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MELIA BOWIEThe local and long-distance phone company will initially add 100 jobs, with 500 more to be added over six years.
SEVEN SPRINGS - Talk America, a local and long-distance telephone service provider, will open its first Pasco location in Seven Springs this fall. Hiring and training for the 100-seat call center begins Monday.
"We're not actually in there yet," said Kathy Bram, human resources manager for the company, which has 536 employees in Palm Harbor.
Phone lines and computers are still being set up at the center to be located at 3118 Seven Springs Blvd. Full occupancy is expected by Sept. 1.
The Virginia-based company has other Florida locations in Orlando, Fort Myers and Palm Harbor, its customer service hub.
The leased location in Seven Springs is part of a major Pasco expansion effort.
When fully built out, the company expects to employ an additional 500 employees and occupy about 40,000 square feet at another location, said Sandi Snow of the Pasco Economic Development Council.
There are no plans to consolidate the two Pasco offices, which means about 600 jobs are planned for the area, said Gabriel Battista, Talk America's chief executive officer. "We're very happy to be a company now that can add employees," he said.
In June, county commissioners approved Talk America as a qualified target industry - one that pays 115 percent of Pasco's $23,483 average annual salary.
The distinction makes Talk America - whose average pay will be $27,005 - eligible for incentives that include a one-time tax refund of up to $3,000 for each employee. (The state funds 80 percent of that incentive and the county funds 20 percent.)
The company, which is working to decrease its reliance on telemarketing, plans to add the jobs over six years.
Talk America's growth comes despite a federal "Do Not Call" registry that will go into effect Oct. 1.
The registry severely limits telemarketing calls to those on its list and punishes violators with steep fines. However, companies may call existing customers and customers from as long ago as 18 months. Battista said Talk America does not think the registry will significantly affect its growth as a number of states already had similar initiatives.
"We haven't let that in any way deter any of our plans," he said, adding the company is pursuing other strategies such as direct mail, television and Internet marketing to reach customers.
The 500-person call center planned for Pasco is expected to open on the county's west side. A new building will range between $2-million to $6-million, depending upon the company's decision to build a new facility or renovate an existing one, Snow with the PEDC said. Equipment costs to set up a base in Pasco are estimated at $1.65-million.
About 30 percent of Talk America's Palm Harbor sales staff now commutes from Pasco, Bram said. Those employees will have the option of transferring.
"We're also hoping to draw from areas in Spring Hill, Hudson and Port Richey," she added.
The typical pay for a sales position is $10 an hour plus commission and benefits including health, dental and a 401K. Top salespeople make $38,000 to $40,000 a year, said Bram.
Hiring will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at Career Central in New Port Richey at 4440 Grand Blvd. at the corner of Trouble Creek Road.
Bram said the Palm Harbor office will also be adding positions in sales and customer service. For information on jobs at either site contact Talk America's job line at (727) 772-2996.