Safelite to Open New Call Center in Phoenix Area on June 1
April 12, 2010

Safelite announced today that it will open a new call center in Chandler, Ariz., outside Phoenix, on June 1. The company says the call center initially will employ around 195, with numbers estimated to grow to around 1,000. The new facility is 86,000 square feet and will be staffed 365 days a year.

"This new facility helps support our business continuity plan by expanding our contact center operations to a second city outside of Columbus, Ohio," says Safelite president and chief executive officer Tom Feeney. "We chose Phoenix for several reasons, including its strong business community and highly educated workforce; access to a growing Hispanic and Latino-speaking employee base; the later time zone; and the climate."

When asked what led to the need for a new call center, Safelite spokesperson Jenny Cain says, "It serves two primary purposes: It further strengthens our business continuity plans to support our claims management business and retail operations, as well as prepares us for future growth."

As the Phoenix facility grows in numbers, Cain says the Columbus call center will decrease in volume by "very little if any." She adds that the new call center will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Jim Trobaugh, Rob Marsh and Chris Hook of CB Richard Ellis' Phoenix-based Labor Analytics Group, along with John Lenio in the firm's Economic Incentives Group, represented Safelite in its site selection and lease negotiations

"Safelite made an extensive search throughout a number of cities in the Mountain and Central time zones," says Hook. "After assessing the viability of each labor market, Chandler came out number-one with the quality and availability of talent that best met Safelite's long-term employment goals."

Last May, the company opened a new call center on the first floor of its headquarters building. (CLICK HERE for related story.)

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