CITY COULD GET 200 NEW JOBS; BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ANNOUNCES PLAN TO OPEN SERVICE CENTER

Cape Girardeau is the chosen site for a new, 200-job service center, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield announced Tuesday.

The insurance company, headquartered in St. Louis, plans to lease space in a "build-to-suit" facility to be constructed in Cape West Business Park at Interstate 55 and Route K.

The center would be operational by Jan. 1, said Fred Brussee, president and chief executive officer of Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield.

"Obviously we're on a tight timetable," he said.

The center isn't yet a sure thing: The Cape Girardeau City Council will vote Monday night on whether to allow it a tax abatement. A public hearing on the abatement is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

Cape Girardeau was one of three finalists for the center, Brussee said.

"When we looked at the criteria that we were looking for in terms of the labor force there, the lifestyle, the cost of living, the accessibility to existing locations, our ability to attract and retain workers, Cape Girardeau met the criteria we established," he said.

The center would be in Cape Girardeau's enterprise zone, which, with Cape Girardeau City Council approval, would mean tax abatements for Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield. In addition, the county has pledged $25,000 for job training.

Those incentives were a factor in the decision, Brussee said.

The center is expected to process about 10,000 claims daily and handle customer service calls, billing and provider service calls.

Snaring the center will be a "real plus" for the area in attracting other relocation and expansion projects for St. Louis-based companies, said Mitch Robinson, Cape Girardeau County's industrial recruiter.

"We're real excited about the opportunity for the people here and the opportunity it's going to give us to attract other folks from St. Louis," said Robinson. "We think this will open up some people's eyes up there for opportunities here in Cape Girardeau."

The service center would be at the south end of the enterprise zone on Siemers Drive, he said. It would be between Bluff City Beer and the U.S. Postal Service Distribution Center.

The center would have a $3.7 million payroll, and minimum salary would be $16,000.

If approved, Robinson said, the center will be "one of the largest white-collar employers in the area."

"We don't really have anybody in a large-size operation that handles incoming calls from a customer-service standpoint," he said.

In addition to the Cape Girardeau site, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield is adding some 100 service positions to its Springfield regional office. That will double that site's staffing.

Employees whose jobs are being moved to Cape Girardeau or Springfield are encouraged to relocate, company officials said. But applications are being accepted for claims processors, customer-service representatives and billing specialists. Job fairs will be held beginning in September.

Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield is the publicly held subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri. It is the largest managed-care provider in the state, covering 1.7 million members.

FACTS ABOUT THE BUSINESS

-- Blue Cross Blue Shield would lease space in a "build-to-suit" building in Cape West Business Park.

-- The service center, which could be doing business by Jan. 1, would employ 200 people.

-- The center would have a $3.7 million payroll. Minimum salary would be $16,000.

-- The center would be in Cape Girardeau's enterprise zone, which could mean tax abatements.

-- Cape Girardeau County has pledged $25,000 for job training.