EDS to Open Customer Interaction Centre in Port Hawkesbury
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT--EDS to Open Customer Interaction Centre in Port Hawkesbury
The Strait of Canso area is about to get a major call centre.
EDS Canada confirmed today it will establish a large state-of-the-art call centre in Port Hawkesbury before the end of the year. Within five years, it will provide 400 to 450 jobs with about $40 million in payroll.
This is the second call centre EDS, a major electronic data systems company, will have established in the region in less than a year. Its Sydney operation has been open for just six months and has already created 700 jobs for Cape Bretoners. The Sydney centre expects to reach its target of 900 employees this year, four years ahead of schedule. This will result in more than $18 million in annual payroll to the Sydney area.
"It makes good business sense to grow our company on Cape Breton Island," says Sheelagh Whittaker, president and CEO of EDS Canada Inc. "Our expansion to the strait region is an indication of the quality and talent of the labour force we have found here. Our customers rely on EDS for rapid and responsive support, and we have significantly exceeded their business objectives, thanks to the dedication and talent of our workforce in our Sydney offices."
"The glue of the digital economy is service," said Ms. Whittaker. "Hardware and software are meaningless without services, and EDS Canada expects this facility to provide our customers with the glue to bind their business models with the marketplace in ways never seen before."
The provincial and federal governments both played roles in bringing the $60 million call centre to the strait area.
The provincial involvement is in the form of a payroll rebate, calculated on the amount of payroll taxes generated by the company. By reaching its full employment targets, EDS is eligible to receive up to $4.5 million in payroll rebates over five years. EDS will raise the rest of the project's financing privately.
Nova Scotia Tourism Minister Rodney MacDonald, speaking on behalf of Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser, said government is pleased to assist a project that supports its economic growth strategy, particularly when it is championed by a company with a proven track record in the region.
"Our innovative agreement with EDS will bring more opportunity to the people of Port Hawkesbury and the Strait Area, and Cape Breton Island in general," he said. "These are good jobs that will help to diversify and grow the local economy. This strengthens regional capacity and provides Nova Scotians with the experience and skill sets demanded by the new economy."
The federal involvement will be through two conditional grants -- $2.5 million from the Cape Breton Growth Fund and $2 million from Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. -- that will not have to be repaid if job targets are met and maintained for five years.
"This is exciting news for the Strait Area, and the Government of Canada is pleased to take part in a project that is bringing a major information technology service provider to this community," said Robert Thibault, minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., who announced the federal funding. "The project will provide opportunities to a highly skilled workforce that is committed to the area and is seeking long-term sustainable employment."
The centre, which is to be operational this summer, will support EDS's clients throughout North America. The bulk of its activity will be handling inbound customer-service inquiries by telephone, fax, e-mail and Internet. EDS Canada selected Port Hawkesbury for its availability of a large, stable, well-educated work force and a world-class digital telecommunications infrastructure.
EDS Canada is a leading global electronic data systems company, providing strategy, implementation and hosting for clients. The company has 8,300 Canadian professionals.
EDS services the world's leading companies and governments in 55 countries through its four lines of business: A.T. Kearney, Business Process Management, E.solutions and Information Solutions. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: EDS) and the London Stock Exchange.
Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. offers programs in support of economic development initiatives and is responsible for delivering ACOA's programs in Cape Breton and the Mulgrave area. The Cape Breton Growth Fund is the federal and provincial funding made available to help communities adjust to the downsizing of the coal industry on Cape Breton Island.