CALAIS – A Canadian firm is in the city today to interview those Washington County people who are interested in a long-term career in global market research.

Acrobat Research, with headquarters in Toronto, is holding a job fair at the Washington County Community College from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. They are looking to hire more than 200 employees over the next few weeks. Starting salary is $8 an hour. The company plans to begin operation in January and eventually employ more than 80 full-time and 130 part-time people.

Acrobat Research officials will be at the college all day to talk about the various job opportunities with the company.

City officials also will be there to answer questions.

The Maine CareerCenter, WCCC and Acrobat Research are coordinating the event.

Assistant City Manager Jim Porter said Wednesday he hoped people would turn out and submit an application.

When company officials made the announcement last month that they planned to open a center in Calais, they said that the city fit with the company’s business model of operations in rural areas.

According to its Web site, the company performs data collection services for research firms and for targeted niche market business consultants.

Acrobat Research began in 1994 to provide market research data-collection services and conduct opinion polls, customer satisfaction surveys and social research. The company gathers “any information for statistical purposes, which our clients use to improve their products and services,” the company said in its employment ad in the Bangor Daily News. “What we don’t do: telemarketing sales of any kind, or collections.”

The company plans to set up operation at the former ICT Group telemarketing call center on North Street. ICT closed its doors in 2003.

Acrobat Research has several call centers in rural areas.

The city has taken it on the chin in recent months with the rejection by voters last month of a multimillion-dollar Passamaquoddy-owned casino, racetrack, hotel and convention center that would have employed more than 200 people.

Earlier this year, the area suffered another blow when Montreal-based Domtar Inc. announced it was closing its paper mill, throwing 150 area people out of work.

Diana Graettinger may be reached at bdncalais@verizon.net or 454-8228