WILTON — A $5 million renovation and expansion of Barclaycard’s Wilton Customer Call Center, which is expected to add nearly 500 jobs, was celebrated Tuesday.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and a representative for U.S. Sen. Angus King, local nonprofits and Barclaycard employees gathered for the grand reopening.
Opened in 2008 with just 40 employees, the call center employs 380 full time with benefits, director Jen McEntee said. The renovations will help Barclaycard expand the workforce to nearly 500 employees, she said. The business is at the former Bass Shoe Shop on Weld Road.
Ben Tucker, representing King, spoke of King’s worst day as governor — the day Bass Shoe closed and King came to shake hands with the 500 employees who had lost their jobs.
“It’s a great day for Franklin County and Maine,” he said.
Renovations completed this month included technological improvements, a new air system generator, paneling designed to reduce the noise of employees on the phones and security and handicap accessibility, McEntee said.
Work spaces were improved, new work areas added, including a 100-seat meeting room, new break rooms and a Micro Market Restaurant for employees. It features free coffee stations, televisions and ping-pong tables to enjoy during breaks.
“It improves our working quality of life,” Jesse Haskell, a four-year employee, said. “And it brings jobs to Maine and especially Franklin County.”
According to Haskell and fellow employees Melinda Catanese and Stephen Ramirez, they are good jobs which offer five weeks training, a supportive work environment and benefits that include health, dental and vision insurance, and vacations.
A partnership with L.L. Bean brought the England-based company to Maine, Curt Hess, interim chief executive officer, told the gathering.
More than one million customers signed on for the L.L. Bean credit card within 60 days of the Wilton call center’s opening, he said.
“This is the best-performing call center we have,” he said.
Collins admitted she was one of those first million to obtain her L.L. Bean card. She shared her own impressions of the site, telling how last fall a pickpocket in Washington stole her card.
“Before I knew it was missing, I got a call from here asking if I’d spent $200 in a store in Maryland,” she said. “But I’m not surprised, you have a Mainer working here.”
Along with jobs for Franklin County and Maine, Barclaycard also has a role in the community from mentoring students to providing for food closets and the homeless shelter. Employees gave 7,000 volunteer hours last year, she said.
“Bring jobs from around the country to the great state of Maine, you’ll be glad you did,” Collins told Hess.
This is a success story, Poliquin said.
Reading a letter from Sen. King, Tucker said jobs in small communities like Wilton are the mainstay of the community. Money earned here stays in the community, he said.
“It is the lifeblood of small-town Maine,” he said.
The success of Barclaycard in Wilton speaks to the quality of Maine workers, he added.
Franklin County Chamber of Commerce President Glenn Kapiloff and Executive Director Penny Meservier presented Barclaycard with a plaque in appreciation for their contributions to the county.
“You have bolstered our economy, provided employment and support for the community,” Kapiloff said.
The company has done a lot for the community, Meservier said after the ceremony.
Employees are encouraged to participate in 20 paid hours of volunteering in the community per year, Ramirez said.
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