News
July 21, 2010
Philip Busey Jr. honored asTop 20 Under 40 by the Business Times
Jeff Harrison, The Business Times of Edmond, Oklahoma
Issue: July 2010 Vol. 2 No.7
Photo of Philip Busey Jr. Courtesy of The Business Times and Edmond Sun
Philip Busey Jr. has tried about everything, but nothing seems to satisfy his appetite. Whether he was juggling three jobs during college, helping expand the family business or taking on a host of family and civic activities, Busey always wants more. “I have to be busy,” said the vice president of public relations and government aff airs for Busey Group of Companies. “I am always wanting to do diff erent things and never settle. If I’m sitting still I’m reading.” That ambition has made him a rising star with the Oklahoma City-based business founded by his father Phil G. Busey Sr. in 2000. Busey Jr., 29, joined his father and brother, Brian, in the family business in 2005 and helped the company expand into the energy industry. During that growth period the Busey Group of Companies added 60 employees and began providing field service operations in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The Putnam City North High School graduate always believed his future was bright, but it wasn’t until an internship in Washington, D.C., that he found his true calling. At the time he was studying graphic design at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, but found inspiration with the Washington Internships for Native Students program at American University. “At WINS I had a mentor, who changed the way I thought about things,” Busey said. “He was a presidential appointee, so he worked at a very high level. And there things were very political, but people were very driven. And to see that drive in people, the professionalism and success helped me realize that was what I wanted to be like.” Busey also learned one obstacle standing in his way was his writing skills. To combat the issue, he promptly changed his major to communications with an emphasis on journalism. He worked as the sports editor at both the SWOSU student newspaper and the Weatherford Daily News, while also helping in the school’s public relations department. With the encouragement of his wife Heather, Busey also became a more active member in the community. He is involved in several organizations including St. Luke’s Methodist Church, the Alumni Association of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Kiwanis Club of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Chapter of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce and the WINS Advisory Board. He also has served as communications director in Cody Graves’ race for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner in 2006 and co-founded Business Connect, a monthly luncheon for business professionals that began at St. Luke’s.