CCS serves as a debt-collection service for Fortune 500 clients.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

OXFORD – The Growth Council of Oxford Hills celebrated Thursday with a ribbon cutting and open house at The CCS Companies, a financial services organization that has expanded its operations to Oxford.

The 37-year-old, privately-held business has its roots in New England, with facilities in Newton, Mass., and Portsmouth, N.H.

CCS, which stands for Credit Collection Services, serves as a debt-collection service for high profile Fortune 500 clients such as Geico and America Online, as well as major financial institutions, retailers, physicians, hospitals and cable TV companies.

CCS is located on Route 26 in Oxford in the back half of the 22,000-square-foot building currently occupied by ICT Group and owned by developer John Schiavi of Paris. CCS and Schiavi have entered into a 10-year lease agreement on 10,500 square feet.

“The CCS Companies have had Oxford Hills on their ‘watch list’ for expansion possibilities for about two years now,” Barb Olson, vice president of the Growth Council, told the gathering of politicians and economic development leaders. “We are very excited at the high caliber of jobs they are offering, the rate at which they plan to grow and the benefits package that will be available to their employees.”

The company offers a starting wage of $8 an hour and a full benefits package after a week’s training held on site. Associates can earn up to $13 per hour with shift differentials. “We are taking applications,” said Center Manager Mike Cloutier, who previously worked in L.L. Bean’s call center in Freeport.

Dean Colburn, center manager in Portsmouth, called the Oxford facility “a great space” and said they’ve had great results so far in their first month of work here. The Oxford center currently employs 15, but Colburn said “were looking for continued growth” through hiring efforts in July and August.

“We have 80 stations here, and we’d like to see them all filled,” Colburn said.

Efforts to attract CCS have included coordination between the Growth Council, Maine & Co., the Norway Career Center, training coordinator Joanna Backman from Central Maine Community College, the town of Oxford and Schiavi, who made alterations to the space to fit the company’s needs.

Schiavi said CCS has “clearly demonstrated that opening a center in Oxford Hills is a critical element in their business plan, and that they plan to be an integral part of the community. Many people who currently commute outside of Oxford Hills will now be given a chance to work closer to home and earn attractive wages.”

ggeraghty@sunjournal.com

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