Call center to open in Great Falls, expects fast growth

# Jobs will pay $8 to $10 an hour, plus bonuses and benefits

The Electric City’s economic development efforts received an early Christmas present Wednesday as First Horizon Home Loans announced it will open a regional call center in Great Falls Jan. 13.

By BETH BRITTON
Tribune Business Editor

The center initially will hire 16 employees and grow to about 30 in the first quarter of 2003, Branch Manager Paul Peterson said. Long-term, Peterson expects the center to employ 100 or more.

First Horizon’s parent company, First Tennessee National Corp., is one of the 50 largest bank holding companies in the United States. First Horizon originated $24 billion in loans in 2001.

The Great Falls call center will service the 24 First Horizon branches in the company’s Northwest region of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, said Northwest Regional President Michael Van Skaik. The Northwest region, one of eight regions nationwide, originated $5 billion in loans this year.

First Horizon’s announcement is good news for people seeking work in the financial and mortgage field. Pay is expected to be about $8 to $10 an hour.

The company offers incentives, and in the call center, Van Skaik said, employees can expect to earn between $25,000 and $30,000 a year, including monthly bonuses.

All employees are eligible for a matching 401(k) plan and a full medical benefits plan, he said. Employees also will receive 50 shares of company stock annually. First Tennessee is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FTN. It closed Wednesday at $35.78 per share.

The Great Falls call center will begin as a service center for the 24 branches in the region and eventually grow to include a retail center, offering loans to local customers, Van Skaik said.

Additional growth may come from two directions, he said. First, the Dallas service center, which employs more than 1,000 people, may expand its operation to Great Falls. Second, if the local call center proves to be productive, it could eventually service branches in other regions, including the Southwest, he said.

"I am certain we’ll be successful here," Van Skaik said.

Van Skaik visited his grandparents, Betty and Dr. Charles Magner, often in Great Falls during the 1970s, but it was the city’s experienced labor force that persuaded First Horizon to come to Great Falls.

One company’s plans for layoffs piqued Van Skaik’s interest. First Nationwide Mortgage Corp. announced in July that it would close its Great Falls Portfolio Retention Unit. In May, Citigroup Inc. announced its plans to acquire Golden State Bancorp, the parent company of First Nationwide Mortgage.

Thirty-four employees with mortgage experience were told they would be out of work by December. Peterson served as vice president and regional operations manager for First Nationwide Mortgage.

Despite the July announcement, the employees broke records in both September and October, with $33 million and $40 million in originations, Peterson said.

"This is really a good story," Peterson said. "It’s about the people here, and that’s why we’re successful."

Peterson and 15 of his former First Nationwide employees joined together for First Horizon training and will open the local center next month.

"Our primary goal will be to retain existing customers in the region," he said. "Our plan is to gradually expand into having a retail presence, and I’d like to see this office grow to $1 billion in originations in three to five years."

There is plenty of room for growth. First Horizon is leasing office space in Mitchell Development’s building, at 812 14th St. N.

Melissa Anderson, leasing agent for Mitchell Development, said the renovations required are minimal. The space, which has been vacant for at least two years, once was home to Bureau of Land Management offices.

"Our goal is to make it more aesthetically pleasing, and there is room for expansion," she said. Renovations include new carpet, paint, a break room and an information technology room, Anderson said.

Peterson said he has hired the 15 employees who will get the operation started. He expects to hire an additional 20 to 35 employees in the first two quarters of 2003. After that, growth will depend on the success of the local operation, he said.

Anyone interested in applying for a position with First Horizon can e-mail Paul Peterson at [email protected] or send a resume and cover letter to 812 14th St. N., Great Falls, MT 59401.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20021219/localnews/606602.html