I read an article that stated that the company would have duel headquarters in Houston and London. I believe GE's oil & gas company was based in Italy somewhere before this announcement.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/ge121016.jpg

sharp, classy. I like it.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/ge121016.jpg

You think they use GE light bulbs for that?

now that is much more inclusive for this time of the year than crosses on buildings in this city.

Thanks GE (and Devon, and OK Tower)! Happy Holidays!

Merry CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Sorry you find a celebration of a CHRISTIAN holiday non inclusive. Obviously you don't get it.

lol people in Oklahoma are funny ������

Merry CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Sorry you find a celebration of a CHRISTIAN holiday non inclusive. Obviously you don't get it.

And Happy Holidays to you.

Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 24th this year and ends on the evening of January 1st this year.
Mawlid, the celebration of the Birth of the Prophet is celebrated on December 12th or December 17th this year.
Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd.
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
Dhanu Sankrant is celebrated from December 16th through January.

And I'm sure there are more. The point being that nobody is complaining that there is too much Christ in Christmas. It's just pretty stupid to pretend that our religion is the only one that is celebrating a specific ritual during this time of year. And apart from not acknowledging that other religions also have festivals and observances during this time of year, it ignores the fact that for a very sizable portion of our population "Christmas" is pretty much a non-religious celebration of families, friendships, and giving presents to each other.

In short: Generic "Happy Holidays" greetings and decorations are inclusive, Christianity-only based greetings and decorations tell all non-Christians that they don't count.

Nm. Off topic.

Happy holidays everyone!

Happy Festivus, even though you're all a bunch of major disappointments. Let the airing of the grievances begin!

I'm more of a general disappointment myself :)

And Happy Holidays to you.

Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 24th this year and ends on the evening of January 1st this year.
Mawlid, the celebration of the Birth of the Prophet is celebrated on December 12th or December 17th this year.
Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd.
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
Dhanu Sankrant is celebrated from December 16th through January.

And I'm sure there are more. The point being that nobody is complaining that there is too much Christ in Christmas. It's just pretty stupid to pretend that our religion is the only one that is celebrating a specific ritual during this time of year. And apart from not acknowledging that other religions also have festivals and observances during this time of year, it ignores the fact that for a very sizable portion of our population "Christmas" is pretty much a non-religious celebration of families, friendships, and giving presents to each other.

In short: Generic "Happy Holidays" greetings and decorations are inclusive, Christianity-only based greetings and decorations tell all non-Christians that they don't count.

Festivus? Really?

Festivus? Really?

Aww, I didn't notice he had Festivus in there. I thought I was being a smartass when I brought it up.

And Happy Holidays to you.

Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 24th this year and ends on the evening of January 1st this year.
Mawlid, the celebration of the Birth of the Prophet is celebrated on December 12th or December 17th this year.
Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd.
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
Dhanu Sankrant is celebrated from December 16th through January.

And I'm sure there are more. The point being that nobody is complaining that there is too much Christ in Christmas. It's just pretty stupid to pretend that our religion is the only one that is celebrating a specific ritual during this time of year. And apart from not acknowledging that other religions also have festivals and observances during this time of year, it ignores the fact that for a very sizable portion of our population "Christmas" is pretty much a non-religious celebration of families, friendships, and giving presents to each other.

In short: Generic "Happy Holidays" greetings and decorations are inclusive, Christianity-only based greetings and decorations tell all non-Christians that they don't count.

Inclusiveness is not the same as homogeneous. This idiotic idea that everything must be brought down to the least common denominator is superficial rhetoric. Inclusiveness is allowing everyone to celebrate their own special reasons without interference. If someone wants to celebrate their own holiday, more power to them. To say that "Christian only based greeting and decorations tell on non-Christians they don't count" is just ignorance or naivity. What you can't apparently understand is that you don't have to hate or ignore others to love Christ. I greet others with Happy Hanukkah and Happy Eid. They should celebrate THEIR own without theirs being homogenized either. . If you don't believe in Christ or even in God, that is your prerogative. But don't tell me or others that we cant celebrate CHRISTMAS as we wish.

