Oil Companies

[davev1977]

Okay, so I'm looking at four companies and comparing them to each other, trying to figure out which would be the best to work for as a newcomer to the industry. Two are majors and two are mid-majors I think. The four I've identified so far are (in no particular order): Devon Energy, El Paso Corporation, Shell, and Exxon. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

[jgriff]

Okay, so I'm looking at four companies and comparing them to each other, trying to figure out which would be the best to work for as a newcomer to the industry. Two are majors and two are mid-majors I think. The four I've identified so far are (in no particular order): Devon Energy, El Paso Corporation, Shell, and Exxon. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

I don't work for Exxon but I work with Exxon employees all the time. They seem to be the most professional of all the oil companies I've worked with. Most of them are extremely bright. I wouldn't hesitate to take a job with them. ExxonMobil is probably more stable than the U.S. government at the moment.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Okay, so I'm looking at four companies and comparing them to each other, trying to figure out which would be the best to work for as a newcomer to the industry. Two are majors and two are mid-majors I think. The four I've identified so far are (in no particular order): Devon Energy, El Paso Corporation, Shell, and Exxon. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

You being a geologist you really can't go wrong with Exxon, Shell or El Paso. I would pass on Devon, because of some serious financial issues they are having currently, and sometimes it seems they make moves like their decision making process involves a Ouija board. At Exxon you would be working for a personal friend named Mike Zimmerman, really a nice guy, great rock man and very low keyed. He's been with Exxon for close to 30 years lives near me over on Lake Conroe. If you take a job at El Paso, you would be working for Rene Decou, (Pronounced Renny Day-Coo), and you could not work for a finer man on earth, I've know Rene for about 30 years. He is one of they best Rock guys I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Now when it comes to bells and whistles, in the rock department, Shell is it hands down. They have all the cool toys, Virtual Geo 4D, Virtual Source Monitoring, and many multi axis visual aids, Some very sharp people to work with, Jorge Lopez, Albena Mateeva, Audrey Bakulin and Rodney Calvert are some of the best out there, and a low key atmosphere to work in. They also are big on continued education and push for you to keep going in school. Weigh out your offers and pick your flavor.

[Johnhw2]

Okay, so I'm looking at four companies and comparing them to each other, trying to figure out which would be the best to work for as a newcomer to the industry. Two are majors and two are mid-majors I think. The four I've identified so far are (in no particular order): Devon Energy, El Paso Corporation, Shell, and Exxon. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

I worked for ExxonMobil for 37 years and recently retired from there. Not a geologist but in my view Exxon is very strong financially (top 5 globally) and has great people. Good benefits too designed for long term career employees. They work you hard, push you hard and the people there are bright and controlling, so it has its stress but well worth it. What job doesnt have stress these days, ExxonMobil stress is just about hitting high expectations not is the firm going to make it.

Let me know if you would like to know more. One added plus for Exxon, they can move you to a number of areas. I am a Chem Engineer undergrad but had a career ranging from IT, engineering, financial to real estate. That was a huge plus for me to see different areas without changing firms.

[Flashman]

Let me make sure I understand your question:

You are asking which company to APPLY to?

Or have you received offers from these four companies and want to know which offer to accept?

If it is the first, I would recommend all of them (and every other one you can imagine)

If it is the latter, you are a very lucky man. I worked for Exxon right out of school (many years ago) and would agree with the assessments above. They are a great company. But so are Devon and Shell.

Th CEO of El Paso is a great guy, and those things tend to flow downward.

[zooter]

i'm a process engineer but lately haven't had any luck with the EPC's or other oil companies..seems like everyone is on a hiring freeze these days due to the price of oil...anyone in the industry have any thoughts? Have there been a lot of layoffs?

[jgriff]

i'm a process engineer but lately haven't had any luck with the EPC's or other oil companies..seems like everyone is on a hiring freeze these days due to the price of oil...anyone in the industry have any thoughts? Have there been a lot of layoffs?

Yes there have been layoffs and I'm sorry to have to say that it's not going to get better anytime soon. It's going to get worse.

[davev1977]

Let me make sure I understand your question:

You are asking which company to APPLY to?

Or have you received offers from these four companies and want to know which offer to accept?

If it is the first, I would recommend all of them (and every other one you can imagine)

If it is the latter, you are a very lucky man. I worked for Exxon right out of school (many years ago) and would agree with the assessments above. They are a great company. But so are Devon and Shell.

