Gulfport Energy

[ljbab728]

http://m.newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-g...rticle/5364304

Planning a new $30m headquarters.

Attachment 9431

The new $30 million building, designed by RBA Architects, will have underground parking, a staff restaurant, fitness center and auditorium on six floors totaling 120,000 square feet of space, said Rick Brown, principal architect. A groundbreaking ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

[Plutonic Panda]

RBA Architects

I also posted this in the business energy thread, but they have a cool project planned for NE 122nd and Broadway Ext.

[coov23]

No contractor has been selected. That seems odd to me with them breaking ground today.

[Pete]

No contractor has been selected. That seems odd to me with them breaking ground today.

I can't find a building permit, so I don't really understand what is happening here, especially since the company is saying "no comment".

[DoctorTaco]

I can't find a building permit, so I don't really understand what is happening here, especially since the company is saying "no comment".

[bradh]

especially since the company is saying "no comment".

some of energy companies are skiddish about not wanting to talk about new buildings and stuff sometimes because they don't want any negative perception of having too much money to build lavish new buildings.

edit - changed "a lot" to "some"

[s00nr1]

I have to say this looks phenomenal. With Linn expanding and now Gulfport's new HQ that corridor is booming (not to mention the retail and recreational expansion).

[Richard at Remax]

maybe it is just utility work? or they are just digging out dirt with some shovels then going back to the office

[bradh]

i haven't heard or seen of this project on the civil end either, strange

[OKCisOK4me]

If it weren't for my dad, this would not have been possible! Happy for Gulfport Energy!

[Pete]

^

Right, but then why are they having a ground-breaking, releasing renderings and such?

There is something very weird about all this.

[bradh]

^

Right, but then why are they having a ground-breaking, releasing renderings and such?

There is something very weird about all this.

Oh I agree, it's odd to say the least. OKCisOK4Me...can you shed some light?

[GaryOKC6]

I was there today. This is a really cool building designed by Rick Brown at RBA. They are going to consolidate their offices which are in different buildings to one location. they will feature a ton of employee amenities. The tower has an LED feature which will light up at night.

[Spartan]

I agree that it doesn't need to be downtown, but above that this is the thing to understand here: Thank goodness this is located on Memorial Road, and not at NE 122nd and Kelley.. or Yukon or something else ridiculously decentralized. Curbing the negative impacts of sprawl is not about turning against those areas once they are built. Where I'm going with this is that I really think it's time to talk about how we include Memorial Road in a commuter rail/light rail corridor serving the north metro.

I was there today. This is a really cool building designed by Rick Brown at RBA. They are going to consolidate their offices which are in different buildings to one location. they will feature a ton of employee amenities. The tower has an LED feature which will light up at night.

There's a tower?

[OKCisOK4me]

Oh I agree, it's odd to say the least. OKCisOK4Me...can you shed some light?

Actually, I can't. My dad retired as the CEO from Gulfport back in February, but he was in that position for several years and their success in the industry came while he was at the helm. I told him that I saw the renderings for the new headquarters and I don't think he actually even knew of it. Probably trying to play it off though. Glad they are choosing to stay up north. This design definitely doesn't belong downtown.

[Architect2010]

According to a "Gulfport exec" on Steve's chats, the reason they are building so far out is a shorter commute for their employees. I don't mind that Gulfport is building so far out, but that's some hokey reasoning. Unless 100% of their employees live in N. OKC/Edmond, which I assume is highly unlikely, then you have people driving a longer commute due to the decentralized nature of the area.

Again, I don't mind that Gulfport is building on Memorial. Would it have been nice for another HQ downtown? Of course. I just don't understand the need to justify the location with flawed reasoning. Especially in a public chat, when we've yet to recieve any official comments or submitted plans.

[Rover]

According to a "Gulfport exec" on Steve's chats, the reason they are building so far out is a shorter commute for their employees. I don't mind that Gulfport is building so far out, but that's some hokey reasoning. Unless 100% of their employees live in N. OKC/Edmond, which I assume is highly unlikely, then you have people driving a longer commute due to the decentralized nature of the area.

Again, I don't mind that Gulfport is building on Memorial. Would it have been nice for another HQ downtown? Of course. I just don't understand the need to justify the location with flawed reasoning. Especially in a public chat, when we've yet to recieve any official comments or submitted plans.

