BROWNSVILLE---A Columbus Ohio company plans to bring about 400 new jobs
to the Brownsville area.
On Friday, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council announced that CallTech
Communications, LLC plans to locate a new call center operation in the
former Gabriel's store near the junction of routes 40 and 166.
CallTech, a privately held company, has two similar facilities located
in Columbus.
"This will be our second major location," said C.J. Petitti, CallTech
chief executive officer.
"CallTech offers customer call services to major companies across the
country. This facility will be a state-of-the-art inbound call center."
Fay-Penn purchased the former Gabriel's building for $1.4 million in
September. The building is situated in Redstone Township on the border
of Brownsville borough.
"We are excited about this project. It is tremendous news for the
Brownsville area that has been distressed for many years," said Mike
Krajovic, Fay-Penn executive vice president.
Krajovic said Fay-Penn purchased the Gabriel's building in order to make
the necessary renovations in a timely fashion to accommodate CallTech.
The PA Governor's Action Team was very helpful with the project, as was
E & G Gabriel's, Krajovic said.
Bob Urban, Fay-Penn director of finance said CallTech will occupy
33,5000 square feet of the building, leaving 10,000 square feet for
additional tenants.
Urban said Fay-Penn is looking for an occupant to fill the rest of the
facility.
"We think it would be an excellent retail opportunity with the hundreds
of people who will be working at the site," Urban said.
The project began as a referral from a former Brownsville resident,
Denny Matteucci.
"Denny had been working for a long time to get CallTech to take a look
at our community," said Frank Ricco of the Brownsville Chamber of
Commerce. "When Denny called and told me that CallTech was going to make
a visit, I contacted Fay-Penn to begin working on a site location for
the project."
Krajovic emphasized Matteucci was "a key factor in bringing this project
to Brownsville."
"I was pleased to be involved in the project, but if it was not for
Fay-Penn's leadership in making the investment in the building, these
jobs would not be coming to Brownsville," Matteucci said. "I am aware
that CallTech is also locating a facility in Florida, but Fay-Penn's
involvement moved this project ahead of that one."
"The company will create 400 jobs over a three-year period which will
include competitive wages and a lucrative benefit package including
tuition reimbursement," Petitti said.
Renovations are under way under the direction of Fay-Penn. People
interested in applying for positions should submit their resume to the
CareerLink office, located on Iowa Street in Uniontown, at 438-1434.
"The company indicated that they will make every effort to hire those
employees of Gabriel's who lost their job due to the company's
down-sizing. Gabriel's had some excellent workers who could be valuable
employees to CallTech," Krajovic said. "Fay-Penn is honored to have
played a major role in the three significant projects in Brownsville in
the last two years."
"When you consider the Wilhelm & Kruse operation at the former HBC Barge
facility, the new state prison and now the new CallTech center, these
projects combined represent over 1,000 new quality jobs in the
Brownsville, Luzerne Township and Redstone Township areas. We are
delighted," he added.
Fay-Penn and CallTech expect to hold a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony
and press conference for the facility at a future date, after the
building renovations are complete, to celebrate the grand opening of the
project.
State representatives Pete Daley, D-California, and H. William DeWeese,
D-Waynesburg, offered their congratulations to CallTech, Fay-Penn and
the Brownsville community. State Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Dunbar, added,
"It is great news for an area of Fayette County that has suffered
economically for so many years."
