Phone firm, Talk America eyeing Butte bringing with it anywhere from 75 to 100 new jobs.

A local and long distance telephone service provider is expected to announce this week its intentions to settle in Butte, bringing with it anywhere from 75 to 100 new jobs.

Talk America, a Reston, Va.-based company, will locate in the former home of Teleperformance, 3745 Harrison Ave., and has been working with the Butte Local Development Corp. to relocate, apply for workforce funding, and settle other issues associated with the business’s establishment in Butte.

By Leslie McCartney of The Montana Standard

http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2004/05/18/newsbutte_top/hjjfjeibjchjeh.txt

The jobs, which are different from that of a traditional call center since workers will be selling only Talk America’s services, start out at $9 an hour, plus commission, and they also feature benefits, said Evan Barrett of the BLDC.

Worker benefits for the full-time positions include paid medical/dental, vacation, holidays, personal days and a matching 401k plan.

A formal announcement by the company, in conjunction with the state, will be set up soon, but the company has been publishing employment advertisements in The Montana Standard, and a local manager has been hired.

Talk America offers a bundle of local and long distance services to residents and small business customers and was founded in 1989, according to the company’s Web site at http://www.talkamerica.com. It also has its own nationwide long distance network, which it completed in 1997. The company’s vision "is to build a large, profitable consumer franchise, delivering value and superior service to our customers in a simple package," according to its site.

The publicly traded company is listed on the Nasdaq symbol talk. Further details on the company’s move and accompanying jobs will be available at the formal announcement.

Those interested may apply in person at the former Teleperfor-mance site — that company left Butte last year — from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The local phone number is 498-4872.