Monday, February 26, 2007
The plan calls for about 150 new jobs at the company's call centers in Austintown and Boardman.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
InfoCision Management Corp. officials will ask the Ohio Tax Credit Authority today for new tax credits for call center expansions, which would mean 5.5 million worth of investments in Austintown and Boardman.
Along with Mahoning County, InfoCision is also seeking expansions in the city of Green in Summit County and Gallipolis in Gallia County, said Reid Dulberger, one of the authority's board members.
Dulberger, also the Regional Chamber's executive vice president, said authority board members will decide on the tax abatements at today's meeting in Columbus. InfoCision is hoping to get tax credits for the new jobs it will be creating.
InfoCision is based in Akron. Locally it employs 1,200.
InfoCision is planning to create 650 new jobs and invest more than 10 million at six locations in Ohio in the next 12 to 18 months. It wants 35 percent, five-year tax credits on corporate income tax. To receive those tax credits, Dulberger said Sunday, InfoCision must agree to stay at the locations for 10 years.
What would happen
The local impact could be:
Boardman: 73 new full-time jobs within three years. It would retain 135 full-time jobs and invest 1.5 million in furniture and fixtures, township Administrator Jason Loree said.
The Boardman location (two call centers) is at 6951 Southern Boulevard, Suite D. InfoCision started Boardman operations about five years ago.
Loree said the township is looking forward to working with InfoCision.
"Anytime there is an opportunity for a new business, or for a business to expand, we're going to work with them," he said. "It's good for the community."
Austintown: 80 new full-time jobs within three years. InfoCision would retain 395 full-time jobs and invest 4 million in building construction and renovation, furniture and fixtures.
The Austintown location (four call centers) is at 5740 Interstate Blvd. It opened in August 1997.
Township officials could not be reached Sunday night.
About the company
InfoCision operates 27 call centers at 12 locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Youngstown location (two call centers) is at 20 Federal Plaza West; New Castle's two call centers are 117 Cascade Galleria and 100 S. Jefferson St.
Founded in 1982, the Akron-based company is the world's third-largest privately held operator of call centers.
It is also a leader in customer care services, commercial sales and marketing for Fortune 500 companies and smaller businesses.
InfoCision opened the two call centers in downtown Youngstown in 2005. It had received a Job Creation Tax Credit worth an estimated 363,613 to help its operations at the former Phar-Mor Centre. The company will have to maintain operations there for 14 years, the state said. The state also committed a 40,000 Ohio Investment in Training Program grant to the project.