Hyperion already drawing job seekers
Dozens are dropping off resumes daily, official says
By Dave Dreeszenand Michele Linck
Journal staff writers | Posted: Saturday, March 08, 2008
ELK POINT, S.D. -- It's far from a done deal. And years away from opening. But some local residents already are lining up to work at a proposed oil refinery and power plant in rural Union County.
"Lots of people are looking for jobs and leaving resumes,'' said Ross Buttermore, a full-time staffer at Hyperion's newly-opened office in downtown Elk Point.
Though the $10 billion project still must clear a myriad of zoning and regulatory hurdles, Buttermore said it's not at all too early to ask about positions.
"If this thing is a go, we'll staff up fast," he told the Journal this week. "We think we can have all the approvals and start moving dirt by the end of 2009 or early 2010."
With a construction period of three years or more, and as many as 10,000 workers on site at any one time, there could be lots of payroll and other personnel and accounting records to be managed, he said. Thirty to 40 percent of those jobs would be in the office.
As the project moves forward, the construction would be managed from a different office, closer to the refinery site, about seven miles northeast of Elk Point.
Once the 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery is up and running, it's expected to create more than 1,800 permanent jobs -- at wages averaging $20 to $30 an hour.
Since the Elk Point office opened earlier this month, as many as 10 to 15 people per day have stopped by to ask about jobs or other information about the project, Buttermore said.
No application forms are available, but resumes dropped off are kept on file.
The list of interested workers has varied, from welders and concrete workers to former Gateway employees looking for information technology jobs, he said. One couple from nearby Yankton, S.D., asked about possible employment for their two sons, both engineers.
The South Dakota Career Center offices in Vermillion and North Sioux City also have fielded questions from a number of local residents interested in working at the refinery, office manager Dan Hart said. They're advised to wait until Hyperion makes a final decision on a site, and formally begins the hiring process.
"Basically what I tell them is, 'I'm sure we'll be working with (Hyperion) when they are ready, so keep your eyes out,'' Hart said.
"Lots of people are looking for jobs and leaving resumes,'' said Ross Buttermore, a full-time staffer at Hyperion's newly-opened office in downtown Elk Point.
Though the $10 billion project still must clear a myriad of zoning and regulatory hurdles, Buttermore said it's not at all too early to ask about positions.
"If this thing is a go, we'll staff up fast," he told the Journal this week. "We think we can have all the approvals and start moving dirt by the end of 2009 or early 2010."
With a construction period of three years or more, and as many as 10,000 workers on site at any one time, there could be lots of payroll and other personnel and accounting records to be managed, he said. Thirty to 40 percent of those jobs would be in the office.
As the project moves forward, the construction would be managed from a different office, closer to the refinery site, about seven miles northeast of Elk Point.
Once the 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery is up and running, it's expected to create more than 1,800 permanent jobs -- at wages averaging $20 to $30 an hour.
Since the Elk Point office opened earlier this month, as many as 10 to 15 people per day have stopped by to ask about jobs or other information about the project, Buttermore said.
No application forms are available, but resumes dropped off are kept on file.
The list of interested workers has varied, from welders and concrete workers to former Gateway employees looking for information technology jobs, he said. One couple from nearby Yankton, S.D., asked about possible employment for their two sons, both engineers.
The South Dakota Career Center offices in Vermillion and North Sioux City also have fielded questions from a number of local residents interested in working at the refinery, office manager Dan Hart said. They're advised to wait until Hyperion makes a final decision on a site, and formally begins the hiring process.
"Basically what I tell them is, 'I'm sure we'll be working with (Hyperion) when they are ready, so keep your eyes out,'' Hart said.
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SMART. wrote on Mar 14, 2008 2:42 AM:
! wrote on Mar 8, 2008 6:49 PM:
informer wrote on Mar 8, 2008 1:15 PM:
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living here wrote on Mar 8, 2008 12:56 PM: