Economy gets boost
Empereon could hire 500-plus in next two years

A $1 million financial package from the state helped Empereon Marketing decide to open a large customer contact center in Coudersport. Gov. Ed Rendell announced the incentive package during a reception held Tuesday to welcome Empereon to Potter County.

"This is a real shot in the arm for Coudersport (and) for Potter County," said the governor, who linked to the welcoming ceremony by telephone after signing the new state budget in Harrisburg.

Empereon will begin its hiring in August, establish a workforce of about 150, and then steadily ramp up to 450 more jobs within two to three years.

Initially, the Coudersport plant in the former "Tennis Center" will handle outbound calls to customers of Empereon's clients. Later, the center will accept inbound customer service and technical support calls, as well as Internet contacts.

Empereon, based in Phoenix, Ariz., is an outsourcer handling customer contacts for cable giants Cox, Time Warner and Charter, as well as major newspaper chains.

Jamie Evens of Turtlepoint, former customer care manager for Adelphia and later Time Warner in Coudersport, has been hired as director of the Empereon center.

It will operate out of the 30,000- square-foot structure built by Adelphia in 1998 as a public recreation center. Adelphia ended up using the building for its growing customer service division.

Time Warner Cable acquired the Tennis Center in 2006 and maintained about 600 jobs until closing it down and terminating the workforce in February. Many of those workers have remained jobless and their 26 weeks of unemployment compensation will expire early next month.

Gov. Rendell confirmed that the state has approved a $450,000 grant Travis Bowley (left), chief executive officer of Empereon Marketing, John Wright (center) from the Potter County Redevelopment Authority and Tom Ehrensberger from the Governor's Action Team pose with a symbolic $1 million state grant/loan check. to Empereon from the Pa. Dept. of

FOR SALE Community and Economic Development, as well as a low-interest loan of $350,000 for machinery and equipment and a $200,000 job training loan.

Empereon will also receive about $100,000 worth of equipment Time Warner left behind in Coudersport. The company will lease the Tennis Center from the Potter County Redevelopment Authority, following that agency's acquisition of the building from Time Warner.

Empereon CEO Travis Bowley told those gathered Tuesday that his company was attracted by the presence of hundreds of skilled customer service employees in and around Coudersport.

"I really don't think we chose Coudersport; I think Coudersport chose us because of the talent pool, the work ethic and the quality of the people," Bowley said. "We fell in love with Coudersport."

Bowley, who attended the reception with his parents and his expectant wife, hinted that the Empereon workforce could exceed the estimated 450 in the coming years. "We are rapidly growing," he added.

Current Empereon customer contact centers are located in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

Doug Morley, chairman of the Potter County Redevelopment Authority, said county officials will not be resting on their laurels.

"We're still down one thousand," Morley said, in reference to Coudersport job losses since the Adelphia collapse began five years ago.

"The employees -- the positive attitude they've maintained since 2002 -- is what made this happen," Morley added.

He also praised the work of Renaissance Partners, a consulting firm hired through Northcentral Pa. Regional Planning and Development Commission. Renaissance served as a "single point of contact" to recruit new employers, manage the property transfer from Time Warner and tie together all of the other elements.