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FORT WORTH, TEXAS, MARCH 31, 2008 - Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK)
announced today that it has agreed to purchase the Pier 1 Imports building located
in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The property has 460,000 square feet of office
space and occupies 14.7 acres of prime real estate near the banks of the Trinity
River. Chesapeake purchased the building to accommodate further growth of its
Barnett Shale district headquarters and its North Texas employees. Chesapeake's
Barnett Shale headquarters staff work in various departments, including corporate
development, public affairs, community relations, marketing communications,
legal, land, leasing, field management, permitting, pipeline, production, human
resources, information technology and geographical information systems.
Julie H. Wilson, Chesapeake's Vice President of Corporate Development, commented,
"The purchase of this architecturally significant building in downtown Fort
Worth clearly demonstrates Chesapeake's commitment to a very long-term presence
in the Barnett Shale play. This building will allow us to provide much needed
office space to support our rapidly growing Barnett Shale activities and will
give our employees the space, amenities and resources they need to perform their
jobs at the highest level."
Chesapeake is the largest independent producer of natural gas in the U.S. and
is the nation's most active driller of new wells. In the Barnett Shale, the
company remains the most active driller and the largest leasehold owner in Tarrant,
Johnson and Dallas counties. Chesapeake operates approximately 800 Barnett Shale
wells and the company is currently producing approximately 450 million cubic
feet of net natural gas equivalent per day, which represents approximately 20%
of the company's total production.
Recently recognized by Forbes magazine as the "Best-Managed Energy Company"
and by Fortune magazine as one of the "Best 100 Companies to Work For" in the
U.S., Chesapeake continues to invest in its human capital by providing exceptional
work environments for its employees. Chesapeake employs more than 5,000 people
directly and indirectly in the Fort Worth area, with additional hiring anticipated
throughout the area in the future. The company's Barnett Shale field offices
are located at the DFW Airport and in Joshua, Cleburne and East Fort Worth,
with further additional support offices planned elsewhere in Tarrant County,
Texas.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE:PIR) has occupied the building since its original
construction in 2004, and will continue to maintain its headquarters facility
on approximately 10 floors of the building under a separate lease agreement
with Chesapeake.
"We are delighted to make this landmark building home of our new Barnett Shale
district headquarters," Wilson continued. "Our local team is honored to play
such a significant role in the production of natural gas and its positive impact
on the North Texas economy. Although based in Oklahoma City, Chesapeake has
enjoyed a strong Texas presence since 1990 when we first began drilling wells
in the state. Since that time, the company has invested over $15 billion in
Texas, creating employment opportunities for thousands of Texans here in the
Metroplex and elsewhere in the state. We will be proud to own this distinctive
landmark on the Fort Worth skyline to celebrate our further commitment to Texas."
The award-winning building was created by the noted design firm of Duda Paine
Architects, LLP, of Durham, North Carolina, who also designed buildings for
the Albert Eye Research Institute at Duke University; Frost Bank Tower in Austin,
Texas; Time Warner Cable in Charlotte, North Carolina; and many other architecturally
significant structures throughout North America. The 20-story facility was completed
in 2004 and is constructed of glass and gray granite, with the base, top and
shoulders of the building internally illuminated. The structure includes a stellar
view of the Trinity River and downtown Fort Worth and offers many employee amenities,
including conference and training facilities, an IT center, terrace level, employee
cafeteria, convenience store, fitness facilities, open green space, walking
trails and a parking garage with over 1,000 parking spaces.
Chesapeake will finalize its relocation plans after the anticipated transaction
closing on June 1, 2008, and will continue to occupy current space in the D.R.
Horton Tower until that time. Todd Burnette and David Walters of The Staubach
Company assisted both companies with the purchase and sale negotiations. Terms
of the transaction were not disclosed.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the largest independent
producer and third-largest overall producer of natural gas in the United States.
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company's operations are focused on exploratory
and developmental drilling and corporate and property acquisitions in the Mid-Continent,
Barnett Shale, Fayetteville Shale, Haynesville Shale, Permian Basin, Delaware
Basin, South Texas, Texas Gulf Coast, Ark-La-Tex and Appalachian Basin regions
of the United States. The company's Internet address is www.chkenergy.com.