What was once a place to find a bargain will soon be a place to find a
possible career.
The vacant building that formerly housed Gabriel's store at the
intersection of routes 40 and 166 near Brownsville will soon come alive
with the hustle and bustle of business as area residents gain employment
at CallTech Communication, LLC, based in Columbus, Ohio.
Sparked by a former Brownsville resident's love of his hometown, the new
facility is getting last minute polish before opening for business early
next month.
Denny Matteucci, currently general manager of the new CallTech
operation, was the force behind drawing the business to Brownsville. As
an employee of CompuServe Worldwide, a customer of CallTech
Communications, Matteucci pushed the company to explore the option of
opening a center in Brownsville.
"My wife and I grew up in Brownsville," he said. "I have been gone for
38 years, but we both always wanted to return home. It was
heart-wrenching to see the devastation of the town when we returned.
When we grew up, it was a very busy little town.
"The town has always been good t me and I would like to do something to
give something back to the town."
As president of Interact services at CompuServe Worldwide, Matteucci got
to know members of CallTech's business as business people and friends.
He said he invited CallTech officials to take a look at the Brownsville
area.
"The more I thought about it, the more I thought about their business in
Brownsville," Matteucci said. "They got a first-hand look and feel of
the community. They decided to add more business because they were
expanding quite rapidly. They were to open a center in Ft. Meyers,
Florida, and one in Brownsville."
He said that progress on the Brownsville center came along so well that
CallTech decided to open the local plant first.
The building was purchased by Fay-Penn Economic Development Council in
Uniontown last September for $1.4 million, according to information
distributed by Fay-Penn. When CallTech made the final decision to open a
center in the Brownsville area, the company leased the building from
Fay-Penn. Since that time, Fay-Penn and CallTech have been very busy
making the necessary renovations to accommodate the new center.
"Fundamentally, all the work has been done," Matteucci said. "We did
extend the parking lot. Fay-Penn jumped in and helped us. Inside,
computers have been installed. It's ready for furniture and we are
installing the high-speed data now."
Kathy Matteucci, administrative manager for the new center, said
applications are currently being taken and training could begin as soon
as two weeks. She said although CallTech hasn't confirmed who will
provide the training, the company is leaning toward either Pennsylvania
State University Fayette Campus or California University of
Pennsylvania.
Denny Matteucci explained the main purpose of the center is to serve as
a customer service provider for companies. The employees will handle
inbound calls and do outbound telemarketing. According to Denny
Matteucci, employees will do everything from answering technical
questions for computers to finding the best hotel rate, plane fare and
car rental price in the area. He noted much of their work is inbound for
Internet service providers in the area.
Bob Urban, director of finance for Fay-Penn, noted in a recent company
newsletter, "CallTech will occupy 33,500 square feet of the building,
leaving 10,000 square feet for additional tenants. We think it will be
an excellent retail opportunity with the hundreds of people who will be
working at the site."
Fay-Penn Executive Vice President Michael Krajovic said his organization
bought the building specifically for the purpose of bringing CallTech
into the area. He said Fay-Penn reviewed other potential buildings and
proposed the Gabriel's building.
"This is a large financial commitment to make this project happen,"
Krajovic said. "I can't think of a place more in need of employment
growth than in Brownsville.
"We're delighted to have the project. We felt compelled to step up to
the plate and make this project happen. We are very excited about the
whole thing and we thank CallTech for locating into the area. This is
exactly what this area need."
Krajovic said the remaining 10,000 square feet of space is still
available and will generate more jobs and businesses into the area.
Denny Matteucci said the excitement is growing as opening day nears for
the company. He said his main objective is to keep the town of
Brownsville thriving.
"The reason I put it in Brownsville is because I wanted to help
Brownsville," he said. "Brownsville is bleeding from every pore. It's
happened over a number of years. To take this journey is to take the
first step. This is something that will get other industries into this
area.
"I have personal objectives to get as many people employed as much as
possible in the next few months. I've been intimately involved. To give
you a number of how many people would become employed is misleading. We
are going to fill that building up as quickly as we can, so who knows
how many people it will be."
Denny Matteucci was asked to manage the new center and work as a part of
the management team in Columbus. He said the new center had already
hired employees on the management and supervisory levels.
"We've got absolutely quality people," Matteucci noted. "There is
already enthusiasm within this building. This is humanitarian on my
part. There is not a whole lot in it for us (him and his wife). I get
the gratification of seeing people in Brownsville getting back to work.
I want to give something back to this town. Anything I can do to help
Brownsville, I am going to do."
