Week in review
BY Staff Reports
Sunday, July 22, 2012
7/22/12 at 3:30 AM
Call center hiring 100 full-timers in Tulsa
West Corp. says it plans to hire more than 100 full-time customer service representatives at its Tulsa office.
The provider of technology-driven communications services also will be filling several staff and management positions.
A job fair continues from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the company's center at 3810 S. 103rd East Ave.
On-site interviews will be conducted with the potential for qualified applicants to be offered employment at the completion of the interview, West Corp. officials said.
The new positions are a result of expansion by a West Corp. client, they said.
Work shifts are being offered between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Job responsibilities will include responding to customer questions, processing product returns and assisting customers with sales orders.
Omaha, Neb.-based West Corp. already employs 400 people at its Tulsa center, which has been open since 1997.
- LAURIE WINSLOW, World Staff Writer
Fat Guy's opening new location in south Tulsa
One of downtown's favorite restaurants is opening a second location in southeast Tulsa.
Owners of Fat Guy's Burger Bar plan to serve their tasty food at 7945 S. Memorial Drive beginning in September.
"We've always wanted to expand on what we've been doing downtown, and we just thought it would be the perfect time and the perfect place," said manager R.C. Cline, who will also manage the new location.
Fat Guys opened in the Greenwood neighborhood in 2010, across from ONEOK Field. Since then it has become a favorite, known for its flavorful, juicy burgers. The place is usually packed during the weekday lunch hour and on Tulsa Drillers game nights.
That's partially thanks to co-owner and chef Chris Dodge, who jumped into the burger business after learning the culinary art at local restaurants such as En Fuego, Fusion, Grapevine and Oliver's Twist.
- KYLE ARNOLD, World Staff Writer
American Eagle 11th in on-time arrivals for May
U.S. airlines reported on-time arrivals on 83.4 percent of their flights in May, the eighth consecutive month in which the industry improved its on-time arrival performance compared with the same month a year earlier, a federal agency and industry trade group said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said 83.4 percent of U.S. airline flights arrived within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time in May, a 6 percentage point improvement from the same month last year.
The top three airlines for on-time arrivals in May were Hawaiian, with 94.7 percent of flights on time; Alaska, 91.46 percent; and AirTran, 88.04 percent.
American Eagle, the regional airline affiliate of American Airlines, ranked 11th in on-time arrivals in May with 83.08 percent. American Airlines ranked 13th in May with an on-time arrival rate of 80.3 percent.
- D.R. STEWART, World Staff Writer
ONG secures $9.5 million utility bill increase
Oklahoma Natural Gas residential customers will pay nearly $1 more in monthly service charges under a $9.5 million rate increase approved Thursday by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
The three-member commission approved a settlement reached earlier by ONG, business watchdog group Oklahoma Industrial Energy Consumers, the state Attorney General's Office and the Corporation Commission's public utility division staff.
The utility originally asked for a $16.2 million rate increase.
"The agreement attempts to minimize the impact on consumers, yet ensure safe, reliable, affordable service by ONG," Commission Chairman Dana Murphy said in a statement.
"While the settlement results in bringing rates to various customer classes more in line with the actual cost to serve them, it still protects low-income customers, who will experience no rate increase."
The average residential customer will pay an additional 96 cents per month, and small commercial accounts will see an increase of 16 cents. Service charges for large commercial or industrial customers will drop 85 cents per month.
- ROD WALTON, World Staff Writer
