Staff report
CONCORD ó Connextions Inc. announced Monday it will open a new 16,800-square-foot building in the Concord International Business Park and add up to 250 new positions.
The new building will be ready Dec. 1. Connextions, which describes itself as a technology-based business process outsourcing firm, already employs 800 people in the business park location.
Jack LeFort said the expansion of the Concord operation represents an important milestone in the company’s growth plans.
“It will provide,” LeFort said, “the necessary space to accommodate the technology and the professionals who serve several current Connextions clients, who represent some of the best-known commercial and health-care organizations in the country.”
Other business process outsourcing firms have moved their contact center jobs to offshore locations such as India and the Philippines, while Connextions operates out of three U.S. locations ó Concord, Jeffersonville, Ind., and its headquarters in Orlando, Fla.
“Companies that have moved their customer service operations offshore have experienced an erosion of customer satisfaction due to language problems and other cultural barriers,” LeFort said in a press release.
“It is our mission to provide a world class level of service and value for our clients by keeping our customer service operations ó and jobs ó in the United States.”
In all, Connextions employs about 2,500 people at its three locations. The company was founded in 1992, and its first contact center in Concord opened in October 2006.
The company said it has received assistance in its expansion from Cabarrus Economic Development and the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce. The new building is located just east of the present center.
“The addition of jobs in these difficult economic times is good news for our community, especially as North Carolina’s jobless rate creeps upward,” said John Cox, president of Cabarrus Economic Development. “Connextions is a stable employer that is growing good, local jobs with attractive benefits.”
The company said the expansion will immediately serve the business account development of a major client ó a logistics and shipping company.
“This is a performance-based award based on our successful experience to date in Concord,” said Mike Tripp, senior vice president and general manager of contact center operations for Connextions nationwide.
“And this expansion allows Connextions to show its appreciation by furthering its investment in the community of Concord through new jobs and increased opportunities for local vendors.”
The Connextions Web site says the centers integrate Web, direct mail, telecommunications, distribution and data communications functions for clients.
Clients include Sprint, Olympus, Kaiser-Permanente, Caremark and Aetna.
Connextions is a privately held company and part of New Mountain Partners.