CALAIS (AP) – A Canadian market research firm has announced plans to open its first U.S. call center in this eastern Maine city and hire more than 200 employees.

Acrobat Research, which is based near Toronto, said Tuesday it plans to begin operations in January and hopes to eventually hire more than 80 full-time and 130 part-time workers. The company plans to use the former ICT Group call center, which closed its doors in 2003.

“Calais fits our business model of operations in rural areas and, we believe, provides a great location for our first site in the states,” said company President Roland Klassen.

Acrobat Research was started in 1994 and provides market research services for clients that include opinion polls and customer satisfaction and advertising awareness surveys. According to its Web site, Acrobat has four other call centers – three in Nova Scotia and one in Ontario.

Klassen said one concern in opening a facility in a rural area is whether there are enough workers to fill the jobs. To gauge the Calais job market, the company is running employment ads.

“We are expecting the response to be good,” he said.

Wages start at $8 an hour, but there will be plenty of opportunities for advancement to supervisory positions, Klassen said.

Acrobat Research’s announcement is good news for an area that has been hit with bad economic news as of late.

Earlier this month, Maine voters rejected a referendum that would have allowed the Passamaquoddy tribe to build a harness racing track with slot machines, hotel and convention cetner that the tribe said would have employed more than 200 people.

The area suffered another blow earlier this year when Canadian paper producer Domtar Corp. shut down a paper machine and eliminated 150 jobs at its Woodland mill in Baileyville as part of a companywide effort to cut production capacity and costs.

Copy the Story Link