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June 20, 2005 - CAREMARK RX TO OPEN NEW CENTER, HIRE 600 WORKERS - NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Caremark Rx, the nation's second-largest pharmacy benefits manager, is opening a second Tennessee call center here in September. The company plans to add 600 jobs over the next two years. Executives credited growing business for the planned expansion. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story1.htm

June 20, 2005 - TELETECH TO EXPAND IN PENNSYLVANIA - UNIONTOWN, PA. - Denver -based call center outsourcer TeleTech is hiring 300 new employees to handle customer service for a major, long-term contract with an automotive company. Teletech did not name the client. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story2.htm
June 20, 2005 - TRYCERA FINANCIAL BUYS HAWAII CALL CENTER - NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Trycera Financial, a publicly reporting financial services company specializing in customized and turnkey prepaid programs, has acquired the call center assets and operations of Hawaii Direct Telephone STS, based in Honolulu. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story3.htm

June 20, 2005 - CALL CENTER SAVES PENNSYLVANIA $2.2 MILLION - WORMLEYSBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania state officials say they have saved $2.2 million over the past year through the consolidation of help-line telephone services offered by four state departments. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story4.htm

June 20, 2005 - SBC LANDS CONTRACT WITH CARETECH - SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio-based SBC Communications landed a new, five-year data services contract with Michigan-based CareTech Solutions Inc., a technology and health information management outsourcing provider for hospitals and health systems. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story5.htm

June 20, 2005 - LIBERTY MUTUAL CENTER PLANS 500 JOBS IN PHOENIX - PHOENIX - Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. plans to locate a 500-seat call center near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and will be expanding its local work force. The center is slated for opening next month. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.20/story6.htm

June 13, 2005 - AMERICAN EXPRESS TO OPEN RESERVATIONS CENTER - HIGH POINT , N.C. - Financial and travel services giant American Express plans to open a new 30,000-square-foot call center here by mid-September. Company executives said they expect to employ 300 people by December 2006. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.13/story1.htm

June 13, 2005 - U.S. SUPPORT TO GROW BY 700 IN LOUISIANA - SHREVEPORT, La. - Louisiana will invest $700,000 to expand a call center for U.S. Support Co. in Shreveport, Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced last week. She said the investment, from the state's Rapid Response Fund, will help create 700 new jobs at the center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.13/story2.htm

June 13, 2005 - STUDY; GLOBAL CALL CENTER INDUSTRY GROWING - HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Findings of a new study by the National Association of Call Centers suggest the global call center industry is in a state of growth both within the United States and abroad. The growth is occurring in most countries, not just offshore, the association says. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.13/story3.htm

June 13, 2005 - IRT HEADS TO OKLAHOMA WITH 500 JOBS - ADA, Okla. - IRT, a call center based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be expanding its call center operation here. The company plans to add 500 jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.13/story4.htm

June 13, 2005 - U.S. CALL CENTER DEVELOPS HUB IN PHILIPPINES - PLEASANTON, Calif. - Hosted contact center company Five9 International Business Development Corp., has chosen the Philippines as its operational hub in Southeast Asia. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.06.13/story5.htm

May 31, 2005 - FIDELITY TO ADD UP TO 2,000 CUSTOMER SERVICE JOBS - COVINGTON, Ky. - Boston-based Fidelity Investments is poised to announce a major expansion that is expected to add 1,500 to 2,000 jobs here and in the region. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story1.htm

May 31, 2005 - HOMESITE PICKS OHIO FOR NEW CALL CENTER - AKRON, Ohio - Boston -based insurance company Homesite Group Inc. plans to open a call center in downtown Akron. The new center is expected to employ 200 workers in three years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story2.htm

May 31, 2005 - US AIRWAYS TO CLOSE CALL CENTER SOONER THAN SLATED - PITTSBURGH - US Airways is set to close its reservations center here on July 29, more than a month earlier than it had planned. More than 100 workers will be laid off. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story3.htm

May 31, 2005 - CENTRAL COMPLETES CALL CENTER SALE - JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Market Central Inc., which is doing business as Scientigo Inc., has completed the sale of its customer-contact center in Jacksonville, N.C., to CustomerLinx Inc. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story4.htm

May 31, 2005 - EDS TO LAY OFF 110 CALL CENTER WORKERS - LANSING, Mich. - Electronic Data Systems Corp. plans to lay off 110 of its 750 workers here by September after the company lost a portion of a client's help desk business. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story5.htm

May 31, 2005 - GENESYS, VERIZON TEAM UP TO HOST VOIP CALL CENTERS - MIAMI - Verizon announced last week that it has partnered with Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories to offer hosted IP call center services. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.31/story6.htm

May 23, 2005 - WASHINGTON MUTUAL TEXAS BOUND- SEATTLE - Washington Mutual, the largest savings and loan bank in the United States, says it will create 4,200 jobs at a new center it plans to open in Texas. San Antonio appears to be the front runner. The state has promised the financial institution more than $15 million as a cash grant if it expands in Texas. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.23/story1.htm

May 23, 2005 - PRC TO OPEN NEW FLORIDA CENTER - FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Precision Response Corp. will set up its newest call center in the northeast Florida city of Palatka, creating 430 jobs, the company said last week. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.23/story2.htm

May 23, 2005 - IBM LAUNCHES CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVE IN CHINA - ARMONK, N.Y. - IBM last week opened a new global services delivery center in Dalian, northeastern China, significantly expanding its existing operations to meet the growing market demand for business processing and technology management services. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.23/story3.htm

May 23, 2005 - ALLSTATE TO EXPAND CHARLOTTE CENTER- CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Insurance company Allstate will expand its call center here to provide bi-lingual service to 31 states around the clock. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.23/story4.htm

May 23, 2005 - SIEMENS LAUNCHES NEW CALL CENTER TECHNOLOGY- BOCA RATON, Fla. - Siemens Communications, Inc. rolled out versions 6.5 of its HiPath ProCenter Agile and ProCenter Standard contact center applications, building further on the product portfolio's reach to enterprise customers - from small to large and across myriad industry sectors - in more than 60 countries. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.23/story5.htm

May 16, 2005 - HUMANA TO GROW CINCINNATI CALL CENTER - CINCINNATI - Healthcare insurer Humana will add 330 jobs to its service center here over the next two years. The company attributed the expansion to growth in its Medicare and individual health plans. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.16/story1.htm

May 16, 2005 - CONVERGYS TO SHUT DOWN FLORIDA CALL CENTER TODAY - FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Call center outsourcing firm Convergys is closing its call center here today, leaving 60 workers without jobs from a force that once numbered 1,150 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.16/story2.htm

May 16, 2005 - TRAVELOCITY BOOSTS CUSTOMER SERVICE - SOUTH LAKE, TEXAS - The online travel agency Travelocity aims to raise the bar on e-travel service with a 'customer bill of rights' it issued last week as part of its Customer Championship program. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.16/story3.htm

May 16, 2005 - CLIENTLOGIC DEVELOPING CALL CENTER COURSES - NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Call center outsourcing company ClientLogic is working with colleges and universities in the United States and abroad to develop a set of client relationship management courses, degrees and certifications. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.16/story4.htm

May 16, 2005 - CALL CENTER FOR ANGLERS STIRS POLITICAL FIRESTORM - ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota anglers who get fishing licenses over the phone instead of at a bait shop are casting into a call center in Nashville, Tenn. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.16/story5.htm

May 9, 2005 - MEDICARE CENTER TO HIRE UP TO 800 - RICHMOND, Va. - Call center outsourcer Pearson Government Solutions plans to open a Medicare call center here and plans to hire up to 800 people by year's end to handle peak-time work. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story1.htm

May 9, 2005 - FLORIDA WINS FIRST DATA CALL CENTER JOBS - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Financial processing firm First Data Corp. will nearly double employment at its call center here as it adds 360 jobs in the coming weeks. The move is part of First Data's streamlining efforts that includes closing a Houston call center in six months. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story2.htm

May 9, 2005 - MICROSOFT TARGETS CALL CENTER EFFICIENCY - REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. last week unveiled Microsoft Customer Care Framework, an integrated software solution that streamlines call center operations for service providers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story3.htm

May 9, 2005 - YAHOO! TO OPEN OREGON CENTER - HILLSBORO, Ore. - Yahoo! has leased most of a 55,000-square-foot building here for a customer service center and optioned the remainder, GlobeSt.com reports. The facility is expected to launch operations on July 11 and employ about 100 people by the end of the year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story4.htm

May 9, 2005 - STARTEK IN RECOVERY MODE - DENVER - Call center operator StarTek Inc. is working to turn around its finances after a revenue fall during the first quarter. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story5.htm

May 9, 2005 - TAMPA VIES FOR HSBC CENTER - TAMPA, Fla. - Financial services giant HSBC North America is thinking about opening a call center in Tampa. The center would create 500 jobs. Two other cities are in the running for the center, but HSBC would not name them. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.09/story6.htm

May 2, 2005 - DELL TO HIRE 2,000 MORE WORKERS IN INDIA- IRVING, Texas - Computer giant Dell will hire another 2,000 people for its India offices, bringing its total number of Indian employees to 10,000 by the year's end. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story1.htm

May 2, 2005 - CISCO, IBM TEAM UP TO OFFER MORE SELF-SERVICE- IBM and Cisco have announced plans to link some of their voice products to make it easier for contact centers and other businesses to develop and deploy self-service speech applications. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story2.htm

May 2, 2005 - CITI CARDS CONTINUES GROWTH IN NORTH CAROLINA - GREENSBORO, N.C. - Citi Cards celebrated the grand opening here last week of a new 170,000-square-foot call center. The facility is part of a $35 million expansion that has increased the number of Citi Cards' workers from 700 to 1,335 since April 2004. Another 300 workers are expected to be hired by the end of this year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story3.htm

May 2, 2005 - CHADWICK'S TO CLOSE MASSACHUSETTS CENTER- WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Redcats USA plans to close its Chadwick's of Boston call center here at the end of June. The move will leave 200 people without jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story4.htm

May 2, 2005 - URBAN OUTFITTERS TO MOVE CENTER TO SOUTH CAROLINA- PHILADELPHIA - Urban Outfitters, the Philadelphia-based specialty retailer and wholesaler, is shutting down its catalog and online-ordering call center here and moving it to South Carolina. The closure, effective July 1, will affect 105 workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story5.htm

