AUBURN – Never underestimate the power of the health-oriented consumer.

That seems to be the credo of a local call center that is in the midst of hiring 70 new employees because of a surge in orders for health and wellness products.

“The business is here now and we want to take it,” said Mike Frautten, controller of Great Falls Marketing, a direct response call center that occasionally diverts calls to a sister facility when volume outstrips manpower. “We’re passing off enough volume to justify (employing) 200 reps.”

For the past two years, Great Falls Marketing has specialized in handling customer requests for nutraceuticals, a term that encompasses dietary supplements and food products that deliver health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The Nutrition Business Journal estimates the U.S. market for nutraceuticals at $75 billion, with a global market that tops $200 billion.

Many of the products are advertised in infomercials; others are in radio, print and television ads. But they all instruct potential customers to call for more information or to place an order. For Great Falls clients, those calls go to the 140 people working at its 121 Mill St. call center.

“One of our customers has a retail presence in GNC,” said Frautten. “They decided to go the direct response route, purchase radio and print ads and send the calls here … sales at GNC went through the roof.”

The call center was formerly AdvanceTel, which opened in 1998 and grew to 170 employees before falling on hard times. When Great Falls took it over in 2005, there were only 35 employees.

The new owners decided to develop an exclusive focus on health and wellness products, wooing clients from the growing nutraceutical industry and training staff extensively on those products alone. That creates expertise, which translates into more sales and happier staff, said Scott MacCheyne, president,

“We usually see it go hand in hand – training and results,” said MacCheyne.

He said the average employee at Great Falls earns between $14 and $20 an hour, with exceptional operators earning more than $30. Wages are a mix of base pay and commissions, and the jobs are full-time with benefits.

“We have the additional space and can outfit it very quickly,” said MacCheyne of the company’s ability to accommodate new hires. A new client and “substantial growth” in the existing client base is prompting the hiring spurt.

“Our clients want to direct more calls to us, and we want to be ready,” he said.