Th CEO of El Paso is a great guy, and those things tend to flow downward.

Sorry it took me awhile to get back on here. I'm just considering which to apply to. I understand it's not the best time, the economy being as it is. But perhaps by next spring things will be looking up. And that's when I hope to get my foot in the door. In the meantime, I'll be sharpening my skills and tailoring my resume!

You being a geologist you really can't go wrong with Exxon, Shell or El Paso. I would pass on Devon, because of some serious financial issues they are having currently, and sometimes it seems they make moves like their decision making process involves a Ouija board. At Exxon you would be working for a personal friend named Mike Zimmerman, really a nice guy, great rock man and very low keyed. He's been with Exxon for close to 30 years lives near me over on Lake Conroe. If you take a job at El Paso, you would be working for Rene Decou, (Pronounced Renny Day-Coo), and you could not work for a finer man on earth, I've know Rene for about 30 years. He is one of they best Rock guys I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Now when it comes to bells and whistles, in the rock department, Shell is it hands down. They have all the cool toys, Virtual Geo 4D, Virtual Source Monitoring, and many multi axis visual aids, Some very sharp people to work with, Jorge Lopez, Albena Mateeva, Audrey Bakulin and Rodney Calvert are some of the best out there, and a low key atmosphere to work in. They also are big on continued education and push for you to keep going in school. Weigh out your offers and pick your flavor.

Mr. Barnes, you have given me plenty of good advice in this thread. I really appreciate that! I hope one day to make the acquaintance of any or all of the gentlemen you've mentioned at each of these companies. I would be thrilled to work for any one of them.

[Bombero451]

For those with a degree in Finance. The specific oil company I was in needs you. This trend started a few years ago that I read and heard of. Finance.

That's how I got into the oil/gas industry. Received my BBA in finance, worked in commercial banking and found my way in the industry. Currently I'm a trader, but started in the finance group/treasury dept. of a growing company (back in the mid '90's).

Edited April 11, 2009 by Bombero451

[sifuwong]

When i worked at Exxon, i heard many good things from the engineers and geologists. They do work hard, but get paid handsomely!! Stressful, but worth it. Unfortunately, i worked in the IT area and my experience was not positive. I was a contractor which made it worse, but even some of the employees didn't really like the atmosphere and culture in UTEC(believe their name has changed) at the time.

Edited April 13, 2009 by sifuwong

[sifuwong]

Okay, so I'm looking at four companies and comparing them to each other, trying to figure out which would be the best to work for as a newcomer to the industry. Two are majors and two are mid-majors I think. The four I've identified so far are (in no particular order): Devon Energy, El Paso Corporation, Shell, and Exxon. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

You should apply at Chevron. Great environment! Quite a few Engineers that i knew at Exxon went over to Chevron. They like it much better!

[davev1977]

You should apply at Chevron. Great environment! Quite a few Engineers that i knew at Exxon went over to Chevron. They like it much better!

I've read up on Chevron, now, and really like what I see. Any fans of BP out there?

Edited June 24, 2009 by davev1977

[sunsets]

Get out there and apply!!! You can worry about which company is best when you get multiple job offers!

For the record I know several PhD geologists who came to Houston to work for Big Oil. Most are with Shell, and the advice that Mark Barnes gave about Shell pushing for continued education is right on. It seems like a more "academic" style environment there. The Exxon guys are well-paid, but seem more stressed. Just what I've observed.

[davev1977]

We're going to visit Houston on the weekend before Thanksgiving, then take a five-day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel! We're very excited. While visting Houston we're going to drive out to Sugar Land and The Woodlands, as well as downtown, and get a feel for what each place is like and where we would like to live. We'll test drive the commutes to downtown while we're at it...

[Conner Houston]

I am glad that Houston can still attract good talent. Bringing in more professionals for the oil industry is

a very good thing for Houston.

You mentioned that you wanted to live in the suburbs, maybe Sugarland. If you cannot find what you

are looking for immediately, there are some really nice downtown luxury apartments that can help with the

transition or become your lifestyle. For full disclosure, I work with one of them, but there are several other new downtown

apartments in the area that you may want to check out. All of these are brand new and offer MANY amenities

and may just be a good alternative while you try and find the perfect suburban home.

