Empereon opening draws closer
Coudersport employer targets October 1 start-up

Start-up of the new Empereon Marketing customer contact center in Coudersport is drawing closer.

Installation of high-tech equipment - servers and Internet/telephone connectivity - must be completed before the employer can open its doors, but company officials are still targeting a start-up date of around Oct. 1.

While waiting for final arrangements to fall into place at the former Time Warner customer center - known to many as the "Tennis Center" - Empereon expects to begin job interviews, initial hiring and training soon. Job applicants are being advised to contact Pa. CareerLink in Coudersport.

Time Warner Cable is donating the building to the Potter County Redevelopment Authority, which will lease it to Empereon. The company does expect to buy it eventually.

A source familiar with the recruitment process said there was competition among companies seeking to occupy the Tennis Center.

"There were others that wanted to come in," he said. "But they weren't going to pay the wage that we wanted; they weren't going to make the necessary commitments that we wanted, and they didn't have the diversified customer base that we wanted. Empereon met all those requirements."

The Redevelopment Authority continues to recruit employers for other former Adelphia or Time Warner properties in Coudersport.

Empereon expects to establish a workforce of about 150, and then steadily ramp up to 450 or more jobs within two to three years.

Initially, the Coudersport center will handle outbound calls. Later, the center will accept inbound customer service and technical support calls, as well as Internet contacts.

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.

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

Empereon CEO Travis Bowley said his company was attracted by the presence of hundreds of skilled customer service employees in and around Coudersport, many of whom lost their jobs in February when Time Warner shut down the Tennis Center.

A $1 million financial package from the state helped Empereon choose Coudersport. It included a $450,000 grant, as well as a low-interest loan of $350,000 for machinery and equipment, and a $200,000 job training loan.