Citgo To Relocate Jobs From Tulsa To Houston

Thursday, May 25th 2006, 11:01 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Citgo Petroleum Corp. announced Thursday that it will relocate 350 jobs from Tulsa to other locations, leaving about 45 positions in a city where it once employed more than 1,000 people.

The company, a subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, announced in 2004 that it would move its headquarters and 700 jobs from Tulsa to be closer to its customers and assets in Houston. Company officials said the decision to move the additional jobs was based on careful review.

"This relocation is part of our continuous efforts to review and optimize our operations and will ultimately lead to a stronger, more efficient corporation," said Felix Rodriquez, Citgo's president and chief executive officer.

He said the jobs will be moved to a combination of existing Citgo facilities in Houston, additional leased spaces in the oil industry hub or field locations.

Citgo is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, and asphalt, among other industrial products. It was based in Tulsa for more than two decades.

The latest moves are expected to occur in the summer of 2007. The company's existing lease on its main Tulsa office expires in March 2008, Rodriquez said.