On the bright side

[TheArtist]

SemGroup Listed As Fifth-Largest Private Firm

SemGroup LP has been ranked No. 5 on Forbes' 2006 list of America's Largest Private Companies. Tulsa-based SemGroup said it is the only private Oklahoma company in the magazine's top 25. The energy transportation company debuted on the list as No. 14 in 2004 and was ranked No. 9 last year. With $4.2 billion in assets, SemGroup has completed 45 acquisitions since its inception in 2000.

Helmerich & Payne Logs Big Year

Fiscal 2006 was another year of record results for Tulsa-based Helmerich & Payne Inc., as the international drilling company more than doubled its earnings. Driven by record-high rig rates and strong drilling activity, net income during the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30th, was more than $294 million, or $2.77 per share, up from $128 million, or $1.23 per share in 2005. Revenue rose to $1.22 billion.

Tulsa Sales-Tax Revenue Rising

Tulsa's sales-tax revenue was up 5.6 percent for November, or about $800,000, compared with the same month last year. The city is experiencing about 5 percent growth so far for the fiscal year, which runs from July through June 30. November's sale-tax report is based on consumer spending from Sept. 16 through Oct. 15. The city's check from the Oklahoma Tax Commission for the collection period was $15,851,294.

[Hometown]

I certainly hope these positive develops hit a critical mass and that wages in Tulsa improve.  With all the talk about the improved job market and the lack of qualified workers to fill jobs you would think there would be an upward tick in compensation.  That's how the market is supposed to work.  

I used to talk about all the grown men in Tulsa making $10 an hour.  Now that I've been job hunting in Tulsa I want to revise that downward to $8 an hour.  Wish I knew how to weld.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I certainly hope these positive develops hit a critical mass and that wages in Tulsa improve.  With all the talk about the improved job market and the lack of qualified workers to fill jobs you would think there would be an upward tick in compensation.  That's how the market is supposed to work.  

I used to talk about all the grown men in Tulsa making $10 an hour.  Now that I've been job hunting in Tulsa I want to revise that downward to $8 an hour.  Wish I knew how to weld.

HT- Hey it's never too late to learn.  What are your skills?  Is outside sales out of the question?  It's like Bruce Williams used to say: "You can't over-pay a commissioned sales person."

Througout most of my professional life I've either worked straight commission, or base plus commission, or worked for myself.  There are also plenty of inside sales jobs which are not call center jobs that pay well more than $8 per hour.

[Hometown]

Thanks Conan, I'll take all the pep talks I can get.  I've always admired salesmen.  And I'm really bad at it.  The person that brings the money into an organization has a lot of power.  I've worked as a legal secretary for the past 21 years.  But I'll save my sad story for another thread.

I really am serious though about Tulsa needing to kick its pay scale up.  

[AMP]

I made more money and had five or six pay checks saved up at all times when I was 14 to 25 yrs old.  Then the bottom dropped out and the earnings went with them. I have either worked on comission or been self emplopyed  since I was 14.  I am 55 now and for the past 6 years the earnings here have been the worst in my working history.  

Based on my past several contracts, I have made less and less each month this year. It is the worst I have ever seen in my lifetime.  This year 2006 has been the lowest income I have reported since 1966.

[RecycleMichael]

I think I need a small cardboard sign that says, "Will blog for food".

[TheArtist]

Brighter side, brighter side.  Bring happy news to this thread.[]

[Hometown]

Tulsa is a Capricorn and the planet Jupiter will enter Capricorn about a year from now.  It is a year-long "12 year high" in a very beneficial cycle.  Capricorn stands to make substantial financial and other gains during late 2007 into most of 2008.  It's a time of expansion and just plain good luck.  It's going to be a wonderful time for Tulsa.

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

Thanks Conan, I'll take all the pep talks I can get.  I've always admired salesmen.  And I'm really bad at it.  The person that brings the money into an organization has a lot of power.  I've worked as a legal secretary for the past 21 years.  But I'll save my sad story for another thread.

I really am serious though about Tulsa needing to kick its pay scale up.  

I used to do screening/phone interviews as a recruiter in Chicago.  A lot of our clients were hiring for call centers across the country looking for entry-level customer service.  Hourly wages of $9 to $11 are pretty close to industry standard for entry level workers, whether they live in Tulsa/OKC, Chicago, Boise, San Antonio, Detroit, etc...

$8 is really on the low end, even for Tulsa.  Since Tulsa has so many call centers competing for workers, you should be able to do better, even if you do not have call center experience.  No matter what you get paid, entry-level wages are what could be described as "getting your foot in the door."  If you've previously worked as a legal secretary, you'll have a better chance biting the bullet doing entry-level customer service for awhile.  Then you'd get hired internally for higher paying positions you'd probably be better suited for anyway.

But yeah, welding pays better.

[AMP]

I worked in the personnel industry in Tulsa for 16 years.  Wages and pay here have been way below standard as long as I can remember.

I was visiting Daytona Beach Florida last Spring and ran onto a group of five young men all riding new Harley Davidsons.  Asked them what they did for a living to be able to afford to buy the brand new H-Ds.  

