News
Business efforts prompt top honor
March 8th, 2010
By Debbie Blossom, The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com
A decade after establishing his own venture to help other small, minority owned firms, Oklahoma City businessman Phil Busey has b
een named Oklahoma's Small Business Person of the Year.
The chairman and chief executive officer of locally based Delaware Resource Group also heads a rapidly growing group of companies under The Busey Group of Cos. umbrella, which includes a law firm, management and third-party logistics services and business and economic development opportunities for tribal governments, minority businesses and individuals.
A member of the Cherokee Nation and Delaware Tribe, Busey spent 20 years as a lawyer for financial institutions and larger corporations before he began looking at ways to share that knowledge.
His goal was to assist small firms, especially minority owned businesses, with development strategies and contracting opportunities.
"I wanted to create a network of assistance and help them find resources in other areas," Busey said.
Busey's big break came in 2002, with the creation of DRG. That year, he started working with Boeing Corp. as a subcontractor, going from two employees one day to 95 the next. That project was the U.S. Air Force's E-3 AWACS mission crew training program at Tinker Air Force Base, and since then, DRG has added contract and subcontract projects to its portfolio.
"We took a big risk that first year," he admits. "It was a big leap for us with Boeing ... but it paid off."
His company is now in the top supplier bracket for Boeing and is that company's largest state supplier. DRG now has experience in aerospace, defense and oil and gas - and manages contracts in six states.
"We've had 1,000 percent growth since 2002, grown to 250 employees and reached more than $24 million in gross revenues," Busey said.
Busey's recognition isn't a surprise to Mischa Gorkuscha, a longtime friend and business associate who nominated Busey and DRG for the award.
"I've ... been amazed at what he has done," Gorkuscha said.
Most impressive is Busey's work ethic, his innovative approach to business, his closeness with customers, interest in providing jobs and in giving back to Oklahoma City, Gorkuscha said.
Busey will represent Oklahoma in Washington, D.C., during National Small Business Week events in late May. He will be recognized locally, along with several other state winners, at a luncheon ceremony April 6 at Rose State College.