Carbondale lands 160 jobs; number could reach 480

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- City officials announced Tuesday that 160 full-time, work-from-home jobs are on their way to Carbondale early next year.

If interest is great enough, the total number of new jobs could reach up to 480 in three years.

National Electronics Warranty, or NEW, a Virginia-based consumer services company that provides customer support services for retailers including Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Best Buy, will begin training Jan. 12.

NEW vice president of resource planning Mitch Carroll said the company is looking to hire customer care service representatives in Carbondale for their client, satellite provider DirecTV.

Pay for the jobs will start at $9.75 per hour and training for the positions will be conducted at John A. Logan College, where president Robert Mees said an existing facility has been given $24,000 in upgrades to accommodate NEW's trainees.

Carroll said NEW used a search firm to help identify the most ideal locations for expansion. That firm considered about 200 cities before narrowing their list to 10 cities, which included Carbondale.

"Usually in smaller communities, there may be the interest but not the work force," Carroll said. "In larger cities, 160 jobs, there's not much excitement. With Carbondale we are going to a location where there is an opportunity for expansion too."