Cedar Rapids call center operator to expand

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids call center operator plans to begin hiring more than 130 people next month for a new facility in Ottumwa.

Thomas L. Cardella and Associates employs a total of about 880 people at inbound and outbound call centers in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Keokuk and Marshalltown. The Ottumwa call center, which will be located in a downtown building that housed a similar operation until about five years ago, is expected to begin operating the first week of February.

'We will have an estimated annual payroll of about $3 million,” Cardella said. 'About 90 percent of our employees will be full time, and we will fill in with some part time in the evenings. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a strong likelihood when we have inbound business.”

The Ottumwa call center is projected to reach full employment within six to eight months.

Cardella, president of the company bearing his name, said organic growth with existing clients and new business is driving the expansion. He said the company's primary industries are financial services, health care, member services, publications and telecommunications.

'We also do email and chat as well as fulfillment,” Cardella said. 'We pick and pack parts for another company.

'Probably 60 percent of our call volume is inbound and the remainder is outbound ...

. The majority of that is business-to-business sales.”

The company's call center services account for 85 percent of its business, email and chat services provide 10 percent and fulfillment is 5 percent, he said.

'Our core business always will be call centers and hopefully we can layer on some additional services,” Cardella said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8366; george.ford@thegazette.com