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Sam Penrod ReportingA major announcement today by government leaders in Cache County about the arrival of more than 500 jobs to the area.
The Governor, Senator Bennett, and Congressman Rob Bishop were all in north Logan today to announce that Qwest Communications will establish a call center there, bringing 574 jobs to the area. Community leaders and Qwest executives attended the announcement.
It's considered a victory for Cache County to be able to attract such a big employer to the area. Qwest says it will open a call center, where employees will answer calls from Qwest customers in 14 states.
The jobs will provide an average salary of $40,000 per year. The lowest paying jobs will pay $24,000 a year. Overall, government leaders say it is a significant economic win for the state.
Gov. Huntsman: "It is tied to a major research university, so the training opportunities, students will be able to take part time and full time jobs that will help them complete their education, and maybe even find a career. So all the way around, it's a good thing for the state."
Sen. Robert Bennett, (R) Utah": "These kinds of jobs, good paying, stable company, long-term, these are very good for the state. This will be a very significant economic impact and cultural impact for the better in this part of the state."
Jerry Fenn, President, Qwest Utah: "It's inbound calls, they really handle inquiries with respect to our product offering, five different products, answer questions of customers. It's different from a lot of call centers because these are not outbound calls, these are not cell calls, these are calls that are coming into us. And the jobs require a fair amount of training."
Qwest plans to start hiring on March 14. Training will begin a month later and will take three months. The call center is expected to be open in June, and fully operational by mid-August. The center will be constructed at the site of the old Anderson Lumber building in Logan.
