Limestone may get customer service firm

LIMESTONE — The worldwide leader in telephone-based customer services and sales, SITEL Corp. of Omaha, Neb., is seriously considering opening a call center at Loring Commerce Centre, SITEL and LCC officials confirmed Friday.

“That is the company,” said Brian Hamel, president of the Loring Development Authority of Maine.

Hamel and Dan Drain, director of facilities for SITEL, both said Friday the giant call-center company is considering moving to Loring. SITEL, one of the fastest-growing teleservice companies in the world, has more than 16,000 employees in more than 60 call centers throughout North America, Europe and in the Pacific region.

More than 350 people could find employment at the Loring facility, officials have said.

Officials hope an announcement can be made by mid-November.

In a telephone interview from Omaha, Drain said Loring is one of about six sites being examined.

“It’s got potential,” Drain said. “We haven’t decided yet.”

Discussions between SITEL and Hamel began in June, and Drain visited the former Air Force base for the first time in July, Hamel said. Subsequent visits by various SITEL personnel to Loring occurred in August and September.

During the August tour, Hamel was seen showing SITEL representatives around the former base commissary and exchange, two of the newest buildings on the base. The commissary was built in 1986 at a cost of $7 million, and the base exchange underwent a $2.7 million renovation in 1985.

“I think they’re pretty pleased with what they have seen,” Hamel said.

SITEL began advertising in Maine and Massachusetts newspapers this week for a management team for the call center. The average wage for employees is about $7.50 an hour, which could produce a $7 million annual payroll.

“We would love to welcome them to Aroostook County,” Hamel said.

According to information on SITEL’s Web site, the company listed revenues in 1996 of $312.8 million, up dramatically from $49.4 million four years previously. The company listed its net income in 1996 as $19.5 million, up from $1.5 million in 1992.

Some of its largest clients include Allstate Insurance Co., J.C. Penney Inc., American Express, IBM, Coca-Cola Co., Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Network. According to a company history, SITEL handles customer service calls for more than 400 clients.

The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and was the first publicly traded independent teleservices company.

The company’s strategy for growth is based on the premise that the trend toward large corporations contracting out customer services is in its infancy stage and will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, according to the company’s Web site.

Besides the United States, SITEL has call centers in more than a dozen foreign countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain and England.

Last month, the town of Limestone approved a federal grant appliation for $150,000 that will be used for renovations for the company’s new quarters at Loring. The funds will be coupled with money from the LDA to pay for $300,000 in renovations for the new business, according to base development officials.