Enron, two years after

It was two years ago today that Enron officially imploded, and the good news is that its former employees seem to be mostly back on their feet.

Two years ago today it all came crashing down at Enron Corp.

Two years and one week ago Brandon Rigney saw bankruptcy coming, so he quit his job as Enron's Web master.

Rather than look for work right away, he began building an online bulletin board to help the 4,500 people who would soon be jobless.

Rigney's Web site, 1400smith.com, named for the address of the company's headquarters, became an invaluable tool for the ex-Enron community and those still there, a way to network and stay in touch.

Last Thursday, 1400smith.com vanished from the Internet, because Rigney did not renew his Web hosting license. The site was barely being used anymore, he explained, and he felt it was time to move on.

The bad news is that (anecdotally, at least) many of them regained their footing elsewhere.

Two years ago, when so many lost their jobs simultaneously, finding something new in Houston was extremely tough.

Rigney, the former host of 1400smith.com, believes a great number of people left Houston, and many went back to school to earn additional degrees.

"Of those that stayed in Houston, I think they initially had big problems finding work," he said.

If the job market has improved in Houston, it sure isn't apparent to me. I know too many unemployed people for that.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 02, 2003 to Enronarama | TrackBack