BJ Services brings jobs

BJ Services Company breaks ground for $82 million regional headquarters

By Warren Watkins
The Daily Citizen

BJ Services Company broke ground for their new regional headquarters in Searcy Tuesday.

The regional headquarters will allow BJ Services to provide pressure pumping and other oil field services to the natural gas industry in the counties involved in the Fayetteville Shale play. The company is investing about $82 million in the regional headquarters, which will employ approximately 150 people by late 2008.

The headquarters will be in a new 64,000-square-foot facility to be constructed on a 40-acre site at 3750 South Main Street. The property, which is near the Morning Sun community, is bordered on the west by Highway 67 and on the east by South Main Street.
“This is the big one,” said Danny Games, director of corporate development for Chesapeake Energy, which contracts work to BJ Services. “This is the bread and butter.”

White County is now “ground zero” for the Fayetteville Shale play, Games indicated.
“White County is seeing the bulk of the economic investment and the resulting economic activity, compared to the other Fayetteville Shale play counties. They're getting the lion's share of the current investment right now.”

Wayne Hartsfield, president of the Searcy Regional Economic Development Corporation and chairman of Regions Bank of Searcy, said recruitment efforts to get BJ Services to locate in Searcy began in June, 2006.

“BJ Services looked at different communities around Arkansas,” Hartsfield said. “Buck Layne and his staff at the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce have spent many hours working with BJ Services and the community.”

Hartsfield said Searcy Mayor Belinda LaForce, the city council and city workers also contributed to the effort to lure the gas services company to Searcy.

“This is amazing,” LaForce said. “To think of $82 million brought into the community. What an investment! About a year and a half ago, we lost 750 manufacturing jobs in Searcy, and this will help with the employment situation.”

White County Judge Michael Lincoln used the announcement to remind gas industry officials of their part in preserving the county's roads. Since the beginning of the gas development boom in the county, controversy has surrounded the use of roads by the heavy trucks used in the industry.

“New, high-quality jobs will help expand our economic base throughout Arkansas,” Gov. Mike Beebe said in a press release.

Beebe did not attend the announcement, held at the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce one mile north of the construction site, but a number of state officials were in attendance.

“BJ Services Company exemplifies the contributions being made to this growing industry through repeated investments in Searcy and White County,” Beebe said.

On Jan. 2, BJ Services opened a temporary headquarters in Doniphan Industrial Park in Searcy.

The new headquarters is planned to open in the spring of 2009.

“BJ Services is very excited about our move to Searcy, Arkansas,” said Ronney Coleman, vice president North America pressure pumping services for BJ Services Company. “This is a great opportunity for us and the local community.”

BJ Services provides pumping, process and pipeline, chemical, tubular and completion services to oil and natural gas companies worldwide.

“The City of Searcy is pleased to welcome BJ Services to our community and to have worked with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to make possible industrial and commercial growth for Searcy and White County,” said LaForce. “Searcy is excited about the prospect of partnering with BJ Services in utilizing our workforce and providing stable economic growth to our area.”

Additional information can be found at www.bjservices.com.