Lowe’s to Launch a Huge $20 Million Call Center in Indianapolis

Home-improvement retailer Lowe’s has announced plans to spend US$20.5 million to set up a call center in Indianapolis, creating more than a thousand jobs. The North Carolina-based retailer said it is gearing up to renovate and equip a 140,000 square-foot office facility at Intech Park, on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

If everything goes according to the plan, the call center will be up and running early next year. The center will support stores and internet sales, delivery services and repair services for Lowe’s customers across the United States.

The facility complements the company’s existing Customer Support Centers in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“We chose Indianapolis because of the talented and experienced workforce who we believe can provide outstanding service to our customers,” said Don Easterling, Lowe’s vice president, contact center. “Indianapolis adds a strategic Midwest location to our network of Customer Support Centers located in North Carolina and New Mexico.”

Lowe’s, which currently employs nearly 7,900 people in Indiana, plans to begin hiring for positions at the center immediately.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Lowe’s up to US$5.5 million in tax credits and up to US$100,000 in training grants. Authorities said they will consider tax abatement and additional funding for the direct infrastructure associated with the facility at the request of Develop Indy, a business unit of the Indy Chamber.

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, Lowe’s purchased three acres of land in an area adjacent to Intech Park to develop expansive parking lots for its employees.

Indiana’s workforce growth in June was the largest in the nation. Over the past year, Indiana has added more than 53,000 Hoosiers to its labor force. The state’s unemployment rate has declined 1.7% over that period, which is the ninth largest decrease in the nation.

The retailer – which has 280,000 employees in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – might officially unveil its plans sometime next week.