The Crude Life

Segment 3:  The Crude Life with Jason Spiess:  The Blue Ribbon Band  

The Blue Ribbon Band has been performing at saloons, community events and other venues across the oil patch, including performing as live entertainment during the Mixed Martial Arts .

The members of Blue Ribbon Band that were interviewed for the segment were Jason Luithle, Ross Myran and Bryan Lange.  All are natives of western North Dakota.

Luithle, was born and raised in Richardton.  He said after he was married, he and his wife moved to Dickinson “til the Fall of 08′.”  Luithle commented on the increase activity in around Dickinson, ND.  Luithle also added that the oil activity doesn’t impact his day to day life as he farms and ranches far enough away from the action.

Lange, a Dickinson native, has worked in the oil and gas industry for the about a decade.  The one thing that has impacted Lange the most in the increased traffic.  Growing up in western North Dakota, Lange said the drive from Dickinson to Watford City used to be desolate and now it is a regular thing to see trucks and accidents.  Lange said the other change he has noticed over the past five to ten years is an increase of general greed.

When asked if he had any oil patch “myth busters” or “facts,”  Lange said the myth is that you can come to the oil patch and live a dream.  He said if you come you will work hard just like anywhere else.  He said you might get paid more, but things cost more.

Myran was born and raised in Taylor.  He said people underestimate the amount of entertainment and night life available in the oil patch.  Also that some industries are doing well, but there are some others being strained right now.

Myran said the oil patch “certainly hasn’t hurt” the attendance at events and bar owners seem more apt to hire a band these days.

Segment 3:  Bakken Profiles

Kevin Holten, Editor of The Drill, spoke about the purpose of the publication and since it is monthly, he tries to “bring that behinds the scenes, a little more in-depth.”  Holten said the publication has about 15-20 writers producing original columns and stories and has statewide distribution, bleeding into the eastern side of Montana.

Holten believes there is a great deal of interest in the Bakken and Western North Dakota.  He said after stories have their initial run in The Drill, many of the stories will be picked up by newspapers within Forum Communications and even other media outlets.

To visit see a PDF of publication The Drill, click here, or visit their website at www.bakkentoday.com

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Segment 2:  Bakken Feature:  Housing Part Two

Brooklyn native Joe Diamico moved to the western North Dakota ten years to get away from all the people and the activity.  He said the way the people keep coming in to the state, he may have to relocate.

Diamico compared housing prices of the oil patch with what his family is paying in New York.  He said his cousin rents a 2-bedroom apartment in Long Island for $1300 a month compared to $1800 to $2000 he and his friends pay out in the patch.

When asked what does he love or enjoy about North Dakota living, Diamico said the people are “certainly more friendly, that’s for sure.  It’s not so much high pace go-go-go, it more laid back.”

Nancy Hodur, NDSU, interviewed by Jason Spiess at the Bakken Investors Summit. Photo by Kevin Tobosa.

Dr. Nancy Hodur, assistant research scientist has been collecting and examining data on how the oil and gas industry has been impacting the North Dakota’s economy, employment, population and housing for they past two years.

Hodur said the oil and gas industry has some unique workers, in terms to traditional models.  The oil and gas industry has workers that will work in one place and live in another.  Traditional models will not count these people.

Hodur said that is for a variety of reasons right now in the Bakken, but even if those issues were fixed, there are still transient workers like welders and others who “follow the pipe.”

Hodur said a new population metric had to be created and broken into several categories.  She said Service Population are normal residents who are working, voting and using the schools of the community.  Temporary Population are shift workers or live elsewhere and work in ND.

The study was conducted for the city of Dickinson and Williston.  In addition to using Census data, building permits and other recorded information, Hodur said their staff worked with local officials and leaders to find out “how many you have living behind the shop at the diesel garage, how many peole in crew camps,how many people living in RVs,  hotels, all that non traditional housing.”

The study then added the future projections.  She said the process is relatively simple in principal, but the work is in the gathering the details from multiple sources and locations.  Hodur continued by saying ” but at the end of the day you’ve got a very reliable estimate of how many noses are on the ground within a jurisdiction.”

Hodur believes the information is necessary for professionals looking into the Bakken and is good data for a dynamic situation.

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Interviews:  Jeff Zarling, Nancy Hodur, Joe Diamico,  Kevin Holten, Dean Bangsund, Jason Luithle, Ross Myran and Bryan Lange

Jeff Zarling, DAWA Solutions, being interviewed by Building the Bakken host Jason Spiess. Photo by Kevin Tobosa.

Building the Bakken Radio Episode 3 Segment 1: Bakken Housing

High rents, lack of rooms, harsh winters, regulations, crew camps and other factors funnel into the housing industry in the Bakken.

Williston resident and DAWA president Jeff Zarling said he lives the oil activity every day.  His kids go to school with the kids of the people so he relies on “ear to the ground information.”   Zarling talked about how he has been hosting Bakken conferences and speaking across the country.

Zarling said his firm knew a year ago the hotel market was softening and investors would become upset with him over the claim due to the high hotel occupancy.   Zarling adding the same companies who are occupying the hotels were taking out building permits and constructing their own lodging.  Zarling said the movement of companies using hotels as apartments is ending or in some cases has already ended.

Zarling said one of the biggest business myths in Williston right now is that the housing market is starting to soften.  Zarling said there is a healthy housing market there in certain sectors.  He said there is a market for town homes and condos and other service sector housing.

Williston has an aging population who will need affordable housing over the next five to ten years.  The lack of affordable housing options has created a situation where transient workers are hesitant to make a long term financial commitment to North Dakota by purchasing a high risk home.

