CALL OF THE WILD OUTFITTER

Doubts that central Maine, and Bangor in particular, is a good place to expand a

business or locate a new one should have been erased yesterday with the announcement that the state’s retail giant L.L. Bean plans to open a call center here. Late last year, the company was thinking about leaving central Maine due to concerns about the availability of workers. Three months later those fears have been alleviated through the work of city officials and the governor’s office.

At a City Hall press conference Thursday, L.L. Bean officials an-nounced plans to open a call center in the former Irving Oil Co. building near Bangor International Airport. Pending approval of the project by the city council, the company plans to begin hiring workers in June and have the center operational by August.

The center is expected to have 100 year-round employees and will employ up to 800 people on a seasonal basis. Although the jobs, which will pay a starting wage of $8.85 an hour, should not be the cornerstone of the region’s economy, they are a welcome addition, especially when some other call centers in the region are reducing their work force. More importantly, they could lead to more employment opportunities in the region with L.L. Bean or another company.

The Bangor center, and the continued operation of one in Waterville, almost did not come to be. After cellular phone company T-Mobile in December announced plans to open a large call center in Fairfield, L.L. Bean abandoned its plans to also open a call center there. This raised concerns that the outdoor retailer was also considering closing its call center in Waterville for fear that there were not enough available employees in the region.

After meetings with the governor, L.L. Bean earlier this week announced plans to keep open the Waterville facility, which employs 225 full-time year-round workers. The company had been looking across the state for another location for an additional call center.

L.L. Bean worked with The Boulos Company to find the best location. That company did a demographic analysis of the state and Bangor jumped out as a good location, said company President George Campbell. The analysis showed that the Bangor area had plenty of workers and in the categories that Bean sought. For example, there are numerous retirees and nontraditional college students willing to work through the Christmas season. The Maine Depart-ment of Labor also did a work force an-alysis and came to the same conclusion.

Mr. Campbell said his company could now use the information it gathered to encourage other companies to come to Bangor. State and local officials should do so as well.

Another important factor was timing. L.L. Bean wanted the facility operational well before the Christmas rush. Mr. Campbell and others repeatedly said that Bangor city staff quickly overcame any obstacles to ensure that the center could open as soon as possible. For example, the company wanted to lease a building, not own it. So the city bought the Irving building and plans to lease it to L.L. Bean.

In December, L.L. Bean’s commitment to central Maine appeared shaky. Now, with better data and a can-do attitude from city officials, Bangor is the beneficiary of a renewed commitment to the state from the company that sells Maine on a daily basis.