Central Oregon may be the right number when it comes
to call centers if the recently announced expansions of the regional industry
is an indication.
In late May, Ibex Global announced it would be adding an
estimated 450 employees during the summer, which would push its total work
force to about 850.
The company, formerly known as iSky, reports it has more
than 9,000 employees in 18 states. Over the years its clients have included
automakers BMW and Honda, as well was American Express, and Owens Corning.
Based in facilities above the Old Mill District off
Wilson Avenue, the company initially began operations as iSky in 2000.
Also expanding in the area is Consumer Cellular, which
plans to expand its Redmond-based work force in the former T-Mobile call center
to 600 with the announced addition of 200 employees.
The hiring represents a rebound from the recession years
beginning in 2008 when T-Mobile reported laid off 350 employees in 2012, more
than half of the estimated 650 call center jobs lost in a four-year period that
began in 2008.
The announcement of call center expansions comes close to
a report by a Facebook consultant that the social media giant accounted for
nearly $575 million in contributions to the Oregon economy, including 3,600
jobs from 2009 to 2013.
Facebook was enticed to Prineville with tax incentives
and the availability of lower energy costs to operate the power-hungry data
centers.
Included in the statistics was an estimated $292 million
to construct two 330,000 square foot plus Prineville data centers and another
64,000 square foot storage center to archive data for nearly 1.3 billion active
users.
The Prineville construction generated about 1,500 jobs,
the report concluded, and the company’s continuing operations in 2013 added
another 207 jobs that resulted in a $45 million boost to the regional economy.
Also scheduled to come online is a Prineville data center
for Apple Inc.