May 2, 2005 - BRITISH AIRWAYS TO CLOSE TORONTO CENTER- TORONTO - British Airways will close its Toronto call center by December. The closure will leave 20 workers without jobs. Airline executives blamed the center's shutdown on the growing preference for online booking, which has reduced phone reservations. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.05.02/story6.htm

April 25, 2005 - UNITED AIRLINES TO CLOSE RESERVATIONS CENTER- KENT, Wash. - United Airlines' call center here is slated to close on June 5. It will leave more than 400 workers without jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story1.htm

April 25, 2005 - AUTONOMY POISED TO BUY ETALK- SAN FRANCISCO - Autonomy Corp., a global provider of infrastructure software, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Irving, Texas-based etalk Corp., a provider of contact center products. The combined cash and stock deal is valued at about $70 million. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story2.htm

April 25, 2005 - HEALTH NET LANDS $25 MILLION CONTRACT- SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Health Net Connections, a division of Health Net Federal Services (HNFS), won a five-year contract for patient appointment setting services for Military Treatment Facilities for the U.S. Army Medical Command in Puget Sound, Wash. and the Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Ill. The contract is valued at $25 million. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story3.htm

April 25, 2005 - DIRECTV LAWSUIT TARGETS TEXAS CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES - EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Satellite television company DIRECTV last week filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against 12 individuals, including at least 10 former customer service agents it alleges engaged in a scheme to defraud the company. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story4.htm

April 25, 2005 - MCI SELLS CALIFORNIA CENTER - RIVERBANK, Calif. - MCI is selling its call center here to Kirkland, Wash.-based vCustomer Corp., a company that is a major player in India's outsourcing industry. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story5.htm

April 25, 2005 - CDG TO HIRE 150 IN CONNECTICUT- MERIDEN, Conn. - One of the nation's largest telemarketers is opening a call center here that is expected to employ 150-200 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.25/story6.htm

April 18, 2005 - WEST TO HIRE 900 FOR NORTH CAROLINA CENTER- ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - Nebraska-based call center company West Corp. is poised to open a call center here that is expected eventually to employ 900 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story1.htm

April 18, 2005 - BRINK'S TO OPEN TENNESSEE CENTER- IRVING, Texas - Brink's Home Security has selected Knoxville, Tenn. as the the location for a new alarm monitoring and customer care facility. When fully staffed, the center will accommodate more than 400 monitoring operators and customer care specialists. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story2.htm

April 18, 2005 - DICTAPHONE TO SELL RECORDING UNIT- STRATFORD, Conn. - Dictaphone has signed a definitive agreement with NICE Systems under which NICE will acquire the assets of Dictaphone's Communication Recording Systems business for $38.5 million. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story3.htm

April 18, 2005 - CITIGROUP GROWING ITS LOUISVILLE PRESENCE- LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Financial giant Citigroup is on its way to reaching its promised goal of employing more than 1,600 workers at its Citi Cards call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story4.htm

April 18, 2005 - MARRIOTT TO CLOSE MARYLAND CENTER- GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Marriott International will close a call center here next month, eliminating 160 local jobs, as more and more customers make hotel reservations online. Read More:http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story5.htm

April 18, 2005 - MERCURY INSURANCE GROWS ITS CALL CENTER- SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Auto insurer Mercury Insurance Group has tripled the size of its call center here since its opening last year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.04.18/story5.htm

April 11, 2005 - Go Daddy opens third Arizona center - GILBERT, Ariz. -- Scottsdale. Ariz.-based Go Daddy Group, a Web domain registry company, plans to hire more than 1,200 workers at its new call center here. It is the company's fourth U.S. call center. Read More

April 11, 2005 - U.S. Airways moves work to Spain, Philippines - ARLINGTON, Va. -- U.S. Airways signed outsourcing contracts with call-center operators Precision Response and Grupo Atento to handle work done by employees in Winston-Salem and Pittsburgh. Read More

April 11, 2005 - United Airlines to close center in Washington state- KENT, WASH. -- United Airlines will close a ticket-reservation call center here, leaving 400 workers without jobs. The move is part of the airline's strategy to cut costs and emerge from bankruptcy. Read More

April 11, 2005 - Tulsa benefits from IBM's outsourcing growth - TULSA, Okla. -- IBM is planning to add as many as 1,000 jobs to a call center here by 2009, nearly doubling its employment in Tulsa. Read More

April 11, 2005 - Former call center workers in India arrested- ANGALORE, India -- Police arrested 12 men in western India on charges of cheating four Citibank customers out of nearly $350,000. Three of the men formerly worked at a call center in Pune. Read More

March 28, 2005 - AMAZON TO EXPAND CALL CENTER- GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Seattle-based Amazon.com plans to expand its call center here even as it closes its warehouse here and also a call center in Tacoma, Wash. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story1.htm

March 28, 2005 - L.L. BEAN TO OPEN CENTER IN BANGOR, MAINE- BANGOR, Maine - Outdoors outfitter L.L. Bean will open a new call center here in August. The facility will employ about 100 workers year-round to start and between 600 and 800 seasonal workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story2.htm

March 28, 2005 - EEOC LAUNCHES NATIONAL CENTER- WASHINGTON - Amid controversy, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week launched its outsourced National Contact Center to help respond to the more than 1 million unsolicited calls the agency receives each year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story3.htm

March 28, 2005 - VERIZON WIRELESS TO GROW S.C. CENTER- COLUMBIA, S.C. - Citing booming business, Verizon Wireless will be adding 250 new employees at its call center here over the next several months, bringing the total number of employees at the 24-hour center to about 1,600. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story4.htm

March 28, 2005 - TELEMARKETER TO OPEN TWO MARYLAND CENTERS- BALTIMORE, Md. - Telemarketing firm Civic Development Group, based in Edison, N.J., plans to open two call centers in Maryland - one in Baltimore and another in Largo. Each center is expected to employ 200 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story5.htm

March 28, 2005 - OUTSOURCER TO ADD 500 JOBS IN TEXAS- EL PASO, TEXAS - Houston, Texas-based outsourcing firm GC Services plans to hire 500 people by the end of the year for a new call center here. The center will handle calls for a utility company, but GC officials did not disclose the client's name. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.28/story6.htm

March 21, 2005 - DELL TO OPEN THIRD CALL CENTER IN INDIA - ROUND ROCK, TEXAS - Computer-maker Dell plans to open a new contact center in India and hire 300 workers to handle calls from customers around the world. The center, slated to open later this month, will be Dell's third in India. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.21/story1.htm

March 21, 2005 - MBNA TO CLOSE FOUR FACILITIES - WILMINGTON, Del. - Credit card company MBNA will close a call center in Rockland, Maine, which employs 300 people. It will also close an education center in Northport, Maine; a 50-employee call center in Dover, N.H.; and a facility in California. Closures are slated for April and May. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.21/story2.htm

March 21, 2005 - CONVERGYS TO CLOSE FLORIDA CENTER- FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Outsourcing firm Convergys Corp. will close its call center here on May 16. The facility, which now employs 200, at one time had as many as 1,250 people on staff. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.21/story3.htm

March 21, 2005 - RYLA TELESERVICES TO OPEN PROVIDENCE CENTER- PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Atlanta-based customer service outsourcing firm Ryla Teleservices is expanding operations here with a new call center to handle inbound support phone calls for GTECH Corp., whose headquarters are in Providence. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.21/story4.htm

March 21, 2005 - COLLECTION COMPANY TO EXPAND IN TEXAS- HOUSTON, Texas - Redline Recovery Services, a provider of collection services, will open a 250-seat call center here on April 15. The facility will be the Alpharetta, Ga.-based company's second. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.21/story5.htm

March 14, 2005 - AETNA TO OPEN PRESCRIPTION CENTER- POMPANO BEACH, Fla. - Healthcare insurance giant Aetna Inc. plans to open a prescription mail-order center here later this year, promising to create 800 jobs within three years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.14/story1.htm

March 14, 2005 - VERIZON OPENS WEB SERVICE CENTER IN VIRGINIA- HAMPTON - Verizon Communications hired 180 employees for the new call center it opened here last week to support its new fiber optics, high-speed Internet service. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.14/story2.htm

March 14, 2005 - US AIRWAYS LOOKS SOUTH OF THE BORDER - US Airways call center jobs in Pittsburgh, Pa. and Winston-Salem, N.C. could go to a center in Central America. US Airways executives are planning to outsource the jobs of more than 700 reservation agents to an El Salvador center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.14/story3.htm

March 14, 2005 - USAA TO GROW PHOENIX OPERATIONS - PHOENIX -Financial-services giant USAA said it plans to add an additional 350 positions to its Phoenix operations this year in addition to the 300 people the company recently hired. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.14/story4.htm

March 14, 2005 - RAINMAKER FACES NASDAQ DELISTING- SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - Outsourcing firm Rainmaker Systems, which provides sales and marketing programs for service contracts, has received a letter from Nasdaq notifying it that it has six months to regain compliance with The Nasdaq SmallCap Market's $1 minimum bid price rule. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.014/story5.htm

March 7, 2005 - MEDICARE CONTRACT SAVES 650 CALL CENTER JOBS, ADDS 600 MORE- COLUMBIA, S.C. - A new $142 million Medicare contract means outsourcing call center firm Palmetto GBA will double its workforce, adding 600 new positions to the 650 it already has here and in Florence. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.07/story1.htm

March 7, 2005 - ICT GROUP SETTLES LABOR SUIT WITH NEARLY $15 MILLION- NEWTOWN, Pa. - ICT Group, a provider of customer management and business process outsourcing services, will pay $14.75 million to settle the outstanding 1998 class action litigation filed in West Virginia against the company. Under the terms of the settlement, ICT does not admit liability or wrongdoing. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.07/story2.htm

March 7, 2005 - IOWA, SOUTH DAKOTA LAND QWEST CENTERS- SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Two days after unveiling plans for a new call center in Sioux Falls, S.D., last week, telecommunications giant Qwest Communications announced it is opening an even larger center in Sioux City, Iowa. Hiring will begin in April, with the facility operational by May. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.07/story3.htm

