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West to add jobs at Niles location
NILES
Shortly after one local call center announced plans to pull out of the Mahoning Valley, another announced that it would add hundreds of jobs.
On Tuesday, Omaha, Neb.-based West announced it is expanding its Niles operation.
The goal is to hire 200 employees by the end of the year, said David Pleiss, vice president of investor and public relations for West.
“We’re going to continue hiring beyond that time,” he said.
The company is “expanding its relationship” with a client that is served at the Niles location, Pleiss said. The company said its client has asked for confidentiality, but he referred to them as a leading wireless communications service provider.
“These are mostly all new jobs,” he said.
The new employees will be providing technical support, Pleiss said. The company is looking for potential employees who have at least moderate computer skills. The jobs will pay more than $10 per hour after an employee has been with the company more than 100 days.
West is at 5185 Youngstown-Warren Road in Niles near Eastwood Mall.
“We are thrilled to be growing our workforce in Niles again,” Pat Cascarelli, director of Human Resources for West in Niles, said in a statement. “This expansion will help us continue to provide amazing career opportunities to even more people in the community.”
The West announcement comes just over a week after Verizon said June 17 that it would begin the process of closing its call center at 475 Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman starting at the end of August, and by March 2014, 381 employees will lose their jobs.
The employees at Verizon have the option to transfer to other positions within the company.
Verizon will offer relocation packages of up to $10,000 after taxes for those who transfer. The company has call centers in Dublin, Hilliard, Twinsburg and Cincinnati in Ohio as well as western Pennsylvania locations.