Commissioner Porter Announces Natural Gas Summit Hits Participation Milestone: October 23 Expo and Career Fair Will Bring Industry, Job Seekers Together

AUSTIN – Commissioner David Porter of the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) announced today that the Texas Natural Gas Summit in Austin has had to expand the number of participating companies due to demand, after exceeding the number of anticipated exhibitors earlier this month. Company representatives will showcase products and search for qualified workers at the dual expo and job fair.

“It is an incredible feat to hit the mark so early, but as the industry is eager to fill jobs, we are happy to help bring them as many qualified workers as we can find,” Porter said. “These companies need to fill every job imaginable, from engineers, to accountants, to mechanics and drivers.”

The number of Texans working in the oil and gas industry reached an all-time high this year, according to numbers recently released by the Texas Workforce Commission.  In June, a record-breaking 297,800 Texans appeared on oil and gas industry payrolls, a 6.2 percent increase from June 2013. These figures do not include contract workers, which would bring total employment to 302,700, according to economist Karr Ingham, who maintains the Texas Petro Index maintained for the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. 

“The jobs featured at the Summit are crucial. The industry expects both domestic and export markets to grow, which will likely maintain demand for workers down the road for some time,” said Porter, whose first year Natural Gas Initiative — aimed at expanding natural gas markets in Texas — culminates with the event. “This year gave us unprecedented growth in the number of natural gas vehicles, fuel sales, fueling stations and jobs created. I look forward to building on this record in 2015 and beyond.”

Commissioner Porter is coordinating the Texas Natural Gas Summit on October 23 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin. The Summit will connect job seekers with more than 60 companies across Texas. Attendees can discuss job opportunities with the companies’ human resource professionals and learn more about natural gas technology. The Summit is free and open to the public.  For information on the jobs available, go to www.rrc.state.tx.us and search Summit.

Jobs that companies are looking to fill include: welders; accountants and finance professionals; drilling, petroleum, reservoir, production, mechanical, pipeline and process engineers; mechanics; truck drivers; sales and marketing professionals; construction workers, rig hands and field service technicians, and more.

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David J. Porter was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission on November 2, 2010. A Certified Public Accountant and successful small business owner, Commissioner Porter has worked with oil and gas producers for nearly three decades providing strategic financial advice and tax counsel. He has a long record of pro-business, free market, conservative credentials.