Nick Smith | Williston Herald John Simon, Senior Vice President of Global Production for Hess Corporation, speaks to a gathering of employees, area residents and leaders during the grand opening ceremony of a new office complex for its employees.
Gov. John Hoeven, as well as several senior Hess officials, made brief remarks during the ceremony christening the new complex which consolidates nearly all of Hess' western North Dakota employees in one central location.
Hess North Dakota Operations Manager Jeff Wirth said before the ceremony the new facility has 32,000 square feet of office space for the approximately 180 employees who are to work there. A 16,000 square-foot dining space is also inside. Hess contracted with Construction Engineers of Grand Forks for the project.
Wirth said employees are to start moving in on Oct. 27 and it should take about two weeks to get settled.
Wirth said the main area of operations in western North Dakota is in Tioga, so the plan is to have its Williston employees move to the new Tioga office. "We have about 35 employees in Williston. A handful will be relocated to Minot and the remaining 30 will begin commuting to work in Tioga," said Wirth.
Wirth said the Williston employees may start voluntarily commuting to Tioga in early November. They are required to commute by the end of March.
"This is our center of gravity, here in Tioga," said Wirth.
Wirth said plans for the Tioga complex have been ongoing for about a year. He said there were multiple reasons for the consolidation of operations.
One is cost effectiveness and another is to increase the efficiency of the company in the region by having their various departments in one space.
"Our production team, our plant team and our Bakken team will all be in one place," said Wirth.
John Simon, Hess senior vice-president of global production, said the opening of the new office complex is a sign of its investment in the region and a symbol of its position in the Bakken play. He said in the past two years, it's increased its workforce in North Dakota from 150 to nearly 300. The new office allows Hess to keep growing in the state.
"We look forward to continuing our role as a major producer in North Dakota, bringing jobs, energy industry growth and economic development to the state," said Simon.
Hoeven said the large investment in Tioga was a sign of Hess' willingness to invest in the state and he's glad companies such as Hess are trying to build such a relationship.
"This is a big operation and it means a lot to North Dakota and their relationship with the state means a lot to North Dakota," said Hoeven.
Rory Nelson, plant manager for the Tioga Gas Plant, is excited to see the completion of the new facility, meaning there is now more collaboration between plant employees, production team members and the other various departments. He said planning for upcoming work should be more efficient and successful.
Nelson said as the opening approached, he found himself wondering what it must have been like in the 1950s when oil was first found in Tioga.
"I think with the Bakken we're seeing it again, with all the excitement," said Nelson.
Nelson said the new building looks fantastic.
"I'm also looking forward to moving into an office that wasn't built in the 1950s," joked Nelson.
Hess Corporation has nearly 300 employees in North Dakota. The company produces nearly 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, 11,000 of its daily production from the Bakken.
For more information on Hess Corporation, visit www.hess.com.
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