New employers moving ahead
Potter's Empereon, Cameron's DMP ready to hire

Two new area businesses plan openings over the next several weeks.

Coudersport's newest employer, Empereon Marketing, expects to start staffing its new facility as early as next week.

Technical issues that stalled the center's Internet/telephone service were largely resolved last week, paving the way for interviews with prospective employees.

Initially, the company expects to hire 90 people and have them trained and in place by December. Over the next 12 months, an Empereon spokesman said, the Coudersport workforce could swell beyond previous projections of 450 to 500 or more.

Empereon will operate a modern customer contact center at the former Time Warner customer center, commonly referred to as the "Tennis Center." Empereon expects to begin job interviews, initial hiring and training soon. Job applicants are still being advised to contact Pa. CareerLink in Coudersport.

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. 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.

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.

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

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.

DMP Opening Nears

Roadblocks continue to be cleared for the opening of the Emporium area's newest employer: Design Metal Plating.

The small shop was originally scheduled to open next Monday in the former Stoltz Motors showroom and service center on Sizerville Road. However, the high-powered electrical service required by DMP cannot be installed until mid-October, according to company president Larry Donachy Sr.

Delays in equipment acquisition pushed back to the projected opening date of Aug. 1, Donachy added.

DMP anticipates an initial workforce of about 15. Additional jobs are expected to be created in the coming months.

The company offers services that will complement the powdered metal industries now operating in Cameron County. These services include: resin impregnation, grit blasting, baking for hydrogen embrittlement, polishing, and several plating options.

But DMP's client list will extend far beyond the local area.

"We will be one of very few companies to offer these services, so there will be a lot of people giving us business from different parts of the United States and overseas," Donachy said.

Plant Manager Earl Cherry has been busy setting up and fine-tuning equipment at the former Stoltz building,

Though many chemicals are used for the plating process, zinc is the main ingredient, Cherry said.

Those interested in working at DMP should register with CareerLink in Emporium.