With construction on schedule and hiring in full swing, Verizon Wireless officials anticipate a mid-October opening of their new Lincoln call center.
The news comes nine months after company representatives announced one of the largest economic development deals in Lincoln’s history that would bring 800 jobs to the University of Nebraska Technology Park.
Today, Verizon is in the midst of a hiring spree, primarily looking for customer service representatives, said Bonnie Edwards, who will direct the customer service call center. Finding qualified candidates has gone extremely well, said Edwards, who did not know how many total applications Verizon has received.
She attributes the hiring success partly to Lincoln’s educated workforce. But there’s something more, she said.
“The people here are really, really nice people,” she said. “They already have this customer service-friendly type personality.”
The first training class for about 69 new hires will report Sept. 4 for an 18-week program that includes six weeks of classroom sessions followed by hands-on training. The class is entirely made up of Nebraska residents, Edwards said.
“I’m happy about that,” she said. “That’s the reason why we’re here — to bring jobs to Nebraska and Lincoln.”
Company representatives are working to assemble a second class, with as many as 75 new hires, set to begin Oct. 15, she said.
Officials had previously thrown out 280 as the number of employees they expected to hire by year’s end, but Edwards backed away from that a bit, focusing more on the long-term goal of hiring 800 within 18 to 24 months of the center’s opening.
“We’re going to get to 800,” she said. “My goal is to get the right people in there.”
Lincoln was selected from a list of 1,300 prospective Midwestern communities for the new center, wooed in part by Nebraska’s business climate and labor market as well as tax incentives, Verizon officials have said.
The company confirmed the deal in December, but construction was held up after a developer complained about the process of selecting a firm to build the Verizon building. The city launched a second round of bidding, with MDG Development Group of Dallas emerging as the builder. Verizon will lease the building from MDG.
City officials meanwhile are looking more closely at the intersection of Northwest 1st and Highlands Boulevard to determine traffic signal needs and plan to conduct a traffic study this fall, said engineer Erika Nunes.
The Verizon project will certainly bring more prominence to the technology park, said Tech Park President Steve Frayser, who has kept an eye on the development.
“They’re going to be probably the most visible anchor for the park,” he said.
Construction of the single-story, 112,800-square-foot building is visible from Interstate 80 and has progressed rapidly, said Edwards, who tours the site regularly.
The progress, which has survived a few weather challenges along the way, has been exciting, she said.
“We’re on target to deliver everything that we’re supposed to deliver,” she said. “So that’s good.”
Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com