Cleveland County, on the South Carolina border west of Charlotte, is getting more than 400 new jobs.
Telerx Marketing said Monday that it would invest $8.8 million and hire hundreds of workers over the next three years for a new customer service center.
The state Commerce Department originally announced as many as 310 jobs would be created. In other reports later, company officials said the operation would employ as many as 450 people.
The news is the latest in a series of job-creation announcements for the county. Last July, Cleveland County landed a commitment from Chris-Craft Corp. and Indian Motorcycle Co. for 807 jobs over the next five years. The companies plan to invest $42 million. In November, Ultra Machine & Fabrication announced plans to create 63 jobs and invest $6 million over three years.
Telerx will receive a $450,000 One North Carolina Fund grant as part of an incentive package, said N.C. Commerce Secretary Jim Fain. The grant requires a local match and is contingent on a grant being awarded by Cleveland County commissioners.
The company provides support for Fortune 500 clients with e-mail, telephone and Internet-based services. Clients for its relationship-management offerings include companies in the restaurant, retail, consumer durable goods and packaged goods, personal care, household products, and health-care sectors.
Most of the new jobs will be for customer service representatives.
“We are very impressed with the service orientation and work ethic of the people of North Carolina and the spirit of cooperation and community support within the state, Cleveland County, Gardner-Webb University and Cleveland Community College,” Telerx Senior Vice President Norm Bresmann said in a statement. The company was “overwhelmed with the hospitality and interest in our business that the citizens of Shelby, Kings Mountain and the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce have demonstrated,” he added.
Telerx is based in Pennsylvania and has operations in Texas and British Columbia.
The Cleveland County seat is Shelby.
