New call center set to open in Amherst in November

AMHERST — A new call center in Amherst will bring 500 jobs to Lorain County. The Colorado-based TeleTech Corp., which runs 25 call centers in North America, will hire 460 employees to work the phones and another 40 employees as supervisors and trainers, the company announced Wednesday.

TeleTech Vice President Charles Koskovich (right) talks with community leaders.

And these aren’t telemarketing jobs.

The location will serve as an inbound call center that provides information about insurance coverage and prescriptions to people on Medicare.

“Today is a day to be proud,” said Dan Klimas, chairman of Team Lorain County, an economic development group, which helped lure the company here. “Today is a day to celebrate. We’ve got a great work ethic and people who want to work.”

Charles Koskovich, vice president of North American operations for TeleTech, said the company plans to renovate an office building in the 1200 block of Park Avenue, opening up the floor plan and adding color to the walls. 

Koskovich would not discuss the salary range for new hires and did not go into specifics about employee health benefits, but he did ensure that employees will have benefits.

TeleTech Operations Director D.J. Valente said the call center is scheduled to open in late November.

The company already has started looking for employees and plans to fill the management and training positions first, Valente said.

Once supervisors and trainers are hired, they will begin training phone workers in October, using Lorain County Community College as the training ground.

“TeleTech’s decision to locate in Lorain County sends a strong message about our region’s qualified talent pool,” said Marcia Ballinger, vice president of institutional development at Lorain County Community College. “Our community was able to demonstrate that we have the kind of talented work force that spells success for a company.”

Klimas said the company first showed interest in Lorain County in March and planned meetings with county officials and economic development groups before deciding on Amherst for the center of operation.

Jennifer Ruggles, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Development, said the project will show other companies that Northeast Ohio can be a competitor in moving toward a service-driven economy.

TeleTech plans to organize several job fairs at LCCC’s Spitzer Conference Center and the Lorain county administration building, but no dates have been released. Applications can also be filled out online at www.hirepoint.com.

Ben Norris can be reached at bnorris@chroniclet.com.

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