HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that a leading customer service company specializing in the life sciences industry will create 229 jobs by relocating part of its operations to Luzerne County.
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"The move by C3i Inc. is great news for the Pocono region and the entire state," Governor Rendell said. "It's a great example of how our economic development investments are generating jobs and improving our economy, and it sends a strong message to other companies that Pennsylvania is the place to do business.
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"We have more than 2,000 companies with some 84,000 people working in the life sciences industry here in the state. Our targeted investments strengthen Pennsylvania's position as a global leader in life sciences, nurturing the companies that improve the lives of millions of people around the world."
A provider of customer relationship management services to life sciences/pharmaceutical companies, C3i will relocate its domestic call center operations from Morristown, NJ, to a 25,000-square-foot office in the Corporate Center at East Mountain in Plains. The company, which is also purchasing new equipment and making leasehold improvements, expects to begin operations this month and be fully operational by April.
"C3i looked all over the country but selected the Northeast Pennsylvania area because of the quality of labor and overall business climate," said Joel Morse, CEO and C3i co-founder. "With the commonwealth's help, we are able to make the business case work. We have committed to hire more than 200 people over the next three years - and we need to hire more than 100 people right now. We look forward to being a great corporate citizen."
The company worked with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry to secure a $1.5 million funding offer from the Department of Community and Economic Development for the nearly $4 million project. It is eligible to apply for a loan of up to $500,000 through the machinery and equipment loan fund, a $400,000 opportunity grant, $160,000 in customized job training funds and $458,000 in job creation tax credits.
"C3i's decision to locate here represents this area's ability to leverage its strengths," said Todd Vonderheid, president and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry. "Specifically, it is the latest expansion of our already strong pharmaceutical and technology cluster."
The company's relocation project was coordinated through the Governor's Action Team; economic development professionals who serve as a single point-of-contact for businesses considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.
There have been 51 GAT projects successfully completed in Luzerne County since January 2003. These projects total commitments for 5,085 new jobs created and 5,969 jobs to be retained. The commonwealth has offered more than $112 million in state assistance for these projects, which will leverage more than $754 million in additional investment.
Statewide since January 2003, the Governor's Action Team has successfully completed 892 projects resulting in commitments for the creation of 95,747 new jobs and the retention of more than 218,874 existing positions. The state has offered more than $1.7 billion in assistance for these projects, which will leverage more than $10.7 billion in additional investment.
C3i Inc. has global operations in the U.S., India and Bulgaria, and it provides systems implementation, technology training, help desk support, and workstation break fix and asset management services for clinical- and field-based pharmaceutical sales representatives. To learn more, visit www.c3i-inc.com.
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