This property is on the METRORail

http://www.venuemuse...t.com/index.php

This is very fine living and has features uncommon for apartments.

http://www.thebellemeade.com/index.php

As for a single-family home, Caceres is close to downtown and is gated community.

http://www.caceresliving.com/index.php

And this one is just high-end living at its finest. You have to check out the photos.

http://www.bammelpar...s.com/index.php

[davev1977]

We're going to visit Houston on the weekend before Thanksgiving, then take a five-day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel! We're very excited. While visting Houston we're going to drive out to Sugar Land and The Woodlands, as well as downtown, and get a feel for what each place is like and where we would like to live. We'll test drive the commutes to downtown while we're at it...

In addition to the November trip, I've added an October trip to attend the SEG meeting in Houston. While I'm there, I will visit the career placement center to meet representatives from multiple companies in hopes of landing a career with one of them. Exxon and Chevron will both be there (my top two), as well as Hess, BP, and Total. I have my resume and business cards, suit and tie, and I'm ready to do this!

[sifuwong]

Shell Shipping Jobs Overseas

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6772312.html

[sifuwong]

Chevron shedding more jobs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100309/ap_on_bi_ge/us_chevron_job_cuts

[hindesky]

"Chevron is selling its San Ramon headquarters property in California and plans to downsize while remaining headquartered in the city, while also shifting some workers to Houston."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Chevron-to-sell-San-Ramon-HQ-property-move-some-17264711.php

Sounds like they might do what Exxon did and eventually realize they should just move here completely.

[houstontexasjack]

The WSJ had an article as well:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chevron-to-downsize-in-california-remain-based-in-the-state-11656103820?st=0c596dvqujc5192&reflink=article_copyURL_share

 

“Some of Chevron’s ex­ec­u­tives have long wanted to move the com­pa­ny’s head­quar­ters to Texas, but its lead­er­ship has held off, largely be­cause of the com­pa­ny’s long his­tory in Cal­i­for­nia and its as­sets there, such as its Rich­mond, Calif., re­fin­ery, ac­cord­ing to peo­ple fa­mil­iar with the mat­ter.”

“Cal­i­for­nia law­mak­ers have pre­vi­ously con­sid­ered im­pos­ing a sev­er­ance tax that would tax oil pro­duc­tion in the state. If Cal­i­for­nia were to im­pose such a tax, that would likely prompt Chevron to re­con­sider keep­ing its head­quar­ters in the state, one of the peo­ple said.”

 

[BeerNut]

I wonder if Shell be the last major with large offices in two states...

[Urbannizer]

@hindesky @houstontexasjack

I moved news regarding more Chevron employees moving to Houston from the old Chevron tower proposal as there’s no update on the tower itself.

[Houston19514]

10 hours ago, BeerNut said:

I wonder if Shell be the last major with large offices in two states...

BP still has significant offices in Chicago (probably more than Shell has in New Orleans)

[editor]

On 6/24/2022 at 9:43 PM, BeerNut said:

I wonder if Shell be the last major with large offices in two states...

Is Hess considered major?

[BeerNut]

25 minutes ago, editor said:

Is Hess considered major?

BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, TotalEnergies, ConocoPhillips.   Looking online they they refer to these companies as supermajors but everyone I work with just says majors.

[Ross]

2 hours ago, editor said:

Is Hess considered major?

A major oil company is one that is vertically integrated with production, transportation, refining, and marketing. Hess split off its refining and marketing several years ago, and is now an independent, which means they have production only.

[DotCom]

I saw the news that Chevron is offering to pay it's California employees to relocate to Houston, but did not associate it with this project...until I saw this.  Here's some fuel for the speculation fire :-)

https://realtynewsreport.com/will-chevron-move-hq-to-new-tower-in-houston/

HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Chevron is leaving its 92-acre headquarters campus in San Ramon, Calif. and moving hundreds of employees to Houston. The energy firm says it will lease some space in northern California and clearly states that it will keep its corporate headquarters in the Golden State where it’s been for many years.

However, there are historical patterns, clues and dangling statements made years ago that indicate that Chevron could eventually decide to move its headquarters to downtown Houston.

The Vision for a Downtown Skyscraper

It’s also possible that someday Chevron may want to fulfill its proposal to build a 50-story, 1.5 million SF tower at 1600 Louisiana, near its existing downtown offices.