I think we have achieved airing of the grievances.

Personally, I use "happy holidays" simply because I may not know which winter holiday the other person observes and celebrates. That said, I think this whole thing is blown out of proportion. I celebrate Yule myself, but I always accept any holiday greeting in the spirit in which it was given, and gladly return in kind. Life's way, way too short to get hung up on a simple holiday greeting. :P

Inclusiveness is not the same as homogeneous. This idiotic idea that everything must be brought down to the least common denominator is superficial rhetoric. Inclusiveness is allowing everyone to celebrate their own special reasons without interference. If someone wants to celebrate their own holiday, more power to them. To say that "Christian only based greeting and decorations tell on non-Christians they don't count" is just ignorance or naivity. What you can't apparently understand is that you don't have to hate or ignore others to love Christ. I greet others with Happy Hanukkah and Happy Eid. They should celebrate THEIR own without theirs being homogenized either. . If you don't believe in Christ or even in God, that is your prerogative. But don't tell me or others that we cant celebrate CHRISTMAS as we wish.

So other's celebrations are lesser than yours, got it.

So other's celebrations are lesser than yours, got it.

It is ignorant for you to draw that conclusion. You either cannot read and comprehend what is said or you have your own agenda to drive wedges.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ges-baker-hughes-deal-deepens-its-stake-in-energy-as-it-holds-out-for-a-recovery-1499093625

Maybe see some new branding on this building soon. The article does mention the new company is technology focused and that fits right into the mission of this building so it's likely going no where.

GE is selling off its stake in Baker Hughes and exiting the oil and gas market. It was already announced yesterday that the research center was being renamed to something with Baker Hughes in the title. That story was behind a paywall so I couldn't read it.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/26/news/companies/ge-health-care-baker-hughes/index.html

^

This could possibly be a bad thing for OKC.

GE has research centers across many industries and now the one here will be set adrift with spun-off Baker Hughes. Instead of having the full force of GE and their global research network, it's now just research facility for one energy company.


From Wikipedia:

GE Global Research operations at all locations other than Niskayuna and Bangalore were discontinued in 2017 as part of a cost-cutting program of General Electric:

Shanghai, China, 2000-2017, now GE's China Technology Center operated by business units.[8]
Munich, Germany, 2003-2017, now GE's European Technology Center operated by business units and also home of GE Additive's Customer Experience Center.[9]
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2014-2017, now GE's Brazil Technology Center operated by business units.
Oil and Gas Technology Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2014-2017, only GE research center to focus on one industry, now part of Baker Hughes.[10]
Saudi Technology and Innovation Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, established in 2013, focuses on Material Characterization, Combustion & Fuels, and Data Analytics.
Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center[11] in Van Buren, Michigan, established in 2011, focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Software, and IT.
Israel Technology Center in Tirat Carmel, Israel, established in 2011, focuses on Healthcare, Energy, Software Analytics, Cyber Security, and Advanced Manufacturing.

^

This could possibly be a bad thing for OKC.

GE has research centers across many industries and now the one here will be set adrift with spun-off Baker Hughes. Instead of having the full force of GE and their global research network, it's now just research facility for one energy company.


From Wikipedia:

GE Global Research operations at all locations other than Niskayuna and Bangalore were discontinued in 2017 as part of a cost-cutting program of General Electric:

Shanghai, China, 2000-2017, now GE's China Technology Center operated by business units.[8]
Munich, Germany, 2003-2017, now GE's European Technology Center operated by business units and also home of GE Additive's Customer Experience Center.[9]
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2014-2017, now GE's Brazil Technology Center operated by business units.
Oil and Gas Technology Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2014-2017, only GE research center to focus on one industry, now part of Baker Hughes.[10]
Saudi Technology and Innovation Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, established in 2013, focuses on Material Characterization, Combustion & Fuels, and Data Analytics.
Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center[11] in Van Buren, Michigan, established in 2011, focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Software, and IT.
Israel Technology Center in Tirat Carmel, Israel, established in 2011, focuses on Healthcare, Energy, Software Analytics, Cyber Security, and Advanced Manufacturing.

