| HAMILTON’S BIGGEST JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The single biggest announcements for new job creation in the city over the last decade. Companies approved for state job creation tax credits have three years to fulfill their pledges for new jobs. | |||
| Rank | Company | Year announced | Total new jobs committed |
| 1 | Barclays Services LLC* | 2015 | 1,500 |
| 2 | StarTek Inc. | 2015 | 682 |
| 3 | iMFLUX | 2013 | 251 |
| 4 | ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America Inc.** | 2014 | 214 |
| 5 | WS Properties/VinylMax | 2007 | 164 |
| **ThyssenKrupp Bilstein has announced a series of three expansions since 2011. Previous announcements included a commitment to create 60 new jobs in 2011 and 100 new jobs in 2013 for a total 374 new jobs. SOURCE: City of Hamilton, Ohio Development Services Agency | |||
On Monday, Barclaycard US, a credit-card servicing division of the international Barclays Bank, announced it has selected Hamilton to open a new call center.
The announcement secured a deal months in the making.
"Having a Global Fortune (500) company locate 1,500 jobs is a game-changer, especially on the heels of iMFLUX, a wholly-owned subsidiary of P&G (another Global Fortune 500) locating almost 230 jobs in Hamilton by 2016," said Hamilton City Manager Joshua Smith.
"Couple that with other recent big wins: ThyssenKrupp Bilstein, StarTek and Community First Solutions and it starts to accomplish many of our objectives: provides jobs to Hamiltonians, supports our growing number of small businesses and brings young families to the immediate area," Smith said.
Here’s three ways this business deal matters to you:
NEW JOBS: The Barclaycard call center opening in Hamilton promises to create 1,500 jobs over the next several years.
Not only is that the single largest announcement for new job creation in at least a decade in the city, it’s one of the largest job-creating business projects of the last decade statewide, according to Ohio Development Services Agency, which administers tax credit agreements with companies.
Hiring kicks off next month. A job fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, according to the company.
Plans are to add up to 250 new employees during 2016, according to Barclaycard.
NEW INVESTMENT: The call center will open at Vora Technology Park, located at 101 Knightsbridge Drive in Hamilton.
Locals will recognize the address as what was once the former headquarters of Champion Paper in Hamilton and a tour Monday of the space shows Barclaycard will fill some empty offices once occupied by the paper mill’s top administration.
More than $9 million will be invested in renovations and finishes, said Mahendra Vora, founder of Vora Ventures, a portfolio of technology companies and the property owner.
NEW INDUSTRY: Barclaycard joins another company, Colorado-based StarTek Inc., in announcing plans in 2015 to open a call center in Hamilton.
In the span of less than a year, a combined over 2,000 customer service jobs have been committed to the city by the two companies.
Not only does that put Hamilton on the map for the contact center business, it also opens doors for educational opportunities in the field, Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller told Journal-News on Monday.
Talks are already underway with area employers to maybe start a call center operations or customer service communication certificate program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, says Linda Schaffeld, acting dean of the Business Technologies Division. Cincinnati's State's workforce development division could also offer classes or workshops to help teach needed skills such as telephone etiquette, rapport building and problem solving skills, Schaffeld said. No decisions have been made or programs launched yet, but stay tuned.
“It’s not necessarily that the employers have to have so much English and math as they need these soft skills for problem solving, being able to use their telephone to their advantage with the computer, screen calls and practice with realistic situations,” Schaffeld said.
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