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.

[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).

[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".

[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

[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".

[OKCisOK4me]

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

[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"

[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.

[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

[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?

[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.

[Plutonic Panda]

then I come to this comment

Steve Lackmeyer 11:02 a.m. Nah. This city is big enough for such development.

I'm not trying to bash Steve as I actually have great respect for him, but is this man bipolar or something? How do you go from dissing a development by saying they will subject their employees to a personal hell of

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.

na this is just fine, the city is big enough? Or am I reading that wrong and he is saying 'the core can lose a quality development out onto the crappy suburbs' and the core won't be affected by it?

[Spartan]

It would be great to have Gulfport, but what Steve meant was that there are companies who are valuable members of our community, but don't absolutely need to be downtown. In fact, if a company prefers to build its HQ in a school district to attract employees with families, and prioritizes convenient parking - the reality is that downtown may not be best for them. They are in fact choosing something other than the priorities that Devon supports, like young, energetic, employees who are healthy, educated, and cultured.

There is no one size fits all. It takes all types, and there really are choices, and believe it or not, some of the choices you might not select aren't necessarily the wrong choice. Another thing is that Steve isn't necessarily above reproach, but he does have a ton of valuable perspective on this since he too resides north of Memorial Road, where he is raising his son. People have lives outside of this development scene.

[Plutonic Panda]

It would be great to have Gulfport, but what Steve meant was that there are companies who are valuable members of our community, but don't absolutely need to be downtown. In fact, if a company prefers to build its HQ in a school district to attract employees with families, and prioritizes convenient parking - the reality is that downtown may not be best for them. They are in fact choosing something other than the priorities that Devon supports, like young, energetic, employees who are healthy, educated, and cultured.

There is no one size fits all. It takes all types, and there really are choices, and believe it or not, some of the choices you might not select aren't necessarily the wrong choice. Another thing is that Steve isn't necessarily above reproach, but he does have a ton of valuable perspective on this since he too resides north of Memorial Road, where he is raising his son. People have lives outside of this development scene.

I completely understand that. Also it should be important to note the majority of Devon's employees live in the suburbs.

I just find it frustrating that there is so much cool stuff going on in the core with tons of beautiful new additions being built or proposed and one teeny tiny, but still beautiful, quality development gets announced on Memorial, and you have people pointing their fingers like, why don't build in the core, did anyone in power talk to them???? I just don't understand the obsession that a lot urbanist seem to have with having every little thing in the core. In my view, this is good infill and adds to the density which creates more tax dollars in that area.

Let me say once more I'm not dissing Steve. I really like his work and rep sect him, but that tibit about Gulfstream just struck me as odd.

[Spartan]

I completely understand that. Also it should be important to note the majority of Devon's employees live in the suburbs.

I just find it frustrating that there is so much cool stuff going on in the core with tons of beautiful new additions being built or proposed and one teeny tiny, but still beautiful, quality development gets announced on Memorial, and you have people pointing their fingers like, why don't build in the core, did anyone in power talk to them???? I just don't understand the obsession that a lot urbanist seem to have with having every little thing in the core. In my view, this is good infill and adds to the density which creates more tax dollars in that area.

Let me say once more I'm not dissing Steve. I really like his work and rep sect him, but that tibit about Gulfstream just struck me as odd.

Do you know the majority of Devon employees? I know that they have made a name for themselves as a remarkable place for young employees, and that's a strategic way to stand out. They are about downtown and the whole community, and not just a particular top-rated school district.

When you locate somewhere like Memorial Road, the strain it causes on our public resources and environment is heightened. A good way to sustain a pro-development policy is to mitigate those costs and realize the benefits of walkable areas and equitable access throughout the metro.

[Plutonic Panda]

Do you know the majority of Devon employees? I know that they have made a name for themselves as a remarkable place for young employees, and that's a strategic way to stand out. They are about downtown and the whole community, and not just a particular top-rated school district.

When you locate somewhere like Memorial Road, the strain it causes on our public resources and environment is heightened. A good way to sustain a pro-development policy is to mitigate those costs and realize the benefits of walkable areas and equitable access throughout the metro.

I don't know the majority of the employees, no. I'm using common sense here. Everytime I'm around that building when employees are leaving, they either head to Western to catch I40 or they are heading towards 5th st. to get on 235.

Come on man, you can't tell me the majority of their employees aren't living in the suburbs. How many of their employees do you think lives downtown? I'm not saying their employees don't like downtown, but when it comes to locating near where they live, I know a few people that work for Devon and they all live in Edmond.

I do understand what you're getting at though and I'm not really arguing against it.

[Spartan]

Alright then.

[Plutonic Panda]

I edited that because I just reread it and I meant to say "I'm NOT saying their employees don't like downtown." I think their employees love it. A few people I know do enjoy it.

[GaryOKC6]

Gulfport is a great company that has been kind of "under the radar" since they don't do any drilling in Oklahoma at all. They are just (thankfully) headquartered here. Some of their employee amenities will include a fitness center and onsite restaurant with a buffet line.