So, where do you believe their employees live that you are calling him a liar?
Lots of upscale housing in the north and northwest. Why is that so hard for people on here to believe that that is attractive to well paid employees? Not everyone wants to live downtown.

[Snowman]

According to a "Gulfport exec" on Steve's chats, the reason they are building so far out is a shorter commute for their employees. I don't mind that Gulfport is building so far out, but that's some hokey reasoning. Unless 100% of their employees live in N. OKC/Edmond, which I assume is highly unlikely, then you have people driving a longer commute due to the decentralized nature of the area.

Again, I don't mind that Gulfport is building on Memorial. Would it have been nice for another HQ downtown? Of course. I just don't understand the need to justify the location with flawed reasoning. Especially in a public chat, when we've yet to recieve any official comments or submitted plans.

It looks like their current offices are along the Memorial corridor near the office park they are building the new building in, so their employee base probably does skew toward Edmond and NW OKC.

[Plutonic Panda]

According to a "Gulfport exec" on Steve's chats, the reason they are building so far out is a shorter commute for their employees. I don't mind that Gulfport is building so far out, but that's some hokey reasoning. Unless 100% of their employees live in N. OKC/Edmond, which I assume is highly unlikely, then you have people driving a longer commute due to the decentralized nature of the area.

Again, I don't mind that Gulfport is building on Memorial. Would it have been nice for another HQ downtown? Of course. I just don't understand the need to justify the location with flawed reasoning. Especially in a public chat, when we've yet to recieve any official comments or submitted plans.

I could be wrong on this, but I doubt a Gulfport exec was on Steve's chat defending this.

[Bellaboo]

According to a "Gulfport exec" on Steve's chats, the reason they are building so far out is a shorter commute for their employees. I don't mind that Gulfport is building so far out, but that's some hokey reasoning. Unless 100% of their employees live in N. OKC/Edmond, which I assume is highly unlikely, then you have people driving a longer commute due to the decentralized nature of the area.

Again, I don't mind that Gulfport is building on Memorial. Would it have been nice for another HQ downtown? Of course. I just don't understand the need to justify the location with flawed reasoning. Especially in a public chat, when we've yet to recieve any official comments or submitted plans.

Not too sure I believe that, the poster didn't even spell Gulfport correctly.

[metro]

^

Right, but then why are they having a ground-breaking, releasing renderings and such?

There is something very weird about all this.

Maybe they took a page out of the TEEMCO playbook?

[OKCRT]

Needs to be taller and downtown.

[Plutonic Panda]

Needs to be taller and downtown.

No. It's great where it is. I do agree about the taller part though

[Plutonic Panda]

and you know, it's comments like these that proves OKC is still a small time amateur market.

10:56 a.m. Do you find it surprising that Gulport Energy chose to build a new corporate campus in its existing NW OKC location rather than join the majority of the other big energy companies in Downtown OKC?

Steve Lackmeyer 10:58 a.m. No. Some companies like being located in suburban office parks with huge surface parking lots and no places to eat or gather without getting in a car and dealing with traffic on Memorial Road. They don't want their employees to be exposed to the arts, to have chances to network on the streets and in park areas at lunch and on breaks.

Anything really nice that gets proposed in the suburbs is met with people that are apparently unable to realize that in major cites, there are tons of huge suburban office parks that are world class and quite frankly better than downtown OKC. What a stupid comment by Steve. The majority of their parking is going to be underground and there are tons of restaurants around that you can even walk to. I accompanied a girl at the ATT office in the Quail Business Park and we walked to The Shack and had a great time walking there and did so without any worries what so ever. Seems to me the one complaining about that have a bias or are too afraid to walk beyond their concrete jungle. How's that for a fair statement.

[metro]

and you know, it's comments like these that proves OKC is still a small time amateur market.



Anything really nice that gets proposed in the suburbs is met with people that are apparently unable to realize that in major cites, there are tons of huge suburban office parks that are world class and quite frankly better than downtown OKC. What a stupid comment by Steve. The majority of their parking is going to be underground and there are tons of restaurants around that you can even walk to. I accompanied a girl at the ATT office in the Quail Business Park and we walked to The Shack and had a great time walking there and did so without any worries what so ever. Seems to me the one complaining about that have a bias or are too afraid to walk beyond their concrete jungle. How's that for a fair statement.

Agreed, but then again look at the author........