It may not be a bad thing. With the emphasis that the downturn put on efficiency, research into making operations continually more efficient will continue to be a key goal and marketing tool for service companies and Baker Hughes is one of, if not the largest one. Hopefully Baker Hughes uses the facility as a development and marketing tool to help differentiate itself.

But the whole idea behind the GE facility is that this research was for the entire industry and there was all this hope it would lead to expansion, more research and start-ups.

When this was pitched and opened it was stated: " The new Center will become a central hub for GE scientists and engineers to closely collaborate with the Oil & Gas industry on cutting-edge digital and hardware solutions to advance the industry."

Remember, the whole idea behind placing this near downtown was to be in close proximity to Devon, Continental, etc.


So, isn't there the strong possibility that rather than sharing the research with 'the industry' that Baker Hughes will just use it for themselves? What is their motivation to share? GE seemed to have a completely different mission.

And will the main scientists and researchers stay in place now that they are no longer affiliated with a much larger GE research network?

But the whole idea behind the GE facility is that this research was for the entire industry and there was all this hope it would lead to expansion, more research and start-ups.

When this was pitched and opened it was stated: " The new Center will become a central hub for GE scientists and engineers to closely collaborate with the Oil & Gas industry on cutting-edge digital and hardware solutions to advance the industry."

Remember, the whole idea behind placing this near downtown was to be in close proximity to Devon, Continental, etc.


So, isn't there the strong possibility that rather than sharing the research with 'the industry' that Baker Hughes will just use it for themselves? What is their motivation to share? GE seemed to have a completely different mission.

And will the main scientists and researchers stay in place now that they are no longer affiliated with a much larger GE research network?

The ones I know have no worries about it. Most of these “research scientists” are from O&G sector anyway so going from GE to Baker Hughes isn’t a big deal.

Missions change in companies all the time, I don’t think a change in mission is necessarily a bad thing.

I do know that under GE there were already plans in progress to expand that facility and I bet that is completely off now.

You bet, or you know?

I said bet, as it's just a hunch.

I also had heard a lot about the proposed expansion but that chatter went completely silent about a year ago.

I said bet, as it's just a hunch.

I also had heard a lot about the proposed expansion but that chatter went completely silent about a year ago.
Well, that would certainly be Oklahoma's luck when it comes to things like this.

This is somehow the OK Legislature's fault, right? jkjk

Things happen. Maybe with the price of O&G products going up, there were increased costs associated with researching it. Not sure why GE would exit the O&G industry, as they have been pretty big into it for years.

I know we'll get a lot of rah-rah "things are still great!" rhetoric...

Would be nice to have an educated and objective view of what the future is likely to hold vs. what was originally envisioned and promised.

Things happen. Maybe with the price of O&G products going up, there were increased costs associated with researching it. Not sure why GE would exit the O&G industry, as they have been pretty big into it for years.

They are selling off businesses left and right as a result of serious financial difficulties.

This is somehow the OK Legislature's fault, right? jkjk

Things happen. Maybe with the price of O&G products going up, there were increased costs associated with researching it. Not sure why GE would exit the O&G industry, as they have been pretty big into it for years.
...

Wanted to point out that in a recent Oklahoman article it was reported this facility employs 'over 100'.

When it opened in 2016 they already had 120 employees and the capacity for 230. They also were talking about building more on that campus and adding more people.

And, of course, there were all types of incentives promised them.


I'm going to dig into this and see how much they were paid (I know they were promised at least $20MM) and how they have measured up against their projections.

I know we'll get a lot of rah-rah "things are still great!" rhetoric...

Would be nice to have an educated and objective view of what the future is likely to hold vs. what was originally envisioned and promised.

I was not meaning to be "rah-rah". But it is something that OKC could not control. The only thing they can control is making sure that the Research Center still benefits OKC with quality jobs, whether it be with GE in another capacity or Baker Hughes. I too would like to know if someone knew about this earlier, and what the city will do.