They replied they were welders and fitters in a job shop in Illinois.  They said they just have a simple job to afford their $20,000 toys.  Told me they earn $40 to $60 per hour depending on Overtime.   Most run a simple Mig Wire Feed welding machine in a structural steel shop doing "in position" welding at a fabrication shop.  That is at the lower end of the scale for skill level in the welding profession.

They pointed out the fact that Oklahoma has "Right To Work" which is hurting our wages here due to the cause and effect on Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements.

They call it "Right to Get Screwed"

In Oklahoma structural Mig Welders earn from $6 per hour up to around $8 and some as high as $10 in shops.  Out in the field the pay is around $12 per hour if they have 2 or more years of experience.  Don't know too many, other than the TV models on the Ads, that own 2006 Harley Davidsons and make trips to Daytona Beach Florida.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by AMP

I worked in the personnel industry in Tulsa for 16 years.  Wages and pay here have been way below standard as long as I can remember.

I was visiting Daytona Beach Florida last Spring and ran onto a group of five young men all riding new Harley Davidsons.  Asked them what they did for a living to be able to afford to buy the brand new H-Ds.  

They replied they were welders and fitters in a job shop in Illinois.  They said they just have a simple job to afford their $20,000 toys.  Told me they earn $40 to $60 per hour depending on Overtime.   Most run a simple Mig Wire Feed welding machine in a structural steel shop doing "in position" welding at a fabrication shop.  That is at the lower end of the scale for skill level in the welding profession.

They pointed out the fact that Oklahoma has "Right To Work" which is hurting our wages here due to the cause and effect on Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements.

They call it "Right to Get Screwed"

In Oklahoma structural Mig Welders earn from $6 per hour up to around $8 and some as high as $10 in shops.  Out in the field the pay is around $12 per hour if they have 2 or more years of experience.  Don't know too many, other than the TV models on the Ads, that own 2006 Harley Davidsons and make trips to Daytona Beach Florida.

Interesting you are talking about that, I work in an industry where we have welders on staff- mostly for large HVAC field work and one-off fab stuff and repair we do in the shop.  

I guess Oklahoma must pay sub-standard wages in welding and fabrication- those of us who do have Harleys at the shop have pieced-together bikes, even the boss. []

The wages you mention for Oklahoma sound low to me, but if you work in the personnel field, you would have a better view of it than I would.  I can say we pay our welders much better than the scale you are talking about.  Even still, at the wages we are paying, we are having a hard time competing with Linde, Valmont, etc. who are constantly having cattle calls for skilled code welders in finding more of them.

I work on the sales end, so I don't do too bad, I'm just glad I'm out of the acquisition phase of my life so I can start an eight year cycle of paying college tuition for my daughters in another year and a half. [|)]

[dsjeffries]

Listening to NPR last night, I heard a story all about how American Airlines' maintenance facility in Tulsa (which is the largest in the world) has completely turned around (at least the maint. division) the company, bringing in 50 outside clients. They really emphasized how this is a perfect example of insourcing, bringing in planes from South America all the way to Tulsa for them to be serviced, etc....  Check out the story--it's pretty interesting (and nice to hear about Tulsa on national airwaves in a positive light).  

Link to story

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Listening to NPR last night, I heard a story all about how American Airlines' maintenance facility in Tulsa (which is the largest in the world) has completely turned around (at least the maint. division) the company, bringing in 50 outside clients. They really emphasized how this is a perfect example of insourcing, bringing in planes from South America all the way to Tulsa for them to be serviced, etc....  Check out the story--it's pretty interesting (and nice to hear about Tulsa on national airwaves in a positive light).  

Link to story

It's quite clever what AA did, turned a cost-center into a profit center by selling maintenance hours to other companies while still providing their own maintenance service for their own planes.  A friend of mine specializes in selling AA MRO services to the government and by all accounts their revenue at the base will continue to grow in the coming years.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Listening to NPR last night, I heard a story all about how American Airlines' maintenance facility in Tulsa (which is the largest in the world) has completely turned around (at least the maint. division) the company, bringing in 50 outside clients. They really emphasized how this is a perfect example of insourcing, bringing in planes from South America all the way to Tulsa for them to be serviced, etc....  Check out the story--it's pretty interesting (and nice to hear about Tulsa on national airwaves in a positive light).  

Link to story

It's quite clever what AA did, turned a cost-center into a profit center by selling maintenance hours to other companies while still providing their own maintenance service for their own planes.  A friend of mine specializes in selling AA MRO services to the government and by all accounts their revenue at the base will continue to grow in the coming years.

Somebody needs to point that out to Delgiorno since he likes to say how vision 2025 was a failure and preach about coroporate welfare.  This may actualy be one time that corporate welfare money is paying off.

[carltonplace]

On the bright side. There is more speculation on Tulsa area property than I can ever remember. New development proposals are in the news every day, and many of them are very exciting. Old neighborhoods are being reborn. The river is a constant topic of discussion (say what you will about The Channels, but it certainly has sparked alot of interest in the river).

People are talking and they are educating themselves on land use, zoning and preservation and they are getting involved. For me, TulsaNow and the participants of this forum have played a large role in what I envision for this city and its downtown which I love.