Oklahoma City- This is an Oklahoma Wind Investors press release in response to the story ran by The Boise City News on Feb. 18, about Oklahoma Wind Investors LLC., Worldwide Energy, Inc, and the principals behind those companies. This press release has been revised by The Boise City News. The original release had lexicon and phrases that implied that it had been written by The Boise City News. Kendall Parrish, an attorney for OWI was advised by e-mail of these revisions. The Boise City News will not have words placed in its figurative mouth. ED.
Oklahoma Wind Investors, Inc., plans to develop wind energy sites in the Oklahoma Panhandle and currently offers some very favorable terms to landowners who are interested in participating in the development of alternative energy sites. Worldwide Energy, Inc, is working with regulators and utilities to secure transmission services that will carry the energy generated by wind resources in the Panhandle to where the electricity is in demand.
After the February 18 article, representatives of the companies contacted The Boise City News to give their (OWI et.al.) side of the story. We, (OWI) wish clarify that neither Oklahoma Wind Investors, Inc., nor Worldwide Energy, LLC., have been named in any of the legal proceedings described in the earlier article published by The Boise City News. That article was primarily focused on a lawsuit in which Randle Taylor and his wife, Elena, had been named and that was filed by a company based in Illinois. That article may have left you with the wrong impression about Lev-Tek and their arrangement with Elena Taylor.
So who is Elena Taylor? Elena Taylor is a very successful business woman who ran a foods producer and wholesaler in Central Russia for many major supermarkets and restaurants. Elena also had a very successful career in the beauty and fashion industry and as a model for the Aida Fashion Agency and represented customers such as Yamaha Snowmobiles, Snow Queen Exclusive Furs, and Ambassador Beauty Salons. Elena Taylor is a Member of The Russian Federal Program, Help Children and Save the World and is a proud supporter of Hospital for Children Infected by TB & HIV in Irkutsk, Siberia.
Elena Taylor is the daughter of Nickoli Naydenov and Tatiana Naydenova. Elena’s father, Nickoli, was the Police Chief of Voronezh, the 4th largest city in Russia until he was killed in the line of duty in 1994. He is still considered a true hero of the region and is well known for fighting crime and corruption. Tatiana Naydenova is now the Commercial Director of the largest real estate developer in Russia. Elena’s other family members hold positions on both state and federal levels of Russian government.
The 2014 Olympic Committee in Sochi, Russia and the Senator for the Sochi region contacted Elena Taylor in early 2008 and sought her help in finding companies that had knowledge and expertise with Green Energy technologies and that were interested in bidding on potential projects in Russia. The purpose of this mission was to showcase “Green Energy” for Russia at the 2014 Olympic Games.
The Lev-Tek Companies learned of Elena’s role in 2008 and were introduced to Elena and Randle Taylor by a mutual acquaintance. Lev-Tek officers Robert Vedder and Lou Castronovo were interested in the Green Energy projects Russia was seeking and represented that their companies had access to billions of dollars in financing and partners available to compete for the requested projects from the Russian Government. Elena worked with the Lev-Tek Companies to include them in the proposals that were delivered to the State & Federal Governments and Lev-Tek was tentatively selected as a possible vendor for one of the projects. Lev-Tek was invited to bring their scientific staff to the Russian White House to meet at the “Russian Energy Round Table” to provide proof for their proposed projects.
Lev-Tek was unable to provide any scientific or engineering staff to attend the meeting at the Russian White House. Elena Taylor scheduled a second meeting at which time Lev-Tek’s executive VP, Mr. Castronovo, chose to attend the meeting without engineering staff. At the meeting, Mr. Castronovo presented the Russian government with a contract demanding a $5 million up front fee prior to introducing his scientific and engineering staff. Elena advised Mr. Castronovo that this was contrary to the bid process started by the Russian government and refused to present the proposed contract to the Russian government and refused to accept any funds from the Russian government on behalf of Lev-Tek Companies.
After further investigation, Elena Taylor discovered that Lev-Tek had lost their contract with the subcontractor that was to supply the engineering and development expertise for their proposed Green Energy project in Russia. The possibility that Lev-Tek could deliver under the tentative arrangement through a secondary vendor was questionable as well. As a result, it did not appear that Lev-Tek could have performed under the Russian government’s requirements.
Elena resigned from the Lev-Tek Companies and declined to represent them any further. Lev-Tek was advised that any further communications should be handled by legal counsel. On 1-13-2009 Lev-Tek offered to drop these false claims against both Elena and Randle Taylor and these settlement discussions are underway.
Who is Randle Taylor? Mr. Taylor is a successful business developer in oil and gas services and communications businesses with 26 years of executive level experience. Mr. Taylor was directly responsible for developing multi-million dollar contracts with companies like BP Amoco, Chevron, and Texaco, just to name a few. Mr. Taylor completed a two year ministry training course and became an ordained Minister in 1995 and has worked both on staff and as a volunteer for several Churches in the Houston and Katy, Texas area. Mr. Taylor is an inventor as well and has a patent pending for the world’s only self cleaning aquarium and has the working prototype in his home in Katy,. Mr. and Ms. Taylor and their three children are currently members of Believers World Outreach Church in Katy.
Randle Taylor states that he never traveled to Russia for Lev-Tek. Randle was offered an interim agreement to become an owner and officer for Lev-Tek but no final transfer of stock and or payment for services was ever received by Mr. Taylor.
Wrangler Energy LLC was a company registered at Mr. Taylor’s home address by Lev-Tek Companies in anticipation of other projects that Lev-Tek failed to provide promised funding and services.
As described in the Feb. 18 article, Gideon Cowan was a victim of the farm credit crisis. Gideon was a farmer and rancher in Oklahoma and when cattle prices fell, he found himself in a downward spiral of borrowing to buy feed to keep his herd alive. But because the prices continued to fall, he was unable to meet his debt payments. The banks then moved in to foreclose on his family farm. To try to save his farm, Gideon took some desperate measures that in the end were illegal and cost him his farm and his freedom for a period of time.
That experience, only solidified Gideon’s faith and he formed a ministry while in prison that he continues to this day. Gideon knows the plight of Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers. And as a result, he wants to help Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers through ways that allow them to participate in the profits generated from energy generated by the wind blowing across their lands. He also wants to generate jobs for families of Oklahoma farmers so that they can diversify their knowledge and experience in an attempt to help them avoid the tragedy that fell upon him and his family.
Gideon Cowan’s roots are deeply planted in the farming and ranching industry and he is excited about the opportunities available to farmers and ranchers from alternative energy. He is eager to answer questions and share information with those interested in the exciting and promising opportunities currently in the alternative energy field.
In short, The Boise City News article of Feb. 18, was based solely on the court documents where Randle Taylor and Gideon Cowan have been named. Neither Oklahoma Wind Investors, LLC, nor Worldwide Energy, Inc., have been named in any of the legal proceedings described in that article. Because the Lev-Tek lawsuit is only in the early stages, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have yet to file their response to Lev-Tek’s claims. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor expect to be successful in their defense of Lev-Tek’s claims. The Lev-Tek claims are not related in any way to Randle Taylor’s involvement with Oklahoma Wind Investors, Inc., or Worldwide Energy, LLC, or those companies’ plans to develop wind energy sites in Oklahoma.
Mr. Cowan has stated the direction of Oklahoma Wind Investors LLC is to bring Transmission, Wind Park, & Turbine Manufacturing to Cimarron County and successful negotiations are moving forward on all of these fronts.
