HOUSTON – There is a colorful tilted “E” that is generating a lot of double-takes off the Southwest Freeway.
“It’s a very recognizable logo and trademark,” said Sherron Watkins.
Watkins has deep history with the company the “E” represents, Enron.
“For the last 20 years I have been speaking around the globe as the Enron Whistleblower,” said Watkins via Zoom Monday afternoon.
Who can forget the lives ruined by Enron located in downtown Houston over 20 years ago? From one moment to the next, there were 20,000 people thrown to the streets. without a severance or hard-earned pensions. It remains one of the greatest bankruptcies in U.S. history, KPRC 2 covered the scandal for years.
Now more than two decades after the crash, a sudden resurgence with a new CEO proclaiming on video, “Buckle up, it’s going to be the ride of a lifetime.”
The new Enron by all accounts appears to be a parody, but it’s not a “joke” according to a company spokesperson (Yes, they have a spokesperson).
The website for the new Enron has images of its executive leadership, splashy videos, and a clear message that they are now working to help solve the global energy crisis. The highly produced site and videos do not provide many details but does reference the date of January 6, 2025, for an energy summit.
The new billboards and site has caught the eye of Watkins who says there is a benefit parody or not.
“It helps to bring to everyone’s attention how these things happen and to be aware of the warning signs so that it doesn’t happen again,” said the former Enron employee.
However, there are questions about the past coming back to life with all the destruction Enron caused to Houstonians and others.
The sudden resurgence of Enron is reportedly reopening deep wounds for former employees but not in the case of Watkins. The now nearly retired whistleblower says that she and former colleagues, who have seen the new Enron signs and stories, are more amused than disturbed.
“They’re mainly laughing. It does sit so well with sort of the remnant of Enron that some young people would be very entrepreneurial and rebrand and relaunch, tongue in cheek, so mainly they’re amused by it.”
We, of course, will follow the developments of this new Enron leading up to its early January summit.