Chevron has about 2,000 employees at its San Ramon headquarters and about 8,000 in Houston. It’s unclear how many employees are moving to Houston. Chevron has not disclosed how many employees will remain with the headquarters remnant in the northern California Bay Area, where office rents traditionally have been some of the most expensive in the nation.

Critics say California is a high-tax state with a reputation of being “unfriendly” to business, especially to oil and gas companies. For example, in 2020 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order banning the sales of new gasoline-powered autos by 2035.

A number of California-based companies have moved their headquarters from the Golden State to Texas in recent years, including CBRE, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Charles Schwab, and Tesla.

The Texas Two-Step

The California-to-Texas moves often begin with the establishment of a beachhead in the Lone Star State where the work force grows. It’s eventually followed with the relocation of the corporate headquarters.

The tactic is “The Texas Two-Step,” says Austin-based economic development executive Ed Curtis, CEO of the YTexas organization.

Curtis, in an interview last week, said the process of moving companies to Texas has often begun with the purchase of land, or a sizable office lease.

“They call it the Texas Two-Step. The first step is they move a bunch of people in and say: ‘I’m not moving my headquarters.’ And eventually they move their headquarters and when they do, it’s seamless,” Curtis said.

Will Chevron move its headquarters to Houston?

“I think it’s definitely possible,” Curtis said. “I don’t know for a fact, but history tends to repeat itself and it wouldn’t surprise me if they did.”

Chevron’s Discussions of a New Skyscraper

It’s logical to speculate that Chevron may fulfill its proposal to build a 50-story 1.5 million SF tower at 1600 Louisiana, near its existing downtown offices.

Years ago, Chevron indicated it would build an office tower in downtown Houston when Gov. Rick Perry announced Chevron would receive $12 million, which ws never fully disbursed,  from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The Texas deal was announced nine years ago in July 2013 and Chevron agreed to create 1,752 jobs here.

“Chevron USA Inc. proposes to construct a new multi-story office building of 1.5 million-plus SF located at 1600 Louisiana St.,” said Chevron’s application for the state’s $12 million in funding. “The building when completed, will provide Class A office space for technical, administrative and executive personnel.”

Today, Chevron has downtown offices at 1400 Smith and 1500 Louisiana. They are Class A buildings, but they decades old. Today, many top-drawer, corporate occupiers – and definitely, Chevron is an elite tenant – are attracted to brand-new buildings loaded with restaurants, health clubs, outdoor plazas – all built with exceptional air quality and health standards. Older buildings can grow dim in comparison.

Adjacent to Chevron’s 1500 Louisiana building is a lawn – 83,863 SF of grass where Chevron’s proposed tower was envisioned when the Texas Enterprise Fund deal was announced.

In addition to the state funds, at that time it was reported that Chevron asked the City of Houston to supply $4 million worth of infrastructure. Later, there were unconfirmed reports that the HOK architecture firm was noodling with concepts for the site. Chevron never started the building. Today, it’s just a big urban lawn, empty and flat amid high-rise towers.

Exxon Mobil, the largest energy company in the nation, is moving its corporate headquarters to north Houston in a few months, adding to its massive Houston workforce.

If Chevron relocates its headquarters to Houston, it would give the city the headquarters of the nation’s two largest oil and gas companies, in addition to hundreds of smaller energy-related firms.

The Chevron move would solidify for the long term that Houston is the Energy Capital of the World, even as the industry evolves.

Edited July 21, 2022 by DotCom

[hindesky]

I recently saw a permit for one of the two buildings downtown for over 6 million dollars of work, probably a cube farm for the new workers.

[toxtethogrady]

That skyscraper has languished, as the oil industry has downsized. Chevron has said they will leave the headquarters in San Ramon, but they are hinting they will move most of the remaining California employees to Houston (and have incentivized it). I'm not sure there are enough personnel to justify a new tower anymore, especially with remote work situations. I'm also not sure we can expect new hires. The industry's been burned too often. On the other hand, they might have a need for contractors, and those contractors might be expected to be onsite. Also, vacant space is plentiful. All of that together says no new skyscraper anytime soon.

[Ross]

4 minutes ago, hindesky said:

I recently saw a permit for one of the two buildings downtown for over 6 million dollars of work, probably a cube farm for the new workers.

PDR does a lot of interior design work, and the results I've seen are very good.  I assume, though, that it's going to be more than just one floor, as $6 million for a single floor buildout seems high.