TRIADELPHIA - When a local AT&T Mobility wireless customer calls for help with their service, it's now possible their neighbor will answer.
Jessica Mason of Belmont travels 45 minutes each way each day to her new job at the AT&T call center at The Highlands - and she said it's worth the drive.
"I've been in customer service and management before," she said. "I had heard about what AT&T is doing, and I wanted to see it for myself. I was amazed. It was more than what I expected."
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Photo by Scott McCloskey
Logan Moore of Wheeling, left, and Jennifer Bartek of Adena are new customer representatives working at the AT&T facility at The Highlands in Ohio County.
Mason is among the 50 new employees in the first wave of trainees at the new AT&T Mobility Call Center at The Highlands. These call center representatives are to start answering incoming calls from AT&T wireless customers about their billing and service on Nov. 4.
Three more waves of 50 trainees - for a total of 200 new employees - are expected to be hired in the coming months. The jobs include health care benefits and a 401(k) plan.
AT&T, West Virginia and Ohio County officials turned out Thursday for the official ribbon-cutting for the call center. The event came just one day after AT&T Mobility announced record earnings despite recent economic events, noted Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
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There are about 50 AT&T Mobility call centers in the U.S. Those closest to West Virginia are in Ashland, Ky., Indiana and Illinois.
He said AT&T added 2 million customers during the last quarter - the most in its history.
And next week AT&T rolls out its new third-generation broadband network for wireless customers, which de la Vega promised is the "fastest in the world."
De la Vega seemed much impressed with the new call center at The Highlands, noting he had never seen "this concise of development."
"It's a great location," he said. "Who wouldn't want to work here? "We've found a great pool of talent in West Virginia and Ohio County, and these people have a good work ethic."
Accompanied by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, de la Vega got a tour of the new call center Thursday after its official opening. He was met with cheers when he greeted some of the new employees as they sat in a training session.
"I had heard so much about AT&T, and its opportunities are endless," said trainee Tammy Gooch of Wheeling. "I'm very much impressed. These are honest people about what they say, and they follow through."
Trainee Sam Green of Elm Grove sees career advancement opportunities at the call center.
"The way the economy is going, I saw AT&T provided benefits when others couldn't," he said. "It's a great place."