.
The cooperative became fully realized when the need for a service station led them to build one in Bartlett in 1965. The co-op grew in 1966 with the purchase of another location in Edna, and in 1984 with the acquisition of the Oswego station. Mound Valley was added to the ever-expanding business in 1987, and they welcomed the Chetopa location into their co-op family in 1998. The cooperative crossed into Oklahoma in 2014, serving farmers from the Big Cabin area.
Having a location near Miami is a great benefit to the Agriculture Department at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Over the years, Bartlett has contributed to the growth of the department and to the students who participate in the programs.
A partnership was established for co-op employees to attend classes at NEO and receive a certificate, and NEO students can participate in internships with the cooperative, which may transition into full-time jobs after graduation.
“It is an honor and blessing for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to partner with Bartlett Co-op,” said Dr. Mary Booth, NEO Agriculture department chair. “Bartlett Co-op supports and elevates our agriculture program providing internships, sponsorship to build the new NEO greenhouse, sponsorships for Aggie Day awards, and resources for crop research projects such as fertilizer and seed. Congratulations to Manager, Perry Sorrel and Nutritionist, Zeb King for receiving the Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award.”
The Bartlett Co-Op Association also provides financial support for agriculture students in need, they are members of the Plant and Soil Advisory Board, and Zeb King, who works for the co-op, is an adjunct professor for the Agriculture Department. They have donated seed, equipment, and fertilizer for NEO projects, and the department stores grain at their facility, which students can tour as part of their educational experience.
For more information, please contact Mary Booth at 918-540-6998 or mary.booth@neo.edu.
