WILTON – Town and state officials celebrated the completion of Barclaycard’s $5 million renovation and expansion of its customer call center on Wednesday with speeches and a ribbon cutting.
The renovations to the former G.H. Bass facility on Weld Road will allow the credit card company to expand the local workforce from the current 355 employees to 500.
In just 7 years, the Wilton center has grown from its beginnings with a staff of 40 in 2008 to the hundreds working at the center that now operates around the clock every day. Barclaycard US is based in Wilmington, Delaware, and has another call center located in Newark, Delaware.
When the Wilton center opened, Barclaycard US ranked as the 11th largest issuer of cards when it landed a co-branded credit card contract with Maine’s LL Bean retailer. Within days of the signed agreement, Barclaycard suddenly had one million new customers requesting the popular Bean card and is now ranked 9th with 11 million Bean customers, noted Barclaycard US interim CEO Curt Hess.
The growth spurt success meant a bigger operation here was needed.
“We outgrew our space in Wilton,” Hess said and the company quickly went to work to resolve that issue “by leasing the entire facility and putting $5 million into renovating the building.”
In August 2014, Wilton’s voters approved the town applying for $700,000 in federal funding, distributed through the Department of Economic & Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant program, towards the Barclaycard’s facility improvements. A requirement of the program was for every $30,000 in federal grant funding spent at least one job be created, with more than half of the total number of jobs created going toward people in the low-to-moderate income bracket. Barclaycard’s job expansion will easily meet that grant requirement.
The complete facility renovation includes improving two floors of current work spaces and adding new work areas, new kitchen pantries adjacent the work spaces and the “Micro Market Restaurant,” a spacious modern version of a cafeteria. Also added on the lower level is a large, 100-seat capacity meeting room. Technological improvements included is the installation of a new air system generator, acoustical paneling to keep things quiet, and upgrades to security and handicap accessibility.
The facility is now “light years ahead of where it was,” Hess said. Now, with the renovations completed, “in a partnership with LL Bean, we’ll be hiring even more employees.” He noted that the Wilton center “is the best customer service center we have,” to which the many employees attending the ceremony whooped and applauded.
Sen. Susan Collins, (R-Maine), held up her LL Bean card and grinning said she loves the extra credit she gets for using her card, which she’s had since Barclaycard partnered with Beans.
She noted that the Wilton center has been awarded three times with a Best Places to Work statewide designation. “I’m not surprised, Curt, you have Mainers working here,” Collins quipped. “It’s a top-rated service center and that credit goes to Franklin County’s residents.” She also noted the 7,000 volunteer hours employees put in last year to support the local pantry and homeless shelter.
It was a return visit to the center for Congressman Bruce Poliquin, (R-Maine), who toured the facility in April as renovations were underway.
“How grateful we are for these jobs,” he said and promised, “we will do everything that’s humanly possible to help you grow.”
The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce also gave their thanks for Barclaycard’s support of a student mentoring program which introduced elementary school students to the programs at Foster Technology Center on the Mt. Blue Campus.
After applauding the ribbon cutting ceremony, Wilton Town Manager Rhonda Irish smiled.
“This lifts spirits; jobs are coming back here,” she said. “It brings new opportunity and people love working here.”
Many thanks to Jen McEntee and her staff for making this happen. Congratulations on a job well done!
Congratulations to all of the employees, managers, and government officials that have made this facility a success. The future of the Western Maine economy is in many employers of this size scattered throughout the region. This has demonstrated that the region has capable and hard working people who can help an enterprise flourish.
Best of luck in the future!
Congratulations to Barclaycard employees and to Jennifer McEntee! This expansion is a testament to Wilton being a great place to work, hard working employees, and to the community spirit of Barclaycard. 7,000 volunteer hours donated by employees is impressive and impactful.
What a wonderful breath of fresh air. So good to see some positive growth in Franklin County.
Congratulations to all.