Daily Archives: Sept. 8, 2008

The quotable T. Boone Pickens

Sept. 8, 20087:28 p.m.

As I wrote earlier today, I am at a business editors and writers conference in Kansas City. T. Boone Pickens talked about his energy plan during an afternoon session.

I’m not going to go into his plan in depth. You’ve probably read about it already. If not, you can get details at the Pickens Plan Web site. You also can watch a video from his visit to The Eagle.

In my earlier post, I asked if anyone had questions for me to ask Pickens. Unfortunately, he took only about three questions before running out of time, and I didn’t get a chance. However, I think he did answer BTH’s question:

BTH: Ask him to compare the technical difficulty of his plan compared to putting man on the moon with early 60s technology. Note that we succeeded in realizing JFK’s dream.

Pickens: “This is a simple problem. When I walk up to a pool table, I never see a combination shot. I only see straight-in shots. This to me is a straight-in shot.”

That about sums it up. Here are some more lines from quotable Pickens:

The moderator asked him why he rolled out the plan now. “A guy recently said the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

He said corn-based ethanol will never be much more of a factor than it is now. “Ethanol is an ugly baby, but it’s ours. I’d rather have ethanol than foreign oil.”

On why he feels so strongly about natural gas: “Natural gas is cleaner, it’s cheaper, it’s abundant, and it’s ours.”

When talking about how the United States is trailing other countries in developing wind energy: “Germans are the most highly developed for wind, and they don’t have any wind.”

And on why his plan is the right plan: “If you don’t like my plan, get a plan. … I’ll go for a better plan. Thing about it is, I have the only plan.”

Anyone have any thoughts on the Pickens Plan?

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Rising unemployment into next year

Sept. 8, 200812:39 p.m.

The Conference Board reports today that its index of future employment in the US continues to fall, suggesting rising unemployment well into 2009.

The only not-so-dim spot is that Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana are doing better than the nation, presumably because of the oil economy. The Conference Board doesn’t say it, but that extends to Kansas as well, with its strong oil, ag and aircraft sectors.

By Dan Voorhis | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments | Share this post

No new Big Dog plant anytime soon

Sept. 8, 200812:13 p.m.

Back in 2005, Sheldon Coleman bought 106 acres at the K-96 and Greenwich Road interchange as a site for a future Big Dog Motorcycles plant if the company’s dramatic growth continued. Of course, that turned out to be Big Dog’s high point and the company has shrunk considerably since then.

On Friday, Coleman confirmed that he no longer plans to put a Big Dog factory out there, but was coy about what he would do with the land: “I’m pursuing other options.”

As to Big Dog, the company now has more capacity at its E. Douglas plant as its production slows. He said they continue to make it more efficient as well. I’m guessing it will be a long time before Big Dog leaves that location.

By Dan Voorhis | Filed under Development, Real estate | Comments Off | Share this post

GMAC call center is safe

Sept. 8, 200812:03 p.m.

The call center run by GMAC’s Semperian subsidiary in the old Pizza Hut HQ aka the Ruffin Building (9111 E. Douglas) is unaffected by GMAC’s closing all of its retail offices around the country, according to a company spokesman. The call center handles car and truck loans rather than mortgage loans.

Building owner Ruffin Cos. said it had heard some months ago that the call center could expand. I’m checking on whether that’s true.

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Trend: Large companies are auditing their covered employees

Sept. 8, 200811:38 a.m.

Forbes magazine in its Sept. 15 issue describes an interesting new trend among large employers: auditing employees and their dependents who are enjoying health benefits through the company.

Employers are looking for people who are claiming benefits to which they may not be entitled. General Motors said by the end of the year, some 12,000 people could be dropped from its health plan, saving the company around $100 million a year. Forbes writes:

It’s hardball time. Checking health plan eligibility is a good way to pinch pennies, since the stakes are large. Often employers find themselves footing health care costs for employees’ ex-spouses and adult children who aren’t in school.

The story notes AT&T also will save $40 million this year by dropping 10,000 people who don’t qualify for the coverage they’ve been receiving. Chrysler saved an estimated $50 million in paid benefits from employees who defrauded its health care plan in recent years. And America Airlines finished an audit in 2006 that resulted in almost 10,000 ineligible people losing their coverage.

A sound business move or does this prying do more damage than it’s worth? A tough one: Millions in savings vs. disgruntled employees.

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Ask T. Boone Pickens

Sept. 8, 20089:51 a.m.

I’m in Kansas City at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers fall workshop. There are some great speakers lined up here. Today’s events include a training session about the ag economy, an address from Ford vice president Joe Hinrichs and a discussion about the biofuel debade.

The session I’m looking most forward to is entitled: “A conversation with T. Boone Pickens: Will his plan work?”

We will be given the opportunity to ask questions during the session. So what do you want to know? If I get a chance to ask, I’ll publish the response here.

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