I was not meaning to be "rah-rah". But it is something that OKC could not control. The only thing they can control is making sure that the Research Center still benefits OKC with quality jobs, whether it be with GE in another capacity or Baker Hughes. I too would like to know if someone knew about this earlier, and what the city will do.

Sorry, wasn't addressing you just that we get these articles like the one in the Oklahoman which is nothing more than PR about how great all this is.

No perspective, no comparison to what was originally promised... In other words, no way for a reader of those types of articles to have any real insight on what this is all about and the impact on OKC.

GE was probably already going in another direction than originally planned back when they first announced the Baker Hughes merger with their oil and gas unit. This facility hasn't really been around that long to accomplish much.

Maybe the new Prez at OU could make a joint venture with BH and the Engineering and Petroleum Engineering departments to conduct research there and offer advanced degree programs there. This would be a great fit with the University of OK and with their already existing MBA facility nearby. BH could negotiate a first right of refusal on technology developed there and OU and the citizens of OK could share in revenue derived from licensing, etc. Professors would be drawn there too as they would also share in the revenue. And, with OU having the business incubation center there in the district, there might be a number of new companies formed for commercialization, such as has been done on the bio-med side.

I think there might be a precedent with OSU and Conoco in Ponca City with the old R&D center which I believe houses their sensor development program.

...BH could negotiate a first right of refusal on technology developed there and OU and the citizens of OK could share in revenue derived from licensing, etc. Professors would be drawn there too as they would also share in the revenue. ...

Does this revenue sharing ever actually happen? I honestly don't know, have never worked for/dealt with energy companies, but I've never heard of revenue sharing like that any place I've worked (DoD, banks, IBM, Arthur Andersen, public utilities, software development companies, a few other industries).

Maybe the new Prez at OU could make a joint venture with BH and the Engineering and Petroleum Engineering departments to conduct research there and offer advanced degree programs there. This would be a great fit with the University of OK and with their already existing MBA facility nearby. BH could negotiate a first right of refusal on technology developed there and OU and the citizens of OK could share in revenue derived from licensing, etc. Professors would be drawn there too as they would also share in the revenue. And, with OU having the business incubation center there in the district, there might be a number of new companies formed for commercialization, such as has been done on the bio-med side.

I think there might be a precedent with OSU and Conoco in Ponca City with the old R&D center which I believe houses their sensor development program.

It actually would be great if OU could get it's all of it's energy programs involved with the facility, especially the engineering and geology program but even the business energy programs could benefit from it.

Remember, OKC out-fought Norman and OU for this facility.

But the whole idea behind the GE facility is that this research was for the entire industry and there was all this hope it would lead to expansion, more research and start-ups.

When this was pitched and opened it was stated: " The new Center will become a central hub for GE scientists and engineers to closely collaborate with the Oil & Gas industry on cutting-edge digital and hardware solutions to advance the industry."

Remember, the whole idea behind placing this near downtown was to be in close proximity to Devon, Continental, etc.


So, isn't there the strong possibility that rather than sharing the research with 'the industry' that Baker Hughes will just use it for themselves? What is their motivation to share? GE seemed to have a completely different mission.

And will the main scientists and researchers stay in place now that they are no longer affiliated with a much larger GE research network?

All of those companies are probably major clients of Baker Hughes so the proximity is still beneficial in collaborating with the company engineers and geologists. Even if it turns into a Baker Hughes only research facility, it wouldn't hurt their ability to work with any of our local E&Ps or others around the country since they're not in the same market segment as the E&Ps are (CHK was in the space for a time, but hasn't been since they sold off NOMAC and it's other oil field operations companies). If BH sees it as a major asset that could improve their profitability and marketing efforts, it could end up being an even bigger focus for them than it was for GE and they could dump more resources into it than GE did. Not to mention that while GE did have an O&G presence, it wasn't their primary focus. It obviously is BH's primary focus.

I agree with whoever said it above on the scientists and researchers. They all have some type of oil and gas related backgrounds and BH is a massive international company so unless BH just shuts down the whole operations (which would be pretty stupid) I doubt they would be affect much by this.

All of that is just speculation so we'll have to wait and see, but I definitely don't think it's necessarily bad news.

Remember, OKC out-fought Norman and OU for this facility.

Well hopefully there are no sour grapes then haha.

I imagine the GE logo will soon be coming down.

^ this to me is the biggest impact of this, no longer having a major world brand. Otherwise, spinoffs and acquisitions happen all of the time.

Just wish we knew what BH's mission is and how they plan to use the facility.

There is a puffy article behind the paywall on the Oklahoman.

Basically says they want to be more of an 'innovation' facility and spur start-ups.


But it also says the General Manager has retired (Michael Ming who was one of the first hires and has been the boss since that time) and the new head is a 33 year-old who was promoted from within.

I've also been told there has been quite a bit of turnover there. Would be interesting to know how many of the original 120 still remain.

Maybe the new Prez at OU could make a joint venture with BH and the Engineering and Petroleum Engineering departments to conduct research there and offer advanced degree programs there. This would be a great fit with the University of OK and with their already existing MBA facility nearby. BH could negotiate a first right of refusal on technology developed there and OU and the citizens of OK could share in revenue derived from licensing, etc. Professors would be drawn there too as they would also share in the revenue. And, with OU having the business incubation center there in the district, there might be a number of new companies formed for commercialization, such as has been done on the bio-med side.

I think there might be a precedent with OSU and Conoco in Ponca City with the old R&D center which I believe houses their sensor development program.
I don't know how feasible or likely this is, but it's a great idea!

Does this revenue sharing ever actually happen? I honestly don't know, have never worked for/dealt with energy companies, but I've never heard of revenue sharing like that any place I've worked (DoD, banks, IBM, Arthur Andersen, public utilities, software development companies, a few other industries).

Commercialization through licensing of technologies can create shared revenue streams. We have a number of companies from research done at OU where royalties are paid.

There is a puffy article behind the paywall on the Oklahoman.

Basically says they want to be more of an 'innovation' facility and spur start-ups.


But it also says the General Manager has retired (Michael Ming who was one of the first hires and has been the boss since that time) and the new head is a 33 year-old who was promoted from within.

I've also been told there has been quite a bit of turnover there. Would be interesting to know how many of the original 120 still remain.
I know Ming, his retirement has nothing to do with the the changes.

I know Ming, his retirement has nothing to do with the the changes.

Just happens to exactly coincide with Baker Hughes taking over after only being on the job for a few years?

I know Ming, his retirement has nothing to do with the the changes.

Is he Merciless?

Just happens to exactly coincide with Baker Hughes taking over after only being on the job for a few years?

Yep. He was brought in to basically launch the place and get it up and running. Maybe it got accelerated or it became great timing but he was never setup to be a 25 year director. Original intention was 5, this project started in ‘14 so pretty close.

https://newsok.com/article/5599077/baker-hughes-expands-scope-of-its-okc-technology-center-by-adding-innovation-to-its-mission-name

That’s great news.

https://newsok.com/article/5599077/baker-hughes-expands-scope-of-its-okc-technology-center-by-adding-innovation-to-its-mission-name
That story was published June 24.

That story was published June 24.
Just became available for those without a subscription.

That story was published June 24.

I didn't look at the date. I saw it on Twitter (tweeted by a NewsOK staffer), presumed it was fresh news, and posted.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/ge082518.jpg

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/15/ge-shares-drop-after-madoff-whistleblower-harry-markopolos-raises-red-flags-on-its-accounting.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/15/ge-shares-drop-after-madoff-whistleblower-harry-markopolos-raises-red-flags-on-its-accounting.html

Different company.

Different company.

Baker Hughes GE is a publicly traded subsidury of GE. So it's still GE.

https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Fraud-Expert-GE-used-Baker-Hughes-as-a-vehicle-14308499.php