re: Rumor Shell is closing down its New Orleans operations

I hear you, but keep in mind IOCs love to do amazing things for their employees, like move them into cubes to "foster collaboration" and definitely not because it allows them to cut down on their real estate footprint. /s

I'll put it this way. There is someone out there whose yearly performance is based, in part, on Shell's real estate expenditures. Sure his expenditures are tiny compared to the outlay on a capital project, but within his world OSS is a big expense. When that person's boss comes to their and asks them to show year-on-year improvement in real estate expense, cutting OSS looks like a great choice.

Ultimately whatever it may cost the company in experience, happiness, and social gratitude in the NOLA area don't actually directly impact that person's budget. Removing an office certainly will move the needle, which is important for that person to justify keeping their own job.

I'm not saying it certainly will happen, but RDS has taken plenty of steps recently to minimize their real estate expenditures (Denver downsized, Pittsburgh gone, cubicles everywhere). OSS sticks out like a sore thumb in a footprint that is rapidly becoming more Houston-centric. Oh and additionally, RDS just built three new buildings in the energy corridor, renovated two more out there, and bought all of their campus out there (which used to be owned by a bank). Now build a case they don't want to move everyone to that campus.

I don't have any specific knowledge of this, but the writing is on the wall for what RDS wants. Don't be surprised if OSP is on the cutting board before our lives are over (in favor of their energy corridor campus).