During the early 1980s, Mike Jordan was working for an oil and gas pipeline company when he decided he wanted to venture off on his own. In 1985 he started the Mike Jordan Company and fulfilled the dream of owning his own business. Today the Mike Jordan Company has its headquarters in Fort Smith along with satellite offices in El Reno, Oklahoma and Houston Texas. Margi Clements was kind enough to fill me in on the day to day operations of this company.
It's been nearly 30 years since the Mike Jordan Company was formed, and they have endured many peaks and valleys with the oil and gas market. The oil and gas industry is currently managing what has become a lengthy market slump. There have been many casualties in the industry, but the Mike Jordan Company has learned to sustain over time.
The Fort Smith headquarters has 12 employees, including the owner Mike Jordan. The company employs 80 people between its Fort Smith, El Reno, and Houston offices. The Fort Smith office manages all of the company's book keeping, logistics, accounts payable and receivable, and pipe sales.
The Mike Jordan Company sells oil and natural gas pipeline all across the United States from Wyoming to Georgia. They also sell pipe internationally to drilling companies located in Scotland and China. The broad sales area requires great attention to detail when it comes to logistics, but the broad area also ensures sales when the market is struggling.
The Mike Jordan Company sells steel pipe. The piping used for extracting the material consists of a small pipe inside of a larger pipe. They use a colored coupling to connect the pipes. The color band on the coupling signifies the amount of pressure that can forced through the pipe. Drilling companies use geologists to determine the pressure of a drilling site. The drilling companies then place an order for the appropriate pipe. Mike Jordan Company then pressure tests the seal with water at their El Reno and Houston sites before sending it to the drilling location.
The Mike Jordan Company is well prepared for negative shifts in the oil and gas market. Most pipe companies struggle to stay in business during down market trends, because they make the mistake of tying their assets into inventory. The Mike Jordan Company counters this tendency by investing in recycled pipe which is more economical for drilling companies.
The Mike Jordan Company has been around for a relatively short time, but they have managed to grow and thrive regardless of the environment of the industry. The market is slowly trending in a positive direction, so a less volatile period could be soon approaching.