Sooner Tales
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About us

Made by Sooners, for little Sooners

Sooner Tales is a student-run company created through the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business. We’re turning our love for OU into an illustrated ABC book for the next generation of Sooners.

Meet the team

The Sooner Tales team outside Price Hall.: all 16 members of the Sooner Tales team, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
The Sooner Tales team outside Price Hall.

A message from our CEO

Welcome to Sooner Tales

Thank you for visiting Sooner Tales.

We are sixteen students in the Integrated Business Core at the University of Oklahoma, and this semester we set out to build a real company from the ground up. We wanted to make something that would outlast our time on campus, so we made the book we wish we had growing up: an alphabet book that walks the youngest Sooners through the places, traditions and people that make OU home.

Sooner ABC’s is our team’s work from start to finish. We chose the idea, worked with our illustrator, Gracie Crabtree, and handle everything from pricing and printing to getting each book to your door. Along the way we are learning what it takes to make a promise to a customer and keep it.

We also believe a business should give back. Our profits will support the Center for Children and Families in Norman and student scholarships, so every book helps children and families right here at home.

Whether you are a lifelong fan, a proud grandparent or a new Sooner family, we hope this book becomes a bedtime favorite. Boomer Sooner!

Colby MarlowChief Executive Officer (CEO), Sooner Tales

Our team

Sixteen Sooners, one team

Every one of us has a job in the company, just like a real business.

Under each photo, names are listed from left to right, in the same order everyone is standing.

  • Leadership team: from left to right, Clare Bebout, Maddox Smith, Colby Marlow, Dean Rigney, Clark Bridges, Elie Smith, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
    Leadership teamLeft to right: Clare Bebout, Maddox Smith, Colby Marlow, Dean Rigney, Clark Bridges, Elie Smith
  • Operations: from left to right, McKenna Williams, Cole Ellis, Dean Rigney, Parker Thompson, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
    OperationsLeft to right: McKenna Williams, Cole Ellis, Dean Rigney, Parker Thompson
  • Finance: from left to right, Kennedy Harris, Maddox Smith, Brenton Lee, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
    FinanceLeft to right: Kennedy Harris, Maddox Smith, Brenton Lee
  • Marketing: from left to right, Natalie Rosenberg, Clark Bridges, Brooke Burland, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
    MarketingLeft to right: Natalie Rosenberg, Clark Bridges, Brooke Burland
  • Sales: from left to right, Annie Collins, Jordyn Baker, Elie Smith, Jake Hayes, standing outside Price Hall at OU.
    SalesLeft to right: Annie Collins, Jordyn Baker, Elie Smith, Jake Hayes

Who does what

Executive

  • Colby MarlowChief Executive Officer (CEO)

Operations

  • Dean RigneyChief Operating Officer (COO)
  • Cole EllisVP of Production
  • Parker ThompsonDirector of Product Development
  • McKenna WilliamsDirector of Fulfillment & Customer Care

Finance

  • Maddox SmithChief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Kennedy HarrisVP of Accounting
  • Brenton LeeFinancial Controller

Marketing

  • Clark BridgesChief Marketing Officer (CMO)
  • Brooke BurlandDirector of Brand and Creative
  • Natalie RosenbergDirector of E-Commerce and Digital

Sales

  • Elie SmithChief Sales Officer (CSO)
  • Jordyn BakerDirector of Campus & Organizational Sales
  • Jake HayesDirector of Retail Partnerships
  • Annie CollinsDirector of Events & Activations

Human Resources

  • Clare BeboutChief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Who we are

We’re a team of OU business students who wanted to make something for the littlest Sooners. Sooner ABC’s takes young readers from A to Z through a Sooner’s world. Along the way they pass the arches that welcome you to campus, join the Boomer Sooner cheer, and dress in crimson and cream.

The watercolor-inspired illustrations are by Gracie Crabtree.

Watercolor-inspired illustration of a red-brick Gothic archway trimmed in pale stone, framing a tree-lined path, with red flowers and a lamppost with a crimson banner.
“A is for Arches.” A sample page from Sooner ABC’s, illustrated by Gracie Crabtree.

Learning by building

OU’s First Fidelity Bank Integrated Business Core (IBC) program is where student teams form companies and bring their own products to market.

Through IBC, we’re learning how to bring a business to life, from researching and developing our product to managing operations, marketing, and sales.

About the IBC program at OU

Where the profits go

Our profits will support the Center for Children and Families in Norman and student scholarships.

  • Center for Children and Families

    The Center for Children and Families in Norman helps local children and families through counseling, parent education and family support.

  • Student scholarships

    Scholarships help students continue their education.

Your purchase buys a book from our student company. Profits are what’s left after we cover the costs of making and selling the book.

Bring home a little piece of OU

Get the bookSee sample pages