I saw on a blog in the Journal Record today that a headquarters in OKC with 178 employees is about to announce in the next 30-45 days that they are moving to Ft. Worth. Anyone know more on this?

Google is my friend.

http://journalrecord.com/2012/01/30/cre-blog-oklahoma-city-might-lose-178-jobs-to-ft-worth/

Original article.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/26/3691450/pair-of-big-deals-in-local-real.html

Fascinating. Keep in mind Ft. Worth's definition of an OKC hq can be anything between El Reno, Norman, Shawnee and Guthrie.

I've been trying to figure out which company has 178 employees that is of significant importance. The first thought that came to mind was Paycom.

Paycom just built a big new corporate complex on Memorial & Council -- as in the last year. I seriously doubt it's them and they have well more than 178 OKC employees.

I was thinking it could be one of the local energy companies, but the Barnett Shale is on life support right so no reason to move down there.

Since it wouldn't be the first time that OKC and Tulsa got mixed up by out of state media, it could very well be another transfer of AA employees from TUL. Just a stab in the dark....

I read yesterday that the FAA was building a new HQ at Alliance airport in Fort Worth. Could that be it?

The FAA is currently advertising for about 30 open positions in OKC... Doubt they would be doing that if a move is going to be announced soon.

The FAA is currently advertising for about 30 open positions in OKC... Doubt they would be doing that if a move is going to be announced soon.

There are contractors galore out at MM Aeronautical Center...guess it could be one of them.

I was thinking it could be one of the local energy companies, but the Barnett Shale is on life support right so no reason to move down there.

Since it wouldn't be the first time that OKC and Tulsa got mixed up by out of state media, it could very well be another transfer of AA employees from TUL. Just a stab in the dark....

What energy company moves to Ft Worth? Houston i would not doubt it.

Well, its definitely not Chesapeake, Devon, Sandridge, Continental Resources, or Chapparal. I'm guessing its some company that is currently HQ'ed here, but has a smaller office in Ft. Worth, currently. Who else has an HQ here that has 178 employees ? Hobby Lobby ???

Yes they did. And they will stay, most likely. 2nd guess: Love's Travel Stops.

Guess what, wait a few days and if it's true, It'll be on the news. just saying.

Didn't Hobby Lobby just expand their operation here?

Yes, and several times before the most recent expansion as well. Don't know them personally, but I simply don't envision the Green family packing the HQ up and moving it down the road.

Yes they did. And they will stay, most likely. 2nd guess: Love's Travel Stops.

I doubt Loves, they are tied in with Aubrey as well as a founding investor in the Thunder.

Sonic maybe? They don't seem to have much civic presence, although they do have a relatively new building.

Sonic has a pretty prime piece of real estate for their HQ. I find it hard to believe that they would leave to become one tenant in a tower. Certainly there are other concerns beyond real estate, though. I would guess it's a corporation that's not downtown.

Watch it be some call center.

Didn't Hobby Lobby just expand their operation here?

Hobby Lobby has WAY more employees than that, not to mention they are deeply rooted here and have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of sq. ft. In their warehouses that are attached to the corporate offices. They aren't going anywhere.

Globe Life???

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2012/01/26/faa-planning-to-build-160m-hq-on.html

Globe Life???

Not them, I have friends there and if they go anywhere, it'd be McKinney Tx where their sister company is located, at least that's what I was told a few years back.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2012/01/26/faa-planning-to-build-160m-hq-on.html

My next door neighbor is an air traffic control instructor at FAA. I'll try and find out from him.

Wow, so that new FAA facility won't be breaking ground until 2013.

Even if the OKC jobs were to moving there (which is doubtful) it seems unlikely they'd be announcing the move more than two years ahead of time.

One other thought is the recent sale of Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling.

It was sold in October back to the parent Coca-Cola company... They may be looking to consolidate some of the operations to Fort Worth which also has a large bottling facility and support offices.

Great Plains employs about 1,500 in OKC but it could be they are just moving some of the managerial jobs.

My next door neighbor is an air traffic control instructor at FAA. I'll try and find out from him.