March 7, 2005 - WACHOVIA CELEBRATES OREGON CENTER- SALEM, Ore. - Wachovia, the nation's fourth largest bank, celebrated the grand opening of its call center here last week with a grand opening event that drew local and state dignitaries. The center employs more than 400 people and Wachovia expects to hire 150 more workers by May. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story4.htm

March 7, 2005 - INFONXX TO HIRE 150 NEW WORKERS FOR TUCSON CENTER- TUCSON, Ariz. - Infonxx, which provides directory assistance and enhanced information services, is looking to hire 150 additional customer service representatives for its call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.03.07/story5.htm

Feb. 28, 2005 - LANDS' END TO CLOSE WISCONSIN CENTER- CROSS PLAINS, Wis. - Clothing and home accessories retailer Lands' End plans to close its call center here on June 5. The move, which executives said is part of a company restructuring, will eliminate 375 full-time and part-time jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story1.htm

Feb. 28, 2005 - WEST CORP. TO EXPAND IN OHIO- NILES, Ohio - Call center outsourcing firm West Corp, which already employs 800 people at a center here, will hire 700 more workers in May. West executives said the company recently landed a new contract with a satellite television company. They did not name the company. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story2.htm

Feb. 28, 2005 - PROGRESSIVE TO GROW IN FLORIDA- TAMPA, Fla. - Auto insurer Progressive Insurance plans to hire 500 workers for its call center in southern Hillsborough County, Fla., this year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story3.htm

Feb. 28, 2005 - SITEL RAISES WAGES TO FILL 300 JOBS- LONGVIEW, Texas - Customer service outsourcing firm Sitel has increased its starting wages to help fill 300 jobs available immediately at its call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story4.htm

Feb. 28, 2005 - FORMER CALL CENTER WORKER ARRESTED IN IDENTITY THEFT CASE- ALEXANDRIA, La. - Police have arrested a former call center employee who allegedly gave a customer's personal information to a friend. Police said the friend used the information to run up an $11,000 bill. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.28/story5.htm

Feb. 21, 2005 - CONVERGYS TAPS SPRINT, EXPANDS IN TEXAS- CINCINNATI - Customer service and billing outsourcing firm Convergys has awarded a three-year, multimillion-dollar telecommunications services contract to Sprint. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Convergys also announced it would add 200 positions to its Killeen, Texas call center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.21/story1.htm

Feb. 21, 2005 - AMERICAN HEALTHWAYS TO GROW MARYLAND CENTER- COLUMBIA, MD. - American Healthways, which opened a nurse call center here last year, plans to hire 200 new employees, taking the staff number up to 335. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.21/story2.htm

Feb. 21, 2005 - CINGULAR TO CUT 182 JOBS IN WASHINGTON STATE- SEATTLE - Cingular Wireless announced it would lay off 182 call center workers in Washington state - Bothell, Redmond and Seattle. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.21/story3.htm

Feb. 21, 2005 - CHICO'S MOVES ITS CALL CENTER- FORT MEYERS, FLA. - Call center operations for women's apparel retailer Chico's will be relocated to ease crowding at the company's world headquarters on Metro Parkway here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.21/story4.htm

Feb. 21, 2005 - CALL CENTER WORKERS COLLECT THOUSANDS FROM HMO SALE- MIAMI - CarePlus employees received checks for as much as a year of salary - a bonus from owner Mike Fernandez, who passed along $26 million to more than 1,000 employees when he closed on the sale of the Medicare HMO to Louisville, Ky.-based Humana. Sixty of those workers were call center representatives. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.21/story5.htm

Feb. 14, 2005 - GEISINGER HEALTH SYSTEM TO OPEN CALL CENTER - MOOSIC, Pa. - Geisinger Health System will open a customer service call center and patient financial services center here in April. The Danville-based health-care company leased the 60,000-square-foot building from Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.14/story1.htm

Feb. 14, 2005 - CLIENT SERVICES INC TO ADD 125 EMPLOYEES- ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO - Client Services, Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the St. Louis metro area, announced that it will add 125 employees at its new 40,000 square-foot facility here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.14/story2.htm

Feb. 14, 2005 - MILES KIMBALL TO CLOSE CALL CENTER- OSKOSH, Wis. - Catalogue marketer Miles Kimball Co. announced it will close its Oshkosh call center, moving the 120 jobs, including 20 full-time jobs, to its Las Vegas call center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.14/story3.htm

Feb. 14, 2005 - VOXIFY GETS 410 MILLION IN FINANCING - Voxify, developer of automated response units for call centers, has raised $10 million in an oversubscribed second round of institutional funding. The funding was led by Sigma Partners. Previous investors El Dorado Ventures and Palomar Ventures also participated. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.14/story4.htm

Feb. 14, 2005 - ALABAMA TO STOP SENDING FOOD STAMP CALLS TO INDIA- MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Department of Human Resources plans to end the practice of routing calls from food stamp recipients to a call center in India, but it likely will cost the agency more to do it. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.14/story5.htm

Feb. 07, 2005 - DELTA TO CLOSE BOSTON, L.A. CENTERS - BOSTON - Financially strapped Delta Air Lines plans to close on Sept. 1 reservation call centers in Boston and Los Angeles. The move will cut 750 positions. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.07/story1.htm

Feb. 07, 2005 - INSURANCE GIANT TO OPEN TEXAS CENTER - LEWISVILLE, TEXAS - Insurance giant 21st Century Insurance Group, which sells policies directly to consumers, will open a new call center here in September. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.07/story2.htm

Feb. 07, 2005 - ACS TO OPEN NEW KENTUCKY FACILITY- PIKEVILLE, KY, - Affiliated Computer Services Inc., which provides business process outsourcing and information-technology solutions, plans to open a call center here that initially will employ more than 300 workers. The center is slated to open later this month. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.07/story3.htm

Feb. 07, 2005 - HP TO HIRE 200 FOR SALES CENTER- BOISE, Idaho - Hewlett-Packard will open a new online sales call center here this fall, with plans to hire 200 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.07/story4.htm

Feb. 07, 2005 - ONE KANSAS CENTER OPENS, ANOTHER CLOSES - WICHITA, Kan. - Bartlesville, Okla.-based On-Line Communications will open a call center here next month and start operations with 25 workers, while McLane Foodservice Distribution is pulling its call center out of Wichita and taking 120 jobs to the Dallas area. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.02.07/story5.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - AT&T TO SLASH CALL CENTER JOBS - BEDMINSTER, N.J. - Financially-strapped telecommunications company AT&T is cutting 1,700 workers and closing four customer service centers across the country - in Mesa, Ariz., Marietta, Ga., Town and Country, Mo., and Syracuse, N.Y. The layoffs take effect in 60 days. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story1.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - US AIRWAYS PICKS WINSTON-SALEM FOR CONSOLIDATED CENTER- WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - US Airways Group Inc. will consolidate its call-center operations in Winston-Salem while closing a facility in Pittsburgh. The consolidation is slated to begin in April and be completed by September. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story2.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - RAPID RESPONSE MONITORING GROWS SYRACUSE CENTER- SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Alarm monitoring company Rapid Response Monitoring Services announced it would hire up to 140 call center workers here in its home town to handle phone calls from around the country. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story3.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - FORMER INDIA CALL CENTER COMES HOME- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A toll-free call center handling calls from Missouri welfare recipients will be relocated from India to Missouri, and it will cost taxpayers $1 million more a year to operate. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story4.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - OUTBOUND CALL CENTER TO OPEN IN OREGON- OAK RIDGE, Ore. - CDG Management LLC, which makes calls to solicit contributions for police and fire departments as well as other groups, is opening a call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story5.htm

Jan. 31, 2005 - J.C.. PENNEY TO CLOSE UTAH CENTER- BOUNTIFUL, Utah - Citing a dwindling number of calls, J.C. Penney announced it would close its call center here, leaving 375 people without jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.31/story6.htm

Jan. 24, 2005 - LOCK/LINE TO HIRE 500 FOR COLORADO CENTER- EVANS, Colo. - Lock/line LLC, which handles wireless phone insurance claims, is set to open a new call center here in the spring that is expected to employ 500 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.24/story1.htm

Jan. 24, 2005 - EDS GROWS ITS OUTSOURCING BUSINESS - HOUSTON - Electronic Data Systems Corp. agreed to pay about $420 million for the human resources outsourcing unit of Stamford, Conn.-based consulting group Towers Perrin. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.24/story2.htm

Jan. 24, 2005 - SYKES TO MOVE CALL CENTER WORK FROM INDIA- TAMPA, Fla. - Teleservices outsourcing firm Sykes Enterprises will move half of its call center business out of India after it received customer complaints that Indian accents were hard to understand. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.24/story3.htm

Jan. 24, 2005 - VOICE AT LOCAL MCDONALD'S DRIVE-THROUGH MAY BE MILES AWAY- HERMISTON, Ore. - The McDonald's restaurant here in this rural farming town has tapped a call center in Grand Forks, N.D. to help fill its orders. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.24/story4.htm

Jan. 24, 2005 - TELESERVICES FIRM PICKS DUBUQUE- DUBUQUE, Iowa - Teleservices firm American Customer Care Inc. of Bristol, Conn., plans to open a call center here next month, initially with about 50 workers. The company expects to create 150 jobs this year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.24/story5.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - J.P. MORGAN TO CLOSE FLORIDA CENTER, CUT 1,900 POSITIONS - TAMPA, Fla. - Financial services firm J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. says it will close its credit-card call center here by the end of the year, leaving 1,900 workers without jobs. Company executives cited continued streamlining of operations resulting from consolidation with Bank One as the reason for the closure. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story1.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - CINGULAR CALL CENTER WORKERS WIN BACK PAY - SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Cellular phone company Cingular Wireless will pay $5.11 million in back wages to nearly 26,000 customer service employees to settle government charges that the company violated federal overtime laws. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story2.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - TWO TELVISTA CLIENTS DRIVE CALL CENTER EXPANSION - ODESSA, Texas - Outsourcing firm Telvista plans to double its call center staff here, with plans to hire 400 workers in the next few months. Telvista executives said the expansion is under way to accommodate additional work from two customers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story3.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - CLIENTLOGIC TO CLOSE ITS BUFFALO CENTER - BUFFALO, N.Y. - Nashville-based ClientLogic, a customer service outsourcing firm, is closing its call center here March 11. The closure will leave 200 people without jobs. Company officials said ClientLogic customer United Online chose to send its customer service work to a call center ClientLogic operates in India. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story4.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - LIGHTBRIDGE TO GET LIGHTER YET - BROOMFIELD, Colo. - Transaction processing provider Lightbridge will close its call center here on Jan. 28, affecting about 40 workers, or 8 percent of the company's total call center workforce. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story5.htm

Jan. 17, 2005 - CAR RENTAL CENTER TO CLOSE IN FLORIDA - BOCA RATON, Fla. - A center that handles reservation calls for Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental will close by the end of March, leaving 245 people without jobs. Vanguard Car Rental USA, parent of Alamo and National, blamed the closure on the dwindling number of calls. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.17/story6.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - CALL CENTERS PLAY ROLE IN HELPING TSUNAMI SURVIVORS - An insurance call center in India, the Red Cross International Center in San Diego and World Vision's facility in Seattle are among the businesses and organizations around the world that are helping the survivors of the tsunami in South Asia. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story1.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - ORACLE TAKES OVER PEOPLESOFT- REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Oracle Corp. ended 2004 by taking control of rival PeopleSoft. The move ended an 18-month hostile takeover fight. Both companies make call center and business management software. The takeover makes Oracle the No. 2 maker of business-management software. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story2.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - ALLCONNECT TO OPEN UTAH CENTER - ST. GEORGE, Utah - Allconnect, which provides household relocation services, is opening a 25,600 square-foot call center here on Jan. 12. The center will employ up to 250 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story3.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - GO DADDY TO OPEN ARIZONA CENTER - GILBERT, Ariz. - A Scottsdale, Ariz.-based domain registrar plans to open a call center here in late January. The center will employ between 200 and 225 people at first. Plans call for 600 to 750 workers in the 40,000-square-foot facility eventually. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story4.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - DEBT COLLECTOR TO OPEN INDIANA CENTER - MARION, Ind. - Debt collection company Titan Recovery Group plans to open a call center here and hire 250 full-time employees within 18 months. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story5.htm

Jan. 3, 2005 - ICT SHORT-LIVED NEAR BUFFALO - AMHERST, N.Y. - About 200 workers, hired just eight weeks ago at a new ICT call center here, were laid off last week after ICT reportedly lost a contract with Experian. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2005.01.05/story5.htm

Dec. 27, 2004 - EDS TO ADD 400 CALL CENTER JOBS TO BOISE- BOISE, Idaho - EDS Corp. plans to hire 400 new help desk agents for its call center here over the next year. The expansion, which will bring the total number of employees here to 900, was prompted by a contract to handle work associated with the U.S. Navy Marine Corps intranet. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.27/story1.htm

Dec. 27, 2004 - RESOLVED: TO SCRUB EVERY 31 DAYS - WASHINGTON - Beginning Jan. 1, the Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule will require telemarketers to access the National Do Not Call Registry and purge newly-registered numbers from their call lists every 31 days. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.27/story2.htm

Dec. 27, 2004 - US AIRWAYS CUSTOMER REPS AGREE TO PAY CUTS - ARLINGTON, Va. - US Airways' approximately 5,600 airport customer service and reservations call center employees, represented by the Communications Workers of America, ratified a cost-savings agreement that will reduce US Airways' costs by approximately $137 million annually. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.27/story3.htm

Dec. 27, 2004 - COMCAST TO HIRE 300 CALL CENTER REPS IN NEW ENGLAND- BOSTON - Cable TV giant Comcast says it will add 300 jobs in New England to handle more calls about high-speed Internet service. The hiring is slated for the first quarter of 2005. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.27/story4.htm

Dec. 27, 2004 - NEW CENTER STILL HIRING IN MONTANA - KALISPELL, Mont. - TeleTech's new call center here has about 200 employees, and it is continuing to review job applications. TeleTech opened the center in November. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.27/story5.htm

Dec. 20, 2004 - SIEBEL TO ACQUIRE EDOCS- SAN MATEO, Calif. - Siebel Systems, a maker of customer service and call center applications, says it will buy Natick, Mass.-based edocs Inc., which provides e-billing services and makes software that promotes customer self-service. The all-cash deal is worth $115 million. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.20/story1.htm

Dec. 20, 2004 - WITNESS SYSTEMS TO ACQUIRE BLUE PUMPKIN- ATLANTA - Witness Systems, which provides performance optimization software and services, has reached an agreement to purchase Blue Pumpkin Software, Inc., which makes workforce management solutions. The deal is valued at about $75 million. Approximately $40 million of the purchase price is being paid in cash and the remainder in Witness Systems stock. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.20/story2.htm

Dec. 20, 2004 - WEST TO ADD 300 WORKERS TO VIRGINIA CENTER - HAMPTON, Va. - Call center operator West Corp. is adding at least 300 jobs to its call center here. Executives said business growth prompted the expansion. The center now employs about 1,400 workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.20/story3.htm

Dec. 20, 2004 - RED CROSS CENTER OPENS IN LOUISVILLE- LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The American Red Cross has opened its new call center here where call takers will field calls from from 27 states. The center, operated by the Louisville Area Chapter of the Red Cross, is expected to handle more than 30,000 calls each year, most of them emergency related. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.20/story4.htm

Dec. 20, 2004 - LIGHTBRIDGE TO RESTRUCTURE - BURLINGTON, Mass. - Lightbridge, Inc., which provides analytics, decision-making and e-commerce applications is restructuring its business in order to lower overall expenses. The move follows the company's recent announcement of an anticipated revenue reduction as a result of the acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services, Inc. by Cingular Wireless. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.20/story5.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - DONE DEAL: ORACLE FINALLY GETS PEOPLESOFT- PLEASANTON, Calif. - After 18 months of fighting a takeover by rival Oracle Corp., PeopleSoft agreed Monday to allow the Oracle purchase for $10.3 billion. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story1.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - ACS LANDS $25 MILLION DEAL WITH OFFICE DEPOT- DALLAS - Call center firm ACS struck a seven-year $25 million deal with Office Depot to provide the office supply company with credit, collection and sales tax support work that previously had been done in-house. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story2.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - TELVISTA SHIFTS CALL CENTER JOBS- ODESSA, Texas Customer service outsourcing firm Telvista is hiring for its new $4 million call center here to offset the loss of 650 jobs at its Plano facility. Telvista will close it Plano center at the end of the first quarter. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story3.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - TRAVELOCITY CENTER TO CLOSE DEC. 17- CLINTWOOD, Va. Internet-based travel company travelocity.com is poised to close its call center here Dec. 17. The move will leave 135 people without jobs. Most of the calls handled by the center here will go to a call center in India. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story4.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - STUDENT LOAN CENTER TO EXPAND IN TEXAS- LINCOLN, Neb. Nelnet plans to open a student loan generation service center in Texas next April. The center will provide a greater level of support and service to schools, lenders, and Nelnet's brand partners in The Texas market, company executives said. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story5.htm

Dec. 13, 2004 - CALL CENTER REVAMP TO SPEED CLAIMS PROCESSING- TAMPA, Fla. A revamp of call center operations will enable Citizens Property Insurance Co. to settle all its hurricane-related claims by year's end, according to company officials. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.13/story6.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - CONVERGYS TO CLOSE NASHVILLE CENTER- NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Cincinnati-based Convergys is closing a call center here as part of a cost-cutting measure that will eliminate 825 jobs. The center is slated to close in March. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story1.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - US AIRWAYS CALL CENTER AGENTS MAY FACE BUY-OUT DECISIONS- CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Leaders of US Airways ticket-agents union have agreed on a new pact that would save the airline $150 million a year. The agreement requires approval by the airline's 5,600 reservations agents and airport customer-service agents. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story2.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - EPIXTAR COMPLETES CALL CENTER DEAL- MIAMI - Outsourcing company Epixtar Corp. has finalized a deal to acquire Innovative Marketing Strategies, including its Philippine and three U.S. call centers, for $7.5 million. The acquisition is to take effect Jan. 3. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story3.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - CRUISE LINE BUYS NORTH DAKOTA CENTER- WILLISTON, N.D. - Seattle-based international cruise company Holland America Line Inc. has purchased a call center here for $1.2 million. The center, which will handle reservations, is slated to open on Jan. 3. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story4.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - CITIZENS BANK TO UPGRADE RHODE ISLAND CENTER- CRANSTON, R.I. - A call center upgrade here is part of Citizens Bank's plans to add 525 jobs in Rhode Island over the next 16 months. The call center work is one piece of the bank's $40 million expansion of its operations. About 30 percent of the new jobs are designated for the center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story5.htm

Dec. 6, 2004 - NORTEL LANDS $5 MILLION BT CONTRACT - BRAMPTON, Ontario - Nortel Networks has won a $5 million contract to link British Telecom's 124 call center sites. Nortel's voice-over-Internet technology will connect about 10,000 agents into a virtual contact center.Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.12.06/story6.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - PENNSYLVANIA-BASED ICT LANDS $29 MILLION FEDERAL CONTRACT- WASHINGTON - The U.S. General Services Administration awarded its USA Service FirstContact contract to the ICT Group of Newtown, Pa. ICT will operate the Federal Citizen Information Center's National Contact Center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story1.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - COMPUTER ASSOCIATES TO MANAGE SOFTWARE IN BEIRUT- NEW YORK - Global software giant Computer Associates is investing $10 million in a contact center in Beirut as part of its plans to establish a series of offices across the Middle East over the next six months. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story2.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - DECISIONONE TO GROW TULSA CENTER- TULSA, Okla. - DecisionOne plans to hire 180 new full-time wireless technical support representatives at its call center here to meet the growing demand from DecisionOne remote technical support customers, who rely on customer support representatives to handle rapidly increasing call volumes. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story3.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - ARE THERE ENOUGH WORKERS FOR TWO CALL CENTERS IN ONE SMALL MAINE TOWN? - OAKLAND, Maine - There's room enough for two - or rather employees enough to staff both a wireless phone call center operated by T-Mobile USA and one operated by Maine native L.L. Bean, the well known catalog retailer. That's what Maine officials are telling the self-described outdoors outfitter as they try to persuade its executives to keep to continue with plans to open a call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story4.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - FEED THE CHILDREN EXPANDS NATIONAL CENTER - ELKHART, Ind. - The Christian relief organization Feed the Children is expected to create at least 160 jobs with the opening of its first national call center here early in 2005. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story5.htm

Nov. 29, 2004 - COLDWATER CREEK'S RETAIL EXPANSION FUELS CALL CENTER OPERATION- SANDPOINT, Idaho - National retailer Coldwater Creek Inc., will add 60 employees here in 2005, and it also will launch a major renovation that will boost its office space by more than 50 percent. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.29/story6.htm

Nov. 22, 2004 - T-MOBILE TO OPEN 700-JOB CALL CENTER IN MAINE- OAKLAND, Maine - Wireless telephone company T-Mobile USA will open a new call center here, which could employ as many as 700 people over two-years. The company plans to start hiring in the spring. Opening of the facility is slated for summer. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.22/story1.htm

Nov. 22, 2004 - ROYAL CARIBBEAN PLANS $60 MILLION CENTER IN OREGON- SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Royal Caribbean executives say the cruise line will build a $60 million, 180,000-square-foot customer service center here that will eventually employ 1,000 workers. The company expects to break ground in January. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.22/story2.htm

Nov. 22, 2004 - CHICAGO-BASED U.S. CELLULAR PLANS ILLINOIS CENTER- BOLINGBROOK, Ill. - A new U.S. Cellular call center planned to open here in mid 2005 is expected to generate 450 jobs over the next two years. The Chicago-based wireless phone company said the center will provide customer service and tech support to the Chicago area and northern Indiana. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.22/story3.htm

Nov. 22, 2004 - PRC EXPANDS IN PENNSYLVANIA - MIFFLIN, Pa. Teleservices outsourcing firm Precision Response Corp. added 400 employees to its contact center here to handle an expanded customer service program. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.22/story4.htm

Nov. 22, 2004 - USAA TO GROW CALL CENTER WORKFORCE - PHOENIX - Insurance and financial services company USAA plans to increase its Phoenix workforce by 400 to 500 people, up to 2,050 by year's end. A majority of the new jobs will be call center positions. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.22/story5.htm

Nov. 15, 2004 - CAPITAL ONE TO SHUTTER SEATTLE CENTER- SEATTLE - McLean, Va.-based Capital One Financial Corp. is closing a credit card processing center here, eliminating 260 jobs. The center, which opened less than five years ago, is slated for closure in March. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.15/story1.htm

Nov. 15, 2004 - GE CASHES IN OUTSOURCING ARM FOR $500 MILLION - NEW DELHI, India - General Electric Co., has sold a 60 percent stake in its Indian outsourcing arm, GE Capital Services, to two U.S. private equity investment firms for $500 million. The buyers are General Atlantic Partners and Oak Hill Capital Partners. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.15/story2.htm

Nov. 15, 2004 - INFOCISION TO EXPAND IN THREE STATES- AKRON, Ohio - InfoCision, a telemarketing firm headquartered here, plans to add up to 400 workers in the first quarter next year in call centers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.15/story3.htm

Nov. 15, 2004 - ORACLE GIVES PEOPLESOFT NOV. 19 DEADLINE- PLEASANTON, Calif. - PeopleSoft has dismissed Oracle's latest hostile takeover offer of $9.2 billion, or $24 per share. PeopleSoft's board of directors voted unanimously last week to recommend that stockholders reject the proposal, saying the offer is well below the company's value. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.15/story4.htm

Nov. 15, 2004 - GLOBAL CONTRACT SRVICES TO OPEN SECOND VIRGINIA CENTER - SALTVILLE, Va. - Global Contract Services, a Salisbury, N.C.-based company, will open its second call center in Virginia, creating at least 200 jobs in a region hard hit by the loss of textile and manufacturing jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.15/story5.htm

Nov. 8, 2004 - SBC EYES CLOSING OF FIVE CALL CENTERS AMID JOB CUTS DETROIT- San Antonio, Texas-based telephone company SBC Communications said it is slashing jobs at its Livonia and Saginaw, Mich. offices outside Detroit. The cuts are part of a planned layoff of 10,000 employees nationwide by December 2005. they include at least 500 metro Detroit workers, and the possible closing of five call centers in Michigan within the next three years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.08/story1.htm

Nov. 8, 2004 - VERIZON OPENS NEW ARIZONA CENTER - CHANDLER, Ariz.- Verizon Wireless opened its $20 million regional headquarters here last week. The new center is expected to create 300 jobs and bring 1,200 workers under one facility. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.08/story2.htm

Nov. 8, 2004 - QWEST TO CLOSE ALBUQUERQUE CENTER - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- About 200 Qwest employees will be looking for new work later this month as the communications company closes its downtown Albuquerque call center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.08/story3.htm

Nov. 8, 2004 - ICT TO OPEN NEW CALL CENTER IN NEW YORK - AMHERST, N.Y.- ICT Group is opening a 230-job call center here, its third in the Buffalo area, to handle customer service work for banks and financial firms. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.08/story4.htm

Nov. 8, 2004 - KODAK SUBSIDIARY TO CUT CALL CENTER JOBS - DURHAM N.C.- Qualex, the film-processing subsidiary of Eastman Kodak, has eliminated 300 jobs at its Durham operations, cutting its staff there by more than half. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.08/story5.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - DELL TO BUILD OKLAHOMA CITY CALL CENTER OKLAHOMA CITY- Computer maker Dell Inc. plans to build a 120,000-square-foot call center on a 60-acre site here on the south bank of the Oklahoma River. The new facility will house Dell's new sales and customer service center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story1.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - OFFICE DEPOT TO CUT 900 CALL CENTER JOBS NEW YORK- Streamlining efforts by Office Depot will mean the loss of 900 call center jobs around the country. The office products retailer said it will consolidate eight inbound telemarketing call centers and three outbound account management locations, and it will outsource much of its call center work. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story2.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - UNITED TO MOVE 650 JOBS TO INDIA CHICAGO- Financially troubled United Airlines, seeking to cut costs, said it will outsource about 650 reservations jobs to India, and it will cut jobs in the United States. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story3.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - NEW BANK CENTER TO HIRE UP TO 900 PROVIDENCE, R. I. - Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp. plans to open a call center here by the middle of next year, adding 700 to 900 jobs for the area. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story4.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - MORTGAGE SERVICE CALL CENTER SELECTS TAOS, N.M.- CiDirect, an Iowa-based provider of outsourcing services for mortgage servicing organizations, is set to open a new bilingual insurance sales and service call center here this quarter. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story5.htm

Nov. 1, 2004 - TELETECH BEGINS HIRING FOR MONTANA CENTER KALISPELL, Mont. - TeleTech Inc. has begun to hire workers for a new call center here that is expected to employ 150 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.11.01/story6.htm

Oct. 25, 2004 - SPHERIX LANDS $3.2 MILLION CALL CENTER CONTRACTS BELTSVILLE, Md.- Spherix Inc. has been awarded contracts worth approximately $3.2 million per year to operate call centers for Maryland state agencies. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.25/story1.htm

Oct. 25, 2004 - CALL CENTER DIALING FOR ELECTION DAY LEANINGS FORT MEYERS, Fla.- SRBI Public Research's call center is conducting a poll for Time magazine on the upcoming election. Agents are calling men and women all over the country. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.25/story2.htm

Oct. 25, 2004 - REPORT: U.S. CALL CENTER JOB LOSS WORSE THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED - A new report by two university researchers shows that the outsourcing of U.S. call center jobs to other countries is much worse than earlier counts. They estimate job losses to outsourcing will be more than 400,000 by the end of the year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.25/story3.htm

Oct. 25, 2004 - INSURANCE FIRM TO OPEN CALL CENTER IN LOUISIANA BATON ROUGE, La.- The State Bond Commission has cleared the way for an auto insurance company based in Nashville, Tenn., to build a customer service call center in Baton Rouge, a move the company said would let it quadruple its work force in the capital city in the next five years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.25/story4.htm

Oct. 25, 2004 - NEW MEXICO AWAITS NEW CALL CENTER CLOVIS, N.M. - Clovis appears close to landing a new call center that would employ 600 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.25/story5.htm

Oct. 18, 2004 - IRS GETS GO AHEAD TO OUTSOURCE TAX COLLECTION WASHINGTON- A bill that passed in the Senate earlier this month gives the green light to the Internal Revenue Service to hire private collection agencies to collect unpaid taxes. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.18/story1.htm

Oct. 18, 2004 - TELEMARKETING FIRM REBOUNDS PHILADELPHIA - In the months before the national do-not-call list went into effect, Tele-Response Center laid off more than 150 workers at its outbound call center here. Today, the company, having switched its focus, is back to full force. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.18/story2.htm

Oct. 18, 2004 - CENDANT TO CUT NEARLY 300 CALL CENTER JOBS KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Travel and real estate giant Cendant Corp. is closing its Knoxville operation and eliminating all 294 jobs. Sixty-two workers will lose their jobs on Dec. 13, with the remaining positions slated to be cut on Jan. 14. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.18/story3.htm

Oct. 18, 2004 - MASSACHUSETTS CITY, MONTANA LOOK TO OUTSIDE FIRMS FOR COLLECTIONS SPRINGFIELD, Mass.- The city has called for a private collection agency to tackle $47 million - perhaps more - in delinquent taxes owed to the public coffers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.18/story4.htm

Oct. 18, 2004 - CALL CENTER ENTREPRENEUR ENTERS HEALTH CARE SECTOR SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The former president of West Teleservices Direct has acquired a San Antonio medical call center. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.18/story5.htm

Oct. 12, 2004 - DELTA SAYS IT WILL KEEP CALL CENTERS OPEN CINCINNATI- Even amid rumors that financially troubled Delta Air Lines would begin to close some of its 11 call centers, the company announced last week that it was hiring as many as 200 new call center workers nationwide. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.12/story1.htm

Oct. 12, 2004 - CALL CENTER IN INDIA BUYS NEW YORK COLLECTIONS FIRM AMHERST, N.Y.- Account Solutions Group LLC, a 500-job debt collector has been bought by an Indian call center company looking to enter the U.S. collection industry. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.12/story2.htm

Oct. 12, 2004 - AEGIS TO CLOSE NORTH CAROLINA CENTER ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.- Outsourcing firm Aegis Communications Group Inc. will close its call center here on Oct. 22, eliminating 84 positions. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.12/story3.htm

Oct. 12, 2004 - QWEST INTRODUCES HOSTED CALL CENTER SOLUTION DENVER - Qwest Communications International Inc. has launched a new network-hosted call center solution that the company says reduces large capital, networking, and specialized IT staffing and equipment maintenance costs by 30 to 50 percent. The solution, called Q Routing, also integrates with VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) and existing voice technologies. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.12/story4.htm

Oct. 12, 2004 - SORENSON MEDIA OPENS ATLANTA CENTER ATLANTA- Sorenson Media has opened a Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) call center here, one of several operating nationwide to meet the company's continually increasing video relay call volume from deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.12/story5.htm

Oct. 4, 2004 - WEST TO OPEN NEW OHIO CENTER, CREATE 880 JOBS NILES, Ohio- Omaha, Neb.-based outsourcing firm West Corp. has announced plans to open a customer service center here that is expected to employ 880 people. The 82,000-square-foot call center is scheduled to open next month. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.04/story1.htm

Oct. 4, 2004 - CAPITAL ONE'S TEXAS CENTER TO CLOSE IRVING, Texas- Capital One Financial Corp. is closing its call center here in June and shifting most of the work to its center in Richmond, Va. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.04/story2.htm

Oct. 4, 2004 - STREAM TO CLOSE OREGON CENTER EUGENE, Ore.- Technology support firm Stream is closing its downsized center here, leaving the remaining 100 customer service representatives without jobs. Texas-based Stream has not yet decided whether to close the call center permanently. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.04/story3.htm

Oct. 4, 2004 - ARTISOFT COMPLETES VERTICAL NETWORKS DEAL CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Artisoft, a provider of software-based IP-PBX and call center products, has completed the acquisition of privately held, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Vertical Networks, a provider of distributed IP-PBX software and communications solutions to large enterprises. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.10.04/story4.htm

Sept. 27, 2004 - VERIZON TO OPEN NORTH CAROLINA CENTER WILMINGTON, N.C. - Verizon Wireless last week held grand opening ceremonies for its new $30 million call center here. Center officials estimate the facility will employ 1,200 people by the end of 2005. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.27/story1.htm

Sept. 27, 2004 - MCI TO LAY OFF 500 CALL CENTER WORKERS NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Telecommunications giant MCI plans to close its call center here the day after Thanksgiving, laying off about 500 workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.27/story2.htm

Sept. 27, 2004 - TELVISTA CUTS RIBBON ON NEW TEXAS CENTER ODESSA, Texas - Outsourcing firm Telvista Co. opened its $4 million call center here last week, about one year after its site selection. The facility will employ 500 workers when it is fully operational. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.27/story3.htm

Sept. 27, 2004 - SATELLITE TV COMPANY TO CLOSE KANSAS CENTER LENEXA, Kan. - Pegasus Satellite Television, at one time a major seller of DirecTV services, will close its 5-year-old call center here by the end of October, eliminating more than 300 positions. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.27/story4.htm

Sept. 27, 2004 - CINGULAR WIRELESS GROWS CENTERS OKLAHOMA CITY - Cellular phone company Cingular Wireless is adding 90 jobs to its 375-worker call center here to take calls from its growing customer base, and it plans to add another 90 positions by the end of the year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.27/story5.htm

Sept. 20, 2004 - AT&T TO CLOSE ONE CENTER, DOWNSIZE ANOTHER BEDMINSTER, N.J. - As part of a companywide restructuring that is expected to eliminate thousands of jobs, AT&T will close a call center in Charleston, W. Va., eliminating about 275 jobs. The telecom giant will also cut 140 positions from its call center in Fairhaven, Mass. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.20/story1.htm

Sept. 20, 2004 - PEOPLESOFT CIVIL SUIT AGAINST ORACLE DELAYED PLEASANTON, Calif. A judge has delayed from Nov. 1 to Jan. 19 a civil suit filed by PeopleSoft Corp. against rival Oracle Corp. The lawsuit alleges that Oracle deliberately tried to sabotage PeopleSoft by launching a hostile takeover bid in June 2003. Both companies develop and market business processing and call center software. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.20/story2.htm

Sept. 20, 2004 - CRUISE COMPANY STRUGGLES TO MEET TIMETABLE FOR NEW CENTER
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. Â— Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises faces a number of challenges as it moves ahead on its plans to build a call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.20/story3.htm

Sept. 20, 2004 - LOCKLINE POISED TO OPEN NEW CENTER IN WASHINGTON STATE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Lockline, which staffs call centers to answer the questions of about 20 million customers who buy insurance programs for their cell phones, appears ready to open a new call center in Washington state. The center is expected to employ 500 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.20/story4.htm

Sept. 20, 2004 - LIGHTBRIDGE ANNOUNCES MORE LAYOFFS BURLINGTON, Mass. Citing an expected drop in business, outsourcing firm Lightbridge Inc. is cutting 65 jobs, or 12 percent of its workforce. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.20/story5.htm

Sept. 13, 2004 - CONCERTO ACQUIRES ROCKWELL FIRSTPOINT CONTACT WESTFORD, Mass.- Contact center technology maker Concerto Software, best known for its outbound software, has purchased Rockwell FirstPoint Contact from Rockwell Automation. Concerto, a privately-held company, did not disclose the financial details of the deal. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.13/story1.htm

Sept. 13, 2004 - L.L. BEAN TO OPEN TEMPORARY CALL CENTER FREEPORT, Maine - Outdoor outfitter and catalog retailer L.L. Bean will open a temporary call center in Oxford, Maine, for the holiday season, the company said. L.L. Bean executives said the new call center will employ up to 300 customer-service representatives. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.13/story5.htm

Sept. 7, 2004 - RED CROSS DENVER CENTER RESPONDS TO FLORIDA CALLS DENVER- The Red Cross opened a new disaster response call center here Sunday, a week earlier than planned, to accommodate anticipated storm-related calls from Florida. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.07/story1.htm

Sept. 7, 2004 - NEW COST CUTS AT UNITED TO AFFECT CALL CENTER CHICAGO- United Airlines is considering cutting another 6,000 jobs, or about 10 percent of its employees, according to a Financial Times Report, which the company has not yet confirmed or denied. A new round of layoffs will affect the company's call center as United looks for savings to help it return to financial health. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.07/story2.htm

Sept. 7, 2004 - CHARTER ONE'S CLEVELAND CENTER TO CLOSE CLEVELAND- At least 400 Charter One jobs here will be cut, the customer service center closed, and nearly 500 jobs in other states will be eliminated. The cuts are expected to occur in June. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.07/story4.htm

Sept. 7, 2004 - TECHTEAM TO STREAMLINE HELP DESKS FOR MINING EQUIPMENT MAKER MILWAUKEE - Joy Global Inc. has selected TechTeam Global to consolidate its multinational technical help desks and deliver 24x7x365 support. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.07/story5.htm

Sept. 7, 2004 - REPORT: CALL CENTER SERVICE CRITICAL TO FINANCIAL INDUSTRY RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - According to research from business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information, 65 percent of financial customers switch companies because of poor call center customer service. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.09.07/story6.htm

August 30, 2004 - VERIZON WIRELESS TO OPEN SOUTH CAROLINA CENTER - NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Verizon Wireless plans to invest $25 million in what the company calls a state-of-the-art call center, which is slated to open here by the end of the year. The company will hire 1,100 people to support the facility. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.30/story1.htm

August 30, 2004 - MICRODYNE TO GROW IN MAINE - ORONO, Maine - Microdyne Outsourcing will add 250 full-time positions to its Maine call center by the end of the year, John Oakes, president of Microdyne, announced last week. The company already employs 600 people here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.30/story2.htm

August 30, 2004 - CALIFORNIA BILL SEEKS TO LIMIT OFF SHORING - SAN FRANCISCO Â‹ California lawmakers last week sent a bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would bar state agencies from hiring service job contractors unless they certify their work is done within the United States. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.30/story3.htm

August 30, 2004 - GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE TO CLOSE CENTER - PITTSFIELD, Mass. - The Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America will close a dental claims call center here that the company projected would employ 150 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.30/story4.htm

August 30, 2004 - DATAMONITOR: MORE U.S. CALL CENTERS TO CLOSE - LONDON - A recent report from London-based Datamonitor predicts that 3,000 U.S. call centers will close by 2008. The number of call center agent positions in the United States will shrink from 2.86 million in 50,600 centers to 2.72 million in 47,500 centers, according to Datamonitor. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.30/story5.htm

August 23, 2004 - SYKES TO KEEP SOUTH DAKOTA CENTER OPEN - MINOT, N.D. Â—An 11th-hour contract will keep the Sykes call center here open, Sykes executives say. The outsourcing firm had slated the facility, which employs 257 people, for closure on Aug. 31. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.23/story2.htm

August 23, 2004 - QWEST TO CLOSE NEW MEXICO CENTER - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Â—Qwest Communications is closing its center here on Nov. 17, a move that will affect 230 employees. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.23/story3.htm

August 23, 2004 - EXPEDIA TO CLOSE LAS VEGAS CENTER - LAS VEGAS Â—Internet travel company Expedia.com is closing. A representative of the Bellevue, Wash.-based parent company, a division of IAC/InterActiveCorp, said the company would close the Las Vegas operation over the next nine months and transfer some 100 call center jobs to Tacoma, Wash., and Miami. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.23/story4.htm

August 23, 2004 - PRC TESTS THE DOMINICAN MARKET - Precision Response Corp. has launched a near-shore teleservices outsourcing operation with the opening of a 43,000-square-foot call center in the Dominican Republic. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.23/story5.htm

August 17, 2004 - VERIZON WIRELESS SET TO OPEN THIRD CALL CENTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA CHARLESTON, S.C. -Mobile-phone company Verizon Wireless plans to open a call center in North Charleston that will employ 850 workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.16/story2.htm

August 17, 2004 - CITIGROUP TO CLOSE CALIFORNIA CENTER RANCHO CUCAMONGA,Calif. - Financial giant Citigroup plans to close its call center here as part of a corporate restructuring. The move will eliminate 1,140 jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.16/story3.htm

August 17, 2004 - ATG TO ACQUIRE PRIMUS CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -Cambridge, Mass.-based ATG (Art Technology Group, Inc.) a Web software provider, plans to acquire Seattle-based Primus Knowledge Solutions, a developer of customer service software. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.16/story4.htm

August 17, 2004 - TELVISTA OPENS TEXAS CENTER ODESSA, Texas - Calls have begun to flow in at the new $4 million Telvista tech-support center here. By year's end, Telvista expects to have a total workforce of 200 agents and technical-support staff. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.16/story5.htm

August 8, 2004 - NAVY AWARDS CACI $75M IT, CALL CENTER CONTRACT - ARLINGTON, Va. - CACI International Inc. has been awarded a five-year, $75 million contract by the Naval Sea Systems Command that calls on CACI to develop new applications and manage an automated information center and call center support for all corporate information systems for SUPSHIP (the Navy's Supervisor of Shipbuilding). Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.02/story2.htm

August 8, 2004 - DELTA ENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTRACT WITH SYKES - ATLANTA - Financially troubled Delta Air Lines said it will no longer use a call center for customer reservations in India operated by Tampa-based Sykes Enterprises Inc. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.02/story3.htm

August 8, 2004 - TRAVELOCITY TO CLOSE VIRGINIA CENTER - CLINTWOOD, Va. - The Travelocity call center here will close by year's end, leaving 250 people without jobs. The center has been in operation for three years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.02/story5.htm

August 8, 2004 - BANK OF AMERICA GROWS NEW MEXICO CENTER - RIO RANCHO, N.M. - Bank of America is adding 200 jobs to its call center here, bringing employment up to 800 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.08.02/story6.htm

July 26, 2004 - CAPITAL ONE TO CLOSE FLORIDA CENTER - TAMPA -Capital One is closing its credit card call center here, leaving 1,100 people without jobs. The center will close in phases - from October to through the spring of 2005. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.26/story1.htm

July 26, 2004 - SPIEGEL TO CLOSE VIRGINIA CENTER HAMPTON, Va. - Spiegel Group TeleServices, operated by The Spiegel Group, is expected to close its center here in December, eliminating 550 jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.26/story2.htm

July 26, 2004 - WEST TO BUY WORLDWIDE ASSET MANAGEMENT OMAHA, Neb. -Outsourcing company West Corp., has announced a definitive agreement to purchase Worldwide Asset Management, LLC, National Asset Management Enterprises Inc., and some of their affiliates (Worldwide) for $178 million in cash and assumed debt. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.26/story3.htm

July 26, 2004 - TELEMARKETER TO CLOSE OKLAHOMA CENTER STILLWATER, Okla. -Blaming a decline in outsourcing, a telemarketing company is closing its call center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.26/story4.htm

July 26, 2004 - INSURANCE CENTER HEADS TO TAOS, N.M. -Iowa-based CiDirect will build a $2.8 million facility here and hire 150 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.26/story5.htm

July 19, 2004 - BILL COLLECTION CENTER TO ADD 300 JOBS - BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bill collection firm Capital Management Services plans to add 300 jobs at one of its two call centers here. CMS already employs 130 people at one center and 470 at the other. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story1.htm

July 19, 2004 - EPIXTAR GROWS ITS PHILIPPINE PRESENCE - MIAMI -Call center company Epixtar Corp. plans to buy Leawood, Kan.-based Innovative Marketing Strategies and IMS' Philippine subsidiary, Innovative Marketing Strategies International. Expitar plans to complete the purchase in August. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story2.htm

July 19, 2004 - DENVER-BASED TELETECH GROWS IN MANILA - DENVER -Customer service outsourcing firm Teletech is expanding in the Philippines, with plans to open five new call centers outside Manila. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story3.htm

July 19, 2004 - VOTER CONTACT CENTER TO OPEN IN NEBRASKA -NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - Arlington, Va.-based Advantage Inc. is set to open a new call center here in a vacant building and hire 100 people within 90 days. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story4.htm

July 19, 2004 - WACHOVIA TO CONSOLIDATE CENTERS -SHELTON, Conn. - Wachovia Bank is closing its customer call center here, leaving 275 people without jobs. The closure is slated for the end of March. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story5.htm

July 19, 2004 - ASPECT STOCK FALLS -SAN JOSE, Calif. - Call center technology maker Aspect Communications is dealing with a drop in stock prices after failing to meet Wall Street expectations. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.19/story6.htm

July 13, 2004 - DELL TO OPEN OKLAHOMA CITY CALL CENTER - OKLAHOMA CITY -Computer maker Dell plans to open a new sales call center here in the fall and hire 250 people. The center, which will take orders from small and mid-sized businesses, may eventually grow to 500 employees, Dell executives said. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.12/story1.htm

July 13, 2004 - SYKES ANNOUNCES EIGHTH CENTER CLOSURE THIS YEAR - PALATKA, Fla. -Add a 200-worker Sykes call center here as the latest of several the customer service outsourcing firm will close as it continues to scale back U.S. operations. The center is slated to shut down in October. It is the eighth Sykes closure this year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.12/story2.htm

July 13, 2004 - ORACLE, GOVERNMENT FILE SUMMARY ARGUMENTS - SAN FRANCISCO -Following a month-long trial, Oracle Corp. and the Justice Department filed their summary arguments last week in the Justice Department's effort to block Oracle' s $7.7 billion takeover bid for rival PeopleSoft. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.12/story3.htm

July 13, 2004 - BILLINGS, THREE OTHER CITIES VIE FOR CENTER - BILLINGS, MONT. -An unnamed communications company from Dallas is courting Billings and three other cities in its search for a place to locate a call center that eventually could provide 500 to 700 jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.12/story4.htm

July 13, 2004 - VERIZON TO MOVE, EXPAND REGIONAL CENTER - CHANDLER, Ariz. - Construction is under way here on a facility that will house a regional headquarters for Verizon Wireless. The telecommunications company is moving the headquarters and a call center from the Ahwatukee Foothills and building a larger facility here. It plans to hire 300 additional workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.12/story5.htm

July 6, 2004 - VIRGINIA CENTER LATEST MCI CLOSURE - CHESAPEAKE. Va. - Telecommunications giant MCI is continuing to close call centers around the country. The most recent is a center here it plans to shut down on Sept. 1. The closure will leave more than 400 people without jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.05/story1.htm

July 6, 2004 - SIEBEL IN SEC TROUBLE - AGAIN - SAN MATEO, Calif.- Siebel Systems, maker of call center and business process technology, is facing Securities and Exchange Commission allegations for the second time in less than two years. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.05/story2.htm

July 6, 2004 - SYKES TO CLOSE NORTH DAKOTA CENTER - MINOT, N.D.- Outsourcing call center firm Sykes Enterprises will close its call center here Aug. 31. More than 250 jobs will be lost. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.05/story3.htm

July 6, 2004 - ANTITRUST SUIT AGAINST ORACLE NEARS CLOSE - SAN FRANCISCO- After four weeks of testimony, the government's antitrust suit against Oracle Corp.'s $7.7 billion hostile takeover bid for rival PeopleSoft is nearing an end, with closing arguments scheduled for July 20. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.05/story4.htm

July 6, 2004 - BIRCH TELECOM TO CLOSE KANSAS CENTER - WICHITA, Kan.- As Kansas City-based Birch Telecom consolidates its operations, the company is closing a call center here. The center is slated for closure Aug. 2. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.07.05/story5.htm

June 28, 2004 - MCI TO CLOSE COLORADO SPRINGS TELEMARKETING CENTER COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Telecommunications giant MCI Inc. will close its telemarketing center here on Aug. 24, leaving 650 employees out of work. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story2.htm

June 28, 2004 - EEOC CALL CENTER LEGISLATION IN THE WORKS WASHINGTON-- Legislation making its way through Congress would require the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to notify lawmakers before opening a national call center or closing field offices. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story3.htm

June 28, 2004 - WACHOVIA WESTWARD BOUND SALEM, Ore.-- Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia Corp., the nation's fourth-largest bank, plans to create at least 500 jobs in the Salem area, beginning with the hiring of 250 workers by the end of the year and expanding to 500 by the first quarter of 2005. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story4.htm

June 28, 2004 - MEDCO HEALTH SOLUTIONS TO CLOSE JERSEY CENTER PARSIPPANY, N.J.-- Medco Health Solutions Inc., the nation's largest prescription benefit manager is closing its call center here Aug. 21 and is either laying off or transferring the 900 employees. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story5.htm

June 28, 2004 - 21st CENTURY INSURANCE TO BUILD TEXAS CENTER LEWISVILLE, Texas -- 21st Century Insurance is building a call center here that will employ up to 1,500 people over the next five years. The company said it expects to begin training people in early July, and the site to be fully operational by September. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story6.htm

June 28, 2004 - STREAM CENTER CLOSURE BLAMED ON LOSS OF CONTRACT EUGENE, Ore. -- Tech support firm Stream International plans to lay off about 200 employees here before the end of the summer and also cut 170 part-time temporary workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.28/story7.htm

June 21, 2004 - AMERICAN HEALTHWAYS CONDITION ROSY - NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Shares of American Healthways surged recently after the the company, which operates call centers to manage health plans, reported a sharp rise in third-quarter profits.Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.22/story1.htm

June 21, 2004 - TRENDWEST RESORTS TO OPEN OREGON CENTR - SALEM, Ore. - Trendwest Resorts is opening a call center here in mid July that will create 120 full-time and 80 part-time jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.22/story2.htm

June 21, 2004 - PRESCRIPTION CENTER TO OPEN IN GEORGIA - ST. MARY'S, Ga. - A call center to process prescription drug benefit services for insurance companies and state health agencies is expected to employ 650 people when it becomes fully operational. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.22/story3.htm

June 21, 2004 - AFFINA DOWNSIZES IN PEORIA - PEORIA, Ill. - Customer service company Affina is cutting 77 people - most of them salaried and management employees - to help the company compete and stave off bankruptcy. Company executives blamed the situation on a loss of business. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.22/story4.htm

June 21, 2004 - WIRELESS FIRM TO CLOSE ALASKA CENTER - FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Dobson Communications, a regional wireless provider, is closing a call center here which serves the carrier's Cellular One customers in Fairbanks and Juneau. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.22/story5.htm

June 7, 2004 - RESERVE AMERICA BOLSTERED FOR SUMMER SEASON - BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. - Camping reservation company ReserveAmerica plans to take more than 60 percent of reservations for campsites across the country online this year. Data centers in California and New York are giving the call center the backing it needs for the expected onslaught of reservations as summer plans heat up. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.15/story4.htm

June 7, 2004 - GATEWAY TO CLOSE SOUTH DAKOTA CENTER - SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Computer maker Gateway will close its call center here on June 30, leaving 300 workers without jobs. The call center facility has been for sale since late last year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.15/story5.htm

June 7, 2004 - SPRINT TO SHUTTER ILLINOIS CENTER- BOLINGBROOK, Ill. - Sprint Corp. will close a call center here on Aug. 3, cutting 1,000 jobs. Sprint executives cited operating costs as the reason for closing the center it opened in suburban Chicago in 1999. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.08/story1.htm

June 7, 2004 - ROYAL CARIBBEAN TO OPEN WEST COAST CENTER - EUGENE, Ore. - Miami based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has the Eugene-Springfield, Ore. area in its sights for a new West Coast customer service center. The center would be among the area's largest. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.08/story3.htm

June 7, 2004 - ASURION GROWS ITS TENNESSEE CENTER - NASHVILLE Tenn. - Business growth is prompting wireless services company Asurion to expand its call center here to 525 employees. The additional 200 positions are expected to be filled by mid-July. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.08/story4.htm

June 1, 2004 - TV SERVICES CREATE NEW CALL CENTER JOBS - TULSA, Okla. - TV is proving to be a boon to Oklahoma, with the promised opening and expansion of call center work by two of the country's largest satellite TV companies - EchoStar Communications Corp. of Englewood, Colo., and DirecTV of El Segundo, Calif. Together, the centers promise to create 2,300 new jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.01/story2.htm

June 1, 2004 - OUTSOURCING BILL HEADS TO CALIFORNIA SENATE - SACRAMENTO - California's state Senate will take up a bill that would ban state contract work from going offshore after the Assembly passed it 44-26 last week. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.01/story3.htm

June 1, 2004 - MICROSOFT BUILDS A CAMPUS OF ITS OWN IN INDIA - HYDERABAD, India - Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is in the midst of building a work campus here that will house 600 engineers and administrative staff when it opens early next year. No word yet about whether Microsoft will open more call centers in India, but the 42.5 acres it has reserved in this city affords enough room for other buildings. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.01/story4.htm

May 24, 2004 - MEDICARE CALL CENTERS SWAMPED - WASHINGTON - The six call centers handling questions about the new Medicare prescription drug program unveiled May 3 have been overwhelmed with calls - 1.6 million in the first week. Callers to 800-MEDICARE are getting a message asking them to call later. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.25/story1.htm

May 24, 2004 - MCI TO CLOSE NEW MEXICO CENTER- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Long-distance carrier MCI will close its call center here on July 30, leaving 800 people jobless. Company officials said the closure of the center it opened here in 1989 is part of the company's restructuring plan, which calls for cutting 7,500 jobs worldwide. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.25/story2.htm

May 24, 2004 - TELEPERFORMANCE USA ACQUIRES CALLTECH - COLUMBUS, Ohio - Teleperformance USA has acquired an 85 percent interest in CallTech Communications from Summit Partners and individual shareholders. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.25/story3.htm

May 24, 2004 - L.L. BEAN TO EXPAND MAINE CENTER - WATERVILLE, Maine - Outdoors outfitter L.L. Bean plans to expand the call center it has operated here since 1997. The center employs up to 700 people at peak times of the year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.25/story4.htm

May 24, 2004 - AEGIS TO CLOSE INDIANA CENTER - TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Irving, Texas-based Aegis Communications Group plans to close a telemarketing call center in July. The closure will affect 100 workers. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.25/story5.htm

May 17, 2004 - TENNESSEE BILL AIMS TO KEEP CALL CENTERS IN U.S.- NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee may be the first state to give businesses a reason to keep call center and data-entry work at home rather than outsourcing offshore where labor costs are cheaper. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.18/story1.htm

May 17, 2004 - ONLINE UNIVERSITY TO OPEN OREGON CALL CENTER - BEAVERTON, Ore. - Web-based American Intercontinental University Online plans to open a call center here this month with 60 workers and expects to hire a total of 200 by the fall. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.18/story4.htm

May 17, 2004 - FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM TO GROW IN FLORIDA - JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Seattle-based Washington Mutual Inc. plans to add 700 workers to its Jacksonville center over the next three years as it consolidates its operations. Of the total, 225 are call center jobs. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.18/story5.htm

May 10, 2004 - NAVISITE TO ACQUIRE SUREBRIDGE IN $54 MILLION DEAL - ANDOVER, Mass. - Surebridge, one of the main vendors offering Microsoft CRM and PeopleSoft on a hosted platform, will be acquired by NaviSite, a technology services provider. The deal is valued at about $54 million. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.11/story2.htm

May 10, 2004 - INDEPENDENCE AIR TO OPEN IN-HOUSE RESERVATIONS CENTER - DULLES, Va. - Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings and Independence Air has opened an in-house reservations center that company officials say will be fully operational later this month when tickets first go on sale. The company has also tapped outsourcing firm Sykes Inc. to help customer service. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.11/story3.htm

May 10, 2004 - TIME WARNER TO OPEN HOUSTON CENTER - HOUSTON - Time Warner Inc., which is entering the Houston residential telephone market in July, plans to hire 200 people to staff its customer service center here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.11/story4.htm

May 10, 2004 - BELLSOUTH GROWS DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE CENTER - FORT PIERCE, Fla. - BellSouth plans to add 80 new employees at a National Directory Assistance center that opened here six years ago. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.11/story5.htm

May 5, 2004 - AT&T TO CLOSE LOUISIANA CENTER - KENNER, La. - AT&T Corp. will close its call center here June 25, leaving 150 workers without jobs. The closure is part of AT&T's restructuring, which includes a cutback of 493,000 employees across the country. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.05.04/story2.htm

April 27, 2004 - EDS, SITEL LOSE ONSTAR CONTRACTS - DETROIT - General Motors Corp. last week pulled contracts from two of three companies that operate OnStar call centers, including one from EDS, which launched the OnStar program for GM eight years ago. Sitel also lost an OnStar contract. GM gave the work to Cincinnati-based Convergys Inc. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.04.27/story1.htm

April 20, 2004 - STREAM SOLD TO H.I.G. CAPITAL - MILPITAS, Calif. - Solectron Corp. has sold its customer contact service arm, Stream International, to H.I.G. Capital, a private equity firm. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.04.20/story1.htm

April 13, 2004 - IBM TO ACQUIRE CALL CENTER FIRM IN INDIA- a deal valued between $150 million and $200 million, IBM will acquire Daksh, a call center services company based in Gurgaon, India. The sale is expected to close in May. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.04.13/story1.htm

April 13, 2004 - VERIZON TO CLOSE TWO CENTERS AS IT EXPANDS - ORANGEBURG, N.Y. - Citing, lack of space to grow, Verizon Wireless will close its customer service center here and another in Morristown, N.J. and move the work to newer and larger centers elsewhere. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.04.13/story2.htm

April 13, 2004 - WASHINGTON MUTUAL DELAYS CENTER OPENING - MELBOURNE, Fla. - Seattle-based banking giant Washington Mutual will delay by more than four months its planned opening of a call center here that is expected to employ employ 500 to 700 people. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.04.13/story3.htm

March 23, 2004 - VERIZON WIRELESS TO OPEN NORTH CAROLINA CENTER - WILMINGTON, N.C. Â— Verizon Wireless will bring up to 1,200 new jobs to North Carolina and invest as much as $29 million in a call center here. The company expects to complete construction of a 150,000-square-foot center this year. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.23/story3.htm

March 23, 2004 - BLUE CROSS OF IDAHO ROLLS OUT WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY - SEATTLEÂ— Envision Telephony, provider of contact center software solutions, today announced that Blue Cross of Idaho upgraded its technology to add Envision Workforce Management, a management application that forecasts, schedules and manages agent workforce resources.Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.23/story4.htm

March 16, 2004 - TUCSON LANDS CITI CARD CENTER - TUCSON, Ariz. - Financial giant Citigroup will open a customer-service operation here that executives say will employ 1,300 full-time and part-time workers by 2005. The center will handle both inbound and outbound customer service and collections calls. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.16/story1.htm

March 16, 2004 - DELL TO CONVERT CENTER TO B-TO-B WORK- TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Computer maker Dell plans to upgrade its call center here to serve its growing business-to-business customer base, instead of consumer clients. the switch will begin in early April and is expected to be complete by the end of July. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.16/story2.htm

March 16, 2004 - THE ANSWER GROUP CHOOSES SHREVEPORT - SHREVEPORT, La. - The Answer Group plans to open a call center in Shreveport this spring, providing technical support and customer service to firms in the computer, retail and broadband industries. The company, which expects to hire 725 people the first year, was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the state. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.16/story3.htm

March 16, 2004 - AOL TO CREATE YELLOW PAGES CENTER - NORTON, Va. - Virginia-based America Online work will create 67 jobs at a call center here. Virtus Marketing will plans to open a facility to manage sales and customer service for AOL's growing interactive Yellow Pages. The target opening date of the call center is April 15. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.16/story4.htm

March 2, 2004 - LOUISVILLE GAINS 1,600 CALL CENTER JOBS.Citicorp Credit Services Inc., part of New York City-based CitiGroup will add 1,600 new call center jobs here. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.09/story1.htm

March 2, 2004 - BUSINESSES TEAM UP TO FIGHT OUTSOURCING LEGISLATION.Some of the best-financed trade groups in the U.S. have formed a coalition to beat back federal legislation that would restrict foreign outsourcing by government contractors and limit visas for non-American workers with technology skills, the Dow Jones Newswires reported. Read More: http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.03.02/story1.htm