Cape being considered for 500-person call center

An international call center company is considering Cape Girardeau as a location for a new 500-person operation.

Local economic development officials are keeping the identity of the company confidential for now.

A critical factor in the decision will be the availability of a suitable labor force, said Mitch Robinson, executive director of Cape Girardeau Area Magnet.

At the Cape Girardeau Chamber's First Friday Coffee, Robinson compared the potential development to the NARS call center, which employs 600 people in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau residents are being asked to complete a brief survey about their interest in that type of work. Potential positions could include customer service representatives, technical support representatives, sales support representatives and desktop support. The survey can be found at bit.ly/capegirardeausurvey. The information collected will be kept confidential and seen only by the employer, Robinson said.

Job seekers may also participate in a free career fair to be held at the Osage Centre from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 20. The call center developers will be joined by more than 20 employers from the community.

Local organizations working with the company include Cape Girardeau Area Magnet, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, with support from Southeast Missouri State University, the Workforce Investment Board, Missouri Career Center, the city of Cape Girardeau and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. Several private companies have also met with the company to provide insight on the labor force, Robinson said.

Considering that 1,100 people applied for just 90 positions at Cape Girardeau's new Chick-fil-A restaurant that opened last month, Robinson said, he believes the city likely has the number of interested workers the company is looking for.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646