DevelopOhio

Two companies came looking for space in the Dayton area to bring new call centers this year, but both ended up choosing properties in Hamilton that better met their needs, the Dayton Daily News reports. StarTek Inc., a business process outsourcing company based on Colorado, was looking for space it could move into quickly, and “seriously considered a location in Middletown,” according to Marty Hohenberger, vice president of business development for the Dayton Development Coalition. Barclaycard, a credit card servicer, was also looking for a facility that could be opened quickly, with space for 1,500 employees in a small community “where it could have a big impact.” Both companies ultimately chose existing facilities in Hamilton. Tony Taylor, a partner for Crest Commercial Realty in Dayton, said, “[g]enerally, a call center’s a big, single-story type of building with a sea of parking around it in the suburbs, and we probably don’t have that product readily available.” Combined, the two companies will bring to Hamilton more than 2,000 jobs as well as millions of dollars in investments to renovate the formerly vacant buildings.