That article states that the SW headquarters are moving. They are currently located just south of DFW, not OKC.

Not Interworks. They're out of Stillwater and have huge presence in all of Oklahoma. They are a value added reseller for my company and are in 90% of the OK accounts.

I should say - I'd be very surprised if it was Interworks.

That article states that the SW headquarters are moving. They are currently located just south of DFW, not OKC.

My air traffic control instructor neighbor has heard zero rumors of any changes at MM FAA center.

Turns out it was a Tulsa company, not an OKC company, that is relocating to Ft Worth. (http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2012/02/07/LinkAmerica-new-Ft-Worth-office.html)

Man Tulsa can't get a break. :( Here's to hoping some good news is on their way.

And it pains me to say that because I literally like nothing about Tulsa.....but we are brothers.

Oklahoma has got to improve its air service to major corporate markets. Don't now how it can be done but air travel is horrible for the average customer, can't imagine what it is like for corporate travels who travel more frequently

The article doesn't say the jobs are leaving Tulsa, it says they are opening a NEW office in Fort Worth creating 140 jobs. It appears the Tulsa office is staying as a back office.

Oklahoma has got to improve its air service to major corporate markets. Don't now how it can be done but air travel is horrible for the average customer, can't imagine what it is like for corporate travels who travel more frequently

Given our proximity to DFW, and even STL, its really hard to see how OKC can do anything to improve its air service issues.

I remember many years ago that some of the airlines wanted to modify their "major hub" model into one with the major hubs, but supplanted by what they called mini-hubs, and WRWA was viewed as one that was a model of the kind of airport that would fit that model.

Now, I won't pretend I follow the aviation industry, so that information may be ridiculously old, inaccurate, or incomplete, but based on where WRWA is right now, it doesn't seem that minihub idea has gone too far. But I do think some carriers have added at least a few NS flights to some destinations out of OKC, haven't they?

The article doesn't say the jobs are leaving Tulsa, it says they are opening a NEW office in Fort Worth creating 140 jobs. It appears the Tulsa office is staying as a back office.

but the NEW office is getting the corporate headquarters

Yeah, but it's not a total loss like they are making it out to be

Oklahoma has got to improve its air service to major corporate markets. Don't now how it can be done but air travel is horrible for the average customer, can't imagine what it is like for corporate travels who travel more frequently

You have to connect somewhere and it adds a few hours to travel. I rarely go through DFW or St. Louis. It is ususally Denver going West and Memphis or Detroit going East.

If you get direct flights, you are typically leaving very early in the morning (which means getting up at 4:30am) and arriving late and getting home at midnight. It also means a few more nights in a hotel near an airport. If you are out past a couple of states you can't have dinner with a client and make it home that night.

I usually have one or two round trips a week, in and out, and yes, it is a pain in the neck. I do get direct flights to every city within a couple of states. So, if you are a regional traveller, its probably not bad.

I am alot more interested in schedules than loyalty to an airline. So, as a frequent traveller from OKC, my miles are spread amongst Delta, American, and Southwest. If I stuck with one airline, I would be in hotels more often because of schedules.

BUT, I moved from McKinney and had about the same commute to Love Field and DFW as I do to Will Rogers. I am a Dallas native, work for a company based in LA and can live anywhere, and like it much better here.

I love the spin of the respective Chambers of Commerce:

Ft. Worth: Fantastic company moving their highly paid executive HQ to our lovely town, once again demonstrating our superior business climate! Low-paid, back-office jobs not coming but we didn't want them anyway.

Tulsa: Company is not leaving, just re-positioning for growth. Our local business climate is so good and we have so many great jobs coming this is not even news.

What energy company moves to Ft Worth? Houston i would not doubt it.

Why wouldn't an energy company move to Fort Worth? They already have a huge presence there with XTO Energy and Pioneer Resources. The Barnett Shale lies in/around Ft. Worth, and I believe many of the wells there are owned by our beloved Chesapeake. I can see many reasons why a company would establish a HQ in Fort Worth. Maybe not their primary HQ but a divisional/regional HQ?