ConocoPhillips donates computers to nonprofit organizations


Just because a computer is no longer of use to ConocoPhillips doesn’t mean it’s no longer of use.


Well aware of this fact, company personnel in Bartlesville have partnered with 501tech, a Tulsa e-waste company, to recondition their decommissioned and scrubbed hardware for use by area nonprofit organizations.

stacks of laptops
ConocoPhillips recently shipped out 300 computers to be repurposed for use by nonprofit agencies in the Bartlesville (Okla.) area.

The refurbished hardware often represents an upgrade for a Bartlesville-based nonprofit, and they can acquire it at little to no cost other than a maintenance agreement with 501tech, whose mission is to provide “eligible nonprofit organizations in Oklahoma with high-quality, donor-subsidized or partner-discounted technology expertise, products and services.”

ConocoPhillips Information Technology (IT) Auditor David Lewis initially heard about 501tech while volunteering on a project to refurbish the computer lab for Bartlesville’s Westside Community Center, a nonprofit organization and a member agency of the Bartlesville Regional United Way. IT services for the community center’s computer lab are provided by 501tech, and Lewis put representatives of their company in touch with individuals from ConocoPhillips.

Through its vendor partnership with 501tech, desktop and laptop computers and their hardware no longer in use by ConocoPhillips Bartlesville operations are scrubbed and hauled away. The equipment is then repurposed and made available to nonprofit partners throughout Oklahoma — including several in the Bartlesville area.

Wayne Smith, supervisor, Bartlesville IT Infrastructure, has been working with 501tech since ConocoPhillips’ vendor partnership with the company began earlier this year.

“We have been able to properly dispose of several pallets worth of e-waste through this partnership,” said Smith. “It’s nice to know we can help out area nonprofits in the process.

“We recently shipped out more than 300 computers — a mixture of desktops and laptops — that were no longer going to be utilized by us due to a computer refresh project. But they still have some life and should be put to good use.”

Prior to its partnership with ConocoPhillips, 501tech’s inventory was starting to run low.

“Our nonprofit organizations in Bartlesville have a lot of needs,” says Lewis. “And good computer hardware and software is one of those areas. This partnership makes it easier for us to lend a hand.”