Zarling said some developers are starting to find it difficult to move single family homes because the house is in a neighborhood that is surrounded by homes filled with oil patch workers.   He said, “they are not in neighborhoods, they are in crew camps in an R1 zone.  Some developers are finding it difficult to market product because neighborhoods look like “frat houses in an R1, the only difference is that instead of Greek symbols on the wall you have company logos on the trucks.”

Zarling said when a neighborhood becomes inundated with oil patch workers, developers have trouble even selling a lot because of bad public relations.  Zarling said development names get changed to “derogatory” ones that are named after the company housed there – for example instead of Harvest Hills, it’s ABC Hills.

Zarling said this is a “short term vs. long term” deal and cited the hotel industry as an example.  The successes they have seen due to the housing issues is deceptive because now that traditional housing is coming online the hotel industry is now around 60-70 % in some areas are are seeing a vacuum, now having to build back that occupancy.

The post Building the Bakken Radio Episode 3: Housing in the Bakken appeared first on The Crude Life.

Jeff Zarling, DAWA Solutions, being interviewed by Building the Bakken host Jason Spiess. Photo by Kevin Tobosa.

Building the Bakken Radio Show recap 8.3.2013

Guests Interviewed:  Jeff Zarling, Nancy Hodur, Joe Diamico,  Kevin Holten, Dean Bangsund, Jason Luithle, Ross Myran and Bryan Lange

Segment 1:  Bakken Feature Part One:  Housing in the Bakken

High rents, lack of rooms, harsh winters, regulations, crew camps and other factors funnel into the housing industry in the Bakken.

Williston resident and DAWA president Jeff Zarling said he lives the oil activity every day.  His kids go to school with the kids of the people so he relies on “ear to the ground information.”   Zarling talked about how he has been hosting Bakken conferences and speaking across the country.

Zarling said his firm knew a year ago the hotel market was softening and investors would become upset with him over the claim due to the high hotel occupancy.   Zarling adding the same companies who are occupying the hotels were taking out building permits and constructing their own lodging.  Zarling said the movement of companies using hotels as apartments is ending or in some cases has already ended.

Zarling said one of the biggest business myths in Williston right now is that the housing market is starting to soften.  Zarling said there is a healthy housing market there in certain sectors.  He said there is a market for town homes and condos and other service sector housing.

Williston has an aging population who will need affordable housing over the next five to ten years.  The lack of affordable housing options has created a situation where transient workers are hesitant to make a long term financial commitment to North Dakota by purchasing a high risk home.

Zarling said some developers are starting to find it difficult to move single family homes because the house is in a neighborhood that is surrounded by homes filled with oil patch workers.   He said, “they are not in neighborhoods, they are in crew camps in an R1 zone.  Some developers are finding it difficult to market product because neighborhoods look like “frat houses in an R1, the only difference is that instead of Greek symbols on the wall you have company logos on the trucks.”

Zarling said when a neighborhood becomes inundated with oil patch workers, developers have trouble even selling a lot because of bad public relations.  Zarling said development names get changed to “derogatory” ones that are named after the company housed there – for example instead of Harvest Hills, it’s ABC Hills.

Zarling said this is a “short term vs. long term” deal and cited the hotel industry as an example.  The successes they have seen due to the housing issues is deceptive because now that traditional housing is coming online the hotel industry is now around 60-70 % in some areas are are seeing a vacuum, now having to build back that occupancy.

The post Building the Bakken Radio Episode 3 Segment 1 appeared first on The Crude Life.

John Gibson, CEO, ONEOK and Chairman of the Board ONEOK Partners. Photo by Jason Spiess

Mr. Gibson is Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ONEOK, Inc. and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ONEOK Partners GP, L.L.C., the general partner of ONEOK Partners, L.P. He served as our Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Executive Officer of ONEOK Partners GP, L.L.C. from 2007 through 2009.

He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ONEOK Partners GP, L.L.C. since October 2007. From 2005 until May 2006, he was President of ONEOK Energy Companies, which included our gathering and processing, natural gas liquids, pipelines, and storage and energy services business segments, some of which were acquired by us in April 2006. Prior to that, he was our President, Energy, from May 2000 to 2005.

Mr. Gibson joined ONEOK, Inc. in May 2000 from Koch Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of Koch Industries, where he was an Executive Vice President. His career in the energy industry began in 1974 as a refinery engineer with Exxon USA. He spent 18 years with Phillips Petroleum Company in a variety of domestic and international positions in its natural gas, natural gas liquids and exploration and production businesses, including Vice President of Marketing of its natural gas subsidiary GPM Gas Corp.

He holds an engineering degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly known as University of Missouri at Rolla. Mr. Gibson also serves on the Board of Directors of BOK Financial Corporation.

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Segment 4

Role of a Regulator. Interviews with ND Rep Ben Hanson and ND Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann

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Segment 3

One on One with GTUIT founder and CEO Brian CeBull. (Billings, MT)

The post Building the Bakken Radio Episode 27 Segment 3 appeared first on The Crude Life.

Nate Moody, Dickinson (ND) native, interviewed by Jason Spiess at the Bison Sports Arena. Photo by Jason Spiess

Segment 2

NDSU’s Boys of the Bakken.  Interviews with Landon Lechler (Beach, ND) and Nate Moody (Dickinson)

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US Congressman Kevin Cramer

Segment 1

BLM Legislation update.  Interview with US Congressman Kevin Cramer

Music Montage:  Tom Peckskamp “Broadway”

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Interview: US Congressman Kevin Cramer

US Congressman Kevin Cramer. Photo by Jason Spiess

Building the Bakken Radio Episode 27 Segment : Bakken Government

BLM Legislation update.

Music Montage:  Tom Peckskamp “Broadway”

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