Troy Shantz
About 170 workers will be out work when a call centre at the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park closes April 30.
TTEC Canada is shutting down the centre because the client no longer needs its services, said general manager and vice-president Thomas Monaghan.
“It’s not a question of the space or the location, it’s really just down to client needs, that’s the only reason,” he told The Journal.
At its peak, 350 workers filled the 40,000-square-foot facility on Modeland Road, which opened as the Atelka Contact Centre in June of 2014.
TTEC Holdings acquired the Sarnia site in 2016. There are no plans to close any of the company’s six other Canadian centres, Monaghan said.
The local employees are being offering job placement and career transition services, he said.
In addition to the lost jobs, the company’s departure will leave a big space to fill at the Research Park.
Executive director Katherine Albion said they hope to find a new tenant quickly.
“(It) gives us some more opportunities for development, and to help new and growing companies become established at the park.”
The Modeland Road complex was 97% full at the end of last year, she said. Its 40 tenants include Nova Chemicals, the Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership and many smaller start-ups affiliated with Western University and Lambton College.
Upgrades at TTEC’s open-concept unit, including a new LED lighting system, were completed two years ago.
“It’s what I would call one of our prime locations,” she said.
Colorado-based TTEC Holdings has 89 customer service centres around the world with revenue of $1.5 billion last year.