BJ Services LLC Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

LAMAR TOWNSHIP – BJ Services LLC, which has a facility at the Lamar Township Business Park, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

BJ officials announced Monday that it filed Chapter 11 petitions in the United State Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. In a BJ Services news release, the company said it intends to sell its assets, and is in active discussions with bidders regarding both the cementing business and portions of the fracturing business. BJ, an oil field services company partially owned by Houston-based Baker Hughes, has between $500 million and $1 billion in debt. The severe downturn in oil prices and reduced industry activity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic were listed as the factors responsible for the failure of the business, according the company officials.

BJ moved into the Lamar Township facility in the summer of 2018 after closing its Clarksburg, W. Va., plant. Previously, the 38-acre site had sat empty for two years after Baker Hughes originally built the facility in 2011 for approximately $40 million. At their peak, both companies had around 200 employees based at the oil field services site.

“We are disappointed to hear the news, but not surprised as the facility has essentially been shut down for more than six months,” said Clinton County Economic Partnership President Mike Flanagan. “If someone does purchase the local facility we will do what we can to assist. It remains a great site with ample office, garage and parking space, as well as several out buildings. The gas industry is a roller coaster, and we certainly have seen that happen here a few times.”