OG&E Employee Celebrates 50 Years With The Company

John Koons started working for OG&E fifty years ago in the mail room, and despite the humble beginnings, he’s a big deal with the company.  

Koons started with OG&E in 1972, after his college experience didn’t quite work out.  

“After the end of the second year, my father said, well you know John, he looked at my transcript and he said you’re wasting your time and my money, I think you need to go to work for a little while,” said John Koons.  

At the time Koons was just 20 years old, and never thought of his new job as a career, but fifty years later he’s still there.  

“If you keep that positive attitude, that’s the main thing is the positive attitude,” said Koons. 

“You know, I’m really just so proud of John. You know the idea that he devoted fifty years to our company,” said OG&E president and CEO Sean Trauschke.  

“At the end of the day those of us that have worked with John, and he’s been part of our lives, he’s enriched our lives and we’re better off for it,” said Trauschke.  

John has had numerous positions with OG&E, but he found his passion working with and helping people.  

His current position is the community outreach coordinator, allowing John to mentor and teach kids through Junior Achievement and other community organizations. A position he loves and has received recognition for. 

“One out of eleven recipients of their gold leadership award in New York City, and he was chosen out of 237,000 junior achievement volunteers,” said Terry Billen with Junior Achievement of Oklahoma.  

Mario Chavez is now in his second year of college. He met John while in Junior Achievement, and says he was that instructor that always went above and beyond for the kids.  

“John has always been like a mentor he’s been a good example figure for me, and more importantly he’s been a friend,” said Chavez.  

Fifty years of dedication to work and service.  

“That’s the one thing about all these jobs I’ve had h is, I’ve felt like I’ve made a difference in a lot of lives” said Koons.  

Koons is currently the longest tenured employee with OG&E, but he has a few months to go before he breaks the record for being the longest of all employees, however his goal is to break that record before he retires.