June 22 2006 - New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord announced
this week that Illinois-based Virtual-Agent Services (VAS) has established a
customer-contact centre in the Town of Nackawic, its 15th centre in the province.
It is expected that the new centre will create up to 50 jobs within its first year
of operation.
"This is another great day for Nackawic, coming
less than a week after the official opening of the AV Nackawic mill," Lord said.
"Government has pledged to help diversify the economy of this community, and that
commitment is being honoured. New Brunswick has enjoyed an extraordinary partnership
with VAS, an award-winning international operation. We are proud to support this next
step in its growth, and I know that it will be welcomed warmly into Nackawic's business
community.
The Premier said that the New Brunswick Government wants the province
to be known as the "investment province by having the
lowest tax burden east of Alberta and the biggest decrease in the unemployment rate
in Canada." He said that efforts to foster a competitive
business environment in New Brunswick are delivering more jobs."
The provincial government is providing VAS with $7,500 per job created in the
form of a forgivable loan to assist the company with:
- training new employees
- implementation, and
- administration costs
The province will also directly fund the Town of Nackawic with up to
$100,000 for site renovations where the
new customer contact centre will be located.
VAS has now officially opened centres in Doaktown, Minto, Saint-Louis-de-Kent, St.
Andrews, St. George, Neguac, Petitcodiac, Chipman, Norton, Rogersville, Hillsborough,
Bouctouche and Sussex (two operations).They are linked by a single telephone system to form
an integrated virtual operation. The company's clients include hospitality and travel, catalogue and retail sales, utility,
financial, insurance, and roadside assistance.
"VAS now employs more than 800 people across the province, and is an outstanding example
of an innovative, committed corporate citizen," Business New Brunswick Minister
Kirk MacDonald said. "It is one of many success
stories in New Brunswick's customer-contact-centre industry, which contributes in excess
of $1 billion to the economy every year, and employs more than 20,000 New Brunswickers.
We look forward to future partnerships with VAS, and the creation of more centres across
New Brunswick."