T-Mobile to bring 600 jobs to Mission

MISSION — A nationwide wireless service provider on Thursday announced plans to open a 600-employee customer call center on the city’s south side on June 2.

T-Mobile USA of Bellevue, Wash., will start with 120 employees and add at least 90 per month until the end of the year, said Bob Fletcher, the company’s vice president of customer care for the Eastern Region. Employees will work in a 75,000-square-foot beige, blue and red building south of the Verizon Wireless Sports Park on San Gabriel Road. The company’s total investment in the project was not immediately available. Gov. Rick Perry made the location announcement as part of a daylong visit to the Rio Grande Valley. Perry said T-Mobile’s presence means good wages and opportunities for job advancement, and Texas is a leading place for businesses to locate. The state’s March 2003 unemployment rate was at 6.5 percent, while the nation was at 6.2 percent unemployment, according to Texas Workforce Commission in Austin. “We are the gateway to Latin America and our taxes are low,” Perry said. Perry touted his proposed Texas Enterprise Fund, which would begin with $200 million from state cash reserves, that would go toward vigorously luring companies and creating economic growth. The governor credited Mission and McAllen leaders for working together to bring T-Mobile to the region. Mission Mayor Norberto Salinas said the development of Sharyland Plantation has helped lower taxes and created more services for residents. The city’s goal is to continue progress by increasing the availability of good jobs. “They are sharing their monies in our coffers for us to create jobs,” Salinas said, referring to his city’s relationship with McAllen. Mission’s gain in jobs does not mean a loss for McAllen’s economy. “Unemployment is everywhere and job opportunities are everywhere,” said Mike Allen, president and chief executive officer of the McAllen Economic Development Corp. in McAllen. “People all over can apply for jobs.” Allen said Brownsville, Harlingen and Laredo also were vying for the call center. Talks in luring the project to the region began about a year ago, he said. One of the people at the late morning announcement ceremony was Viane Gonzalez, 28, of Weslaco, who has been with T-Mobile for four days. She began a four-week training session this week to learn how to be a customer care representative, and so far, she has discovered the job needs patience, a good attitude and the ability to handle stress well. “It is looking great as far as job security,” she said. “I just hope I have a good time and have fun.” The T-Mobile building in Mission includes a cyber café, deli, fitness center and television room. “Frankly, this customer service facility is all about people,” Fletcher said. The structure was developed by CentraTek, a subsidiary of Hunt Power, which is part of Dallas-based Hunt Consolidated Inc. Construction began in 2000 and was completed late last year. It was designed to accommodate specialized high-tech functions. Hunter Hunt, the president of Hunt Power, said the company wanted to be “on the forefront of education, economic development and opportunities for young workers” by offering the structure for job-creation opportunities. Paul Cole, a corporate regional vice president of engineering, said there are 1.3 million T-Mobile customers and 975 employees statewide. The company has a wireless presence in all states except Alaska. T-Mobile has 14 financial and customer care centers across the United States, including Allentown, Pa., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Nashville, Tenn.

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