New downtown Youngstown call center opens

YOUNGSTOWN — About 40 workers were selling packages for DirecTV as a new downtown call center opened this morning.

“We’re looking for a long-term partnership,” said Mayor Jay Williams as he welcomed corporate officials from VXI Global Systems during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Los Angeles-based company opened a call center in 20 Federal Place, the former Phar-Mor Centre. Groups of employees will be trained every three weeks as the center ramps up to 250 workers by the end of the year, said Tobias Parrish, VXI’s vice president of U.S. operations.

The company intends to add at least 100 more workers early next year to begin handling sales calls for a cellular phone company, he said. Total employment is expected to reach 500 or more eventually, he said.

For more details, see Friday’s Vindicator or www.vindy.com.