Greater Lafayette Commerce salutes Alorica at Silver Shovel celebration

A local company that played a big part in the State of Indiana winning major national recognition for new jobs and positive economic growth got a salute Wednesday from community leaders.

The celebration was held at Alorica, a customer contact center that opened last summer at

181 Sagamore Parkway South to provide customer service management for a telecommunications industry client. The Chino, California-headquartered company invested

$3 million to open its 49,000-square-foot Lafayette facility that is expected to ultimately

employ 600.

Alorica was one of 10 new or expanding companies that helped land Indiana the Silver Shovel Award from Area Development Site and Facility Planning Magazine, which annually recognizes states that have demonstrated success in job creation and economic impact. The award was announced in its June/July 2010 issue.

Gary Kimnach, Alorica’s director of facilities, who was involved in preparing the facility for its startup, returned for the recognition.

“Lafayette has proven to be the right choice for Alorica. We were originally attracted to the area because of the hard-working, educated and skilled labor force,” Kimnach said. “Additionally, it was such a pleasant experience working with many of the community members and individuals on the Greater Lafayette Commerce team that worked so diligently with us to help make the Lafayette decision come to fruition.”

Kimnach added, “We are certainly pleased and proud Alorica has a home in this community and we could contribute to Indiana winning the Silver Shovel Award.”     

Phil Sanchez, site director for Alorica’s Lafayette Contact Center, said, “Our experience has been simply outstanding and refreshing. The work ethic of Hoosiers is excellent. The residents of Tippecanoe County have welcomed us with open arms, and the upward scalability of this location is virtually endless.”

Congratulating Alorica, Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said, “Few communities were making announcements about new companies and new jobs at the time Alorica announced in May 2009 that it had chosen Lafayette. We were thrilled then and we’re proud today to see that Alorica has achieved such great success here and is continuing to grow.”

Citing the multi-government effort to assist with the company’s arrival, Tippecanoe County Commission President John Knochel said, “When we can help bring a major employer to town, Lafayette and Tippecanoe County eagerly join hands. I’m happy to see Alorica be a part of our community’s and the state’s success.”

“Always on the leading edge when it comes to recruiting new employers to town, Greater Lafayette Commerce makes an equal commitment to help existing employers stay here, grow here and prosper here,” said Mike Gibson, chairman of the Greater Lafayette Commerce board. “After more than a year of calling Lafayette home, Alorica has moved from the new company in town to an existing company here. And I can promise our enthusiasm and support for Alorica is only going to grow.”

“Hosting a home-town salute gives this state award special significance,” said Gary Henriott, chair of the Economic Development Council of Greater Lafayette Commerce. “It’s important to celebrate milestones like this and let Alorica know we value their presence here.”

Jody Hamilton, economic development director at Greater Lafayette Commerce, said, “From day one, Alorica has been great to work with. I remember the day we made the announcement that a new company was coming here, there were a couple of rows of people attending who were out of work. They came to learn about the opportunities. There’s nothing like a new jobs announcement to bring smiles to people’s faces and hope to families.”

About Greater Lafayette Commerce

            Headquartered at 337 Columbia St. in Lafayette, Greater Lafayette Commerce (www.greaterlafayettecommerce.com), whose roots go back more than 80 years, is a nonprofit membership organization supported by local businesses, industries and governments. Its mission is to advance economic and community prosperity for a superior quality of life.

About Alorica Inc.

            Alorica is a global leader in delivering business process outsourcing (BPO) customer contact management solutions. Alorica provides a variety of advanced customer contact management solutions such as customer care, technical support, sales, collections and social media services for Fortune 1000 companies mainly in the communications, technology, media, financial services, government, healthcare, automotive, retail and consumer product verticals. Alorica’s specialty is providing flexibility to its clients while delivering high quality service.

            Headquartered in Chino, California, with nearly 20,000 employees housed in 34 global contact management centers, Alorica provides unprecedented client support and attention. Alorica supports several customer communication channels including voice, email, chat and social media from onshore, near shore and offshore facilities. Additionally, Alorica provides fulfillment services and reverse logistics services through its U.S. logistics centers. For more information, please visit www.alorica.com.