T-Mobile plans bring attention to northwest

Within a day of the Oct. 24 announcement to bring the center to Airport Plaza, retailers were signing on for the northwest Springfield development.

“Anytime you get 700 employees, there are retailers and restaurants that will want to be around that,” said co-developer Kevin Carleton, withholding the names of interested companies.

The 77,000-square-foot T-Mobile center will serve as anchor of Airport Plaza, which already houses a hotel, offices and a convenience store.

The significance of T-Mobile, and the growing northwest side of Springfield including the airport, could bring even more to the area.

“It’s just been an underdeveloped area for decades, and I would guess there is other momentum following good growth out there that we’re experiencing,” Carleton said.

T-Mobile began construction Oct. 24 on its $20 million center at the corner of West Kearney and West Bypass. It will include a workout facility, a gym, a deli, a television lounge and game rooms.

The project is developed by Atlanta-based Holder Properties, but most, if not all, construction work will stay local, said John Birrer, vice president of T-Mobile customer service operations.

The center will employ at least 700 when it opens in June, but it eventually could employ as many as 820. Job listings are posted on the company’s Web site, www.t-mobile.com, and Birrer encourages applicants to apply online. Interviews will begin in Springfield as early as April.

“We’re a growing company, and we need this location up and going as quickly as possible,” Birrer said.

Wages for available positions will range from $9.50 to $11 per hour, depending on experience. Benefits will include health, dental and vision insurance and a 401(k) plan.

Birrer said the company began considering Springfield for a call center about a year ago and decided the area is a perfect fit with T-Mobile’s values.

“We’re very thoughtful in the communities that we select, and we think we’ll be a great addition to an already great community,” he said.

Call center competition

Chase Card Services tops local call center employment at 1,750 workers. Patricia Vitello, the center’s senior vice president and operations director, said the T-Mobile center could draw some of her employees away, but not many.

“I believe the market can sustain the job growth. We’ve had other companies come to town in the past, and with any new company, there’s always desire to change, but I don’t believe it’s going to be a significant departure,” she said, citing Chase’s wages, between $12 and $20 an hour plus benefits.

SBC Regional Director Pat Bly also points to competitive wages to sustain employment at his company’s two Springfield call centers. Between them, SBC employs about 350, who earn union pay as much as $23 an hour plus incentives, Bly said.

He added that Springfield is a good market for customer service representatives.

“We’ve expanded our call center operations over the years for a lot of the same reasons T-Mobile is coming to town – because of the great work force,” he said.

A representative for MCI Worldcom’s Springfield call center, which employs 425, declined comment.