History Of The
Marland Oil Company
Marland quickly built a small refinery to process the
crude, and incorporated the Marland Oil Company to market the refined
output. Built in 1918, the Marland Oil Refinery in Ponca City was
considered one of the outstanding economic achievements in the Oklahoma
oil industry. Labor requirements at the refinery caused the population
of Ponca City to triple in only a few months.
Marland created an atmosphere of opportunity, loyalty and comfortable
living at the Marland Oil Company. He was “E.W.” to all employees,
not “the boss” or an aloof chief executive of a great oil corporation.
Employee benefits offered at Marland Oil were at least 25 years
ahead of their time:
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Free medical and dental care.
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Bonuses for discoveries, premiums for improvements, and easy stock
purchases.
In addition he bought a bank, and then lent money to his employees at 6%,
so they could all afford to purchase a home. Then he built over
1000 homes. (The standard rates at other local banks were 8 -
10%.)
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NOTE:
This site is provided by the Ponca City Publishing