BHP Job Fairs Underway in the Eagle Ford

Eagle Ford Event Registration Line Photo

BHP began holding jobs fairs this past week and still has a few on the schedule. If you're looking for a South Texas oilfield job, BHP is one of the largest operators in the play and plans to hire hundreds in the region. The company plans three job fairs next week:

• April 9th – Oil & Gas Industry Job Fair, (5:30-7:30 pm) BHP Billiton Petroleum Job Fair, Floresville Event Center in Floresville, TX
• April 10th – Oil & Gas Industry Job Fair, (5:30-7:30 pm) BHP Billiton Petroleum Job Fair, Jourdanton Community Center in Jourdanton, TX.
• April 11th – Oil & Gas Industry Job Fair, (5:30-7:30 pm) BHP Billiton Petroleum Job Fair, Solomon P. Ortiz Center in Corpus Christi, TX.

The company employs 1,800 people in the area today and expects to have more than 3,000 employees when its Eagle Ford office opens in 2016.

If you'd like, you can read more about BHP's Eagle Ford History Here.

Texas Builders Are Moving to Rural Eagle Ford Areas

Texas builders are moving from San Antonio and Houston into more rural areas of South Texas where the housing market is much stronger. Major home developments have been built in La Vernia, Floresville, and another is on the way in Kenedy. With the 10,000 plus direct jobs and many more indirect jobs that have been created to date, there will likely be a housing boom for many years in rural areas like Carrizo Springs and Floresville. 

Now more developers and builders from San Antonio and beyond are moving into the sparsely populated Eagle Ford Shale counties to build everything from housing to pipe yards to warehouses.

Pleasanton native Garrett Ruple moved back home from Houston about two years ago when he realized how much work was available in the Eagle Ford Shale. “All of my friends from college are now in Houston, and everybody and their dog was trying to figure out a way to do projects in South Texas,” he said. “I was watching from afar.”

Read the entire news release at fuelfix.com

Job Creation Isn't Slowing in the Eagle Ford

Job creation isn't slowing down. In fact, we really need the number of qualified applicants to increase. Chesapeake hired 34 new employees on the spot at a job fair last week. (There's a job fair today - November 15th - in Floresville from 9:30-3:30) If you are looking for work, you should at least explore the industry. There's not much we don't need in the oilfield. Also, check out our Jobs Page where there are 100s of jobs.

The jobs range from welders to truck drivers to electricians to engineers.

“You name it. Up and down the line, we'll take those people," said Haynes.

Alamo Community Colleges are also playing a big role, customizing training programs to fit the need of the employers.

"We are not having to do a lot of major changes it's more tuning in what we are already providing, " said Dr. Bruce Leslie, chancellor of Alamo Colleges.

"We can offer that person the opportunity to work in this industry to progress in this industry and offer that person not only a comfortable living but a retirement," Haynes said.

Floresville Housing Stretched by the Eagle Ford

Eagle Ford Housing demand from oilfield workers is stretching all the way from San Antonio to smaller surrounding towns like Floresville. Neither town sits atop the Eagle Ford, but industry workers have filled beds and made it hard to find a room. RV parks, and hotels are popping up everywhere. I expect we'll get a home building boom in the near future.

The oil boom in South Texas is starting to stretch north -- to an area without any oil or natural gas.

The town of Floresville, located about 40 miles Southeast of San Antonio -- but North of the Eagle Ford oil and gas field -- is starting to feel effects of the boom.

"We have had an influx of oil workers from the area," said Jesse Perez, Floresville's economic director.

Most of those oil field workers are looking for housing. Perez said a new hotel in town has almost been completed and another one is about to start construction.