A buddy works for IBM, they were called into a meeting and told that IBM's customer service unit was sold and that most people should expect to lose their jobs. Apparently, the oil and gas division is staying - the rest is going. My friend is the sole source for my information on the jobs (he isn't an executive or anything, just what his manager told him...)
The Tulsa World hasn't reported on the transaction at all, but at one time IBM had more than 1000 employees in downtown Tulsa:
June 2004—Tulsa based Williams Cos. transfers about 460 jobs, primarily in information technology, to IBM under a $320 million outsourcing agreement. IBM also makes a separate outsourcing deal with Marathon Oil Co.
December 2004—IBM, which then has nearly 1,200 employees in downtown Tulsa, says it anticipates nearly doubling that local staff by 2009.
April 2006 — Big Blue holds its annual meeting of shareholders in Tulsa, as a way to recognize the city as the home of its largest facility for handling outsourced accounting and finance work in the Western Hemisphere.
October 2007 — IBM announces plans to consolidate its contract work with Manpower Inc., a change that affects about 200 of IBM’s contract employees in Tulsa, but not its 1,200 regular, full-time workers. The action results in several lawsuits by existing staffing firms.
May 2008 — IBM says 350 positions in Tulsa will be transferred to a company facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2013 - IBM sells it's customer service assets.... Tulsa loses more jobs?
Old article abuot IBM cutting 350 jobs
http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Tulsa_will_lose_350_IBM_jobs/20080514_1_a1_hthep78248New article about IBM selling assets
http://www.eweek.com/it-management/ibm-sells-customer-care-unit-to-synnex-for-505m.htmlOur newspaper clearly hasn't reported on the issue -
IS OUR CITY IN CONTACT WITH THE NEW OWNERS TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO MOVE JOBS TO TULSA? The purchasing company is based in Greenville, NC, and their local paper is talking about the potential of bringing jobs to their town as a result of this transaction:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20130911/BUSINESS/309110017/SYNNEX-grows-IBM-deal