The number of jobs in the Penn Yan community will increase by 150 by the end of March as Data Listing Services, LLC , also known as The Connection, opens its newest call center in the building previously occupied by Iron Age Shoes distribution center at 240 North Ave.
Eventually, the call center will employ 450 full time employees, according to an announcement released Jan. 22 by Empire State Development.
The Connection, in business since 1981, is headquartered in Burnsville, Minn. and operates 24-hour call centers in Holdredge, Neb. Jamestown and Olean in addition to Burnsville.
Agents at call centers operated by The Connection handle customer service calls for wireless and telecommunications companies, internet retailers, catalogs, utilities, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, financial firms, direct response and direct response TV.
The types of jobs that will be open initially in Penn Yan include call center manager, program supervisor, team trainer, team supervisor and quality analyst. For details about these jobs, visit www.the-connection.com/careers/pennyan_jobs.html.
The Connection CEO Fred Weiner said: "We are thrilled to have the
opportunity to expand in Upstate New York. The quality of the workforces in Jamestown and Olean have been superb and we trust that, in Penn Yan, we will be able to replicate those qualities."
The company's decision to open its newest call center in Penn Yan is sweetened by incentives from New York State programs, including up to $485,000 from the Empire Zone program which is fairly new to Yates County, but in peril of coming to a close this year, based on Gov. David Paterson's proposed budget.
The Connection will invest approximately $4.48 million in equipment, training and construction activities to construct this new call center in Penn Yan. To help offset these costs, ESD has earmarked a $1 million grant to the project. Additionally, the Village of Penn Yan-on behalf of the company-will be eligible to apply for $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
The Village of Penn Yan will hold a public hearing at 4 p.m.Tuesday, Jan. 26 regarding the application for the Community Development Block Grants.
Steve Griffin, CEO, Finger Lakes Economic Development Center (FLEDC) said, "We are very excited about The Connection selecting Penn Yan for the location of their next call center. We are appreciative of the support for this project from Gov. Paterson, Empire State Development and the Office of Community Renewal. The creation of these new jobs will have a significant impact on our local economy. We have put in a lot of time working with the company and New York State to make this project happen in Yates County. It has been very encouraging to see the collaborative effort of local and regional workforce development agencies along with the support of local and
State government. The success of this project is further evidence that Yates County and the Finger Lakes region have both the quality and quantity of labor to help companies succeed."
For more information about The Connection, visit www.the-connection.com.
