Partnerships Pay Off
September 2015
By David Zaslawsky
Photography by Robert Fouts
When the Montgomery Chamber recruits a company, or when existing companies expand, one of the deciding factors mentioned time after time is the the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County and Chamber working together.
That was again the case when Tampa, Fla.-based SYKES Enterprises Inc. announced it was opening a call center in East Montgomery and would hire 250 people this year and double that number over a three-year period.
“It seems like they (Montgomery officials) were always together and working together to get the same outcome,” said Rob Duncan, senior vice president of North American operations for SYKES. “The difference is how well they all work together. The
y were on the same page before they came to us with anything. That helps a lot.
“We’ve been involved with other communities and they’ll say go talk to the economic development
council or go talk to the Chamber.”
It certainly helps that the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce contains a Corporate Development division, which works on economic development projects. It certainly helps that the Chamber, City of Montgomery and Montgomery County work closely together. And are on the same page.
During the news conference to announce the new call center, Duncan said, “I can tell you from the reaction that we got from Montgomery and the leadership … it was just a perfect fit for us.”
The global firm, which has a European division as well as Middle East Africa, is investing $3 million in the new site – a three-story building with 45,000 square feet located in Technacenter Park.
The call center is expected to be operational by mid-September, Duncan said. He said that 80 percent of the jobs will be full time and that the company needs trainers, recruiters, managers and someone to oversee the Montgomery operation. Starting pay is $10 per hour. Interviews were actually conducted a day before the announcement at the Chamber Blount Boardroom.
Being in the customer service business, SYKES needs friendly, nice, kind and thoughtful people to handle callers, Duncan said. “This town just exudes that,” he said. “We are a people organization.”
SYKES, which had annual revenue of $1.3 billion in 2014 and $57.8 million net income, operates in 60-plus locations in 21 countries in primarily financial services, communications and technology industries. The current client at the Montgomery site is a financial institution.
“We are going to become part of your extended sales force, marketing force or whatever that you do,” said Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean in welcoming SYKES. “If you’re successful – we’re successful. If we’re successful – you’re successful.”
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said it was a tribute to the area “to have a company of SYKES’ caliber and quality to be looking at Montgomery, Ala.” He said local officials have been working on the project for about a year and that SYKES will receive performance-based incentives from the state, city and county.
“SYKES joins a growing list of companies that are choosing to invest in Montgomery and the River Region,” Chamber Chairman of the Board of Directors W. Russell Tyner said in a statement. “A global corporation like SYKES wanting to have a presence in this community shows how Montgomery just keeps moving forward.”
