Proposed Fayetteville Call Center Approved

By Brittany Walters-Bearden
TMCnet Contributor

Florida-based Sykes (News - Alert) Enterprises has received approval from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners to open a call center located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which is expected to employ at least 150 people.

The opening in the Tar Heel State is one that is not surprising, given the company’s history. Sykes Enterprises has sentimental ties to North Carolina, as the company was originated in Charlotte in 1977, having later reorganized and moved its corporate headquarters to Tampa, Florida.  The company started with humble beginnings, only having three employees in Charlotte, but has now expanded to more than 41,000 employees in 75 call centers located in 20 countries.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has agreed that the county will offer an incentive of a fifty percent return of assessed county taxes, that is, if they maintain an employment status of 150 for a period of five years.  If Sykes Enterprises creates 300 jobs and maintains a status of 300 employees within five years, Cumberland County will then extend the fifty percent return of taxes for an additional two years.

The Fayetteville City Council is planning on meeting after Thanksgiving to discuss making the same offer to Sykes Enterprises that Cumberland County has made to them. Should Sykes Enterprises meet their goals, they will make more than 700,000 dollars over the next seven years.

 This incentive package between Cumberland County and the city of Fayetteville is considered a standard agreement between the two government bodies in order to entice new companies to open shop in the area. "Getting to know Cumberland County and Fayetteville, we have seen and found a wonderful labor market of people who are hard-working, intelligent and hospitable. These are all key qualities we look for, necessary for us to be successful in our culture of service and in our business," explains Andrea Thomas, who is the company's director of corporate communications.

The Vice President of economic development for the Fayetteville Regional Chamber of Commerce, Russ Rogerson, shares Thomas’s sentiments, saying, "It's going to be a wonderful project for our community. It's a very well-known and solid company that will add value to our community."

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