A third-generation Tulsan, Paula Marshall obtained her Associate’s Degree from Tulsa Community College and her Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees from Oklahoma City University. Starting on the production line in her late teens and serving as CEO of the Tulsa-based international food manufacturer Bama Companies, Inc. for two decades, Marshall reinforces and models daily the mission of: People Helping People Be Successful with Caring and Accountability. The mission reaches beyond the workforce by supporting the families of employees and the community in which they live, work, and serve.

Under her leadership, Bama Companies has expanded its facilities to include seven locations worldwide and an increase in revenues from $30 million to more than $350 million. The company’s clientele includes the number one hamburger and number on pizza restaurant chains, providing for continued growth and new jobs. For the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, Bama Companies was the first manufacturing B-Corp in Oklahoma.

In honoring the mission of Bama Companies, Marshall has started, served, and partnered with numerous organizations and causes in and around the Tulsa area, including Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Tulsa Area United Way, the Margaret Hudson Program, DVIS, Food On The Move, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

For her commitment to others, she has been recognized with numerous awards and recognitions, including induction to the Tulsa Hall of Fame, Advocate of the Year for DVIS, The Journal Record’s Woman of the Year, and named one of 25 Tulsans “Who Shaped Our City” by Tulsa People Magazine in 2011. Bama Companies has been recognized by the Tulsa Regional Chamber, McDonald’s, and Yum Brands as a top inclusive workplace and received the prestigious Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce.