Cardella: New El Paso center may grow to 1,000 employees

Thomas L. Cardella & Associates plans to begin hiring March 1 for its new contact center in El Paso, which could become its largest yet.

The center will handle inbound and outbound programs, operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It will boost the Cedar Rapids-based company's efforts to handle Spanish-language customer contact programs for clients because of the large Spanish-speaking employee base in the El Paso area.

The company recently announced the launch of a ten-member Spanish-language customer contact team in Marshalltown. Concerns about skyrocketing unemployment costs in Iowa have convinced the company to look to Texas for future growth. The company's Iowa unemployment tax rate will go up from 1.5 percent to more than 8 percent in April, company officials said, increasing its annual unemployment costs by about $900,000.

Iowa Workforce Development officials have declined to comment on particulars of Cardella's increase because of confidentiality rules. They say most Iowa businesses are seeing increases in unemployment compensation taxes, but not nearly as high as that reported by Cardella.

Tom Cardella praised the business climate in Texas, saying it has attracted many customer contact centers. He expects the company to establish multiple contact centers in the state.

El Paso economic development officials reacted warmly to the news, praising the job opportunities and solid reputation Thomas L. Cardella & Associates brings to the region.

"We strongly believe that the relationship between TLC&A and the El Paso cmmunity will be mutually benefitting for years to come," said Casandra Casarez, director of business development for the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corp.

RELATED:

• Dec. 6 --

RELATED:

• Dec. 6 -- Cardella drops Iowa growth plans, cites soaring unemployment taxes