Now hiring: HomeServe to add 100 jobs at Chattanooga office

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Bart Hohimer, left, and Vaneshia Adair, right, work in the call center at HomeServe in Brainerd.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES• The company will host a job fair today and Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. at 1232 Premier Drive.• Interested candidates can also apply online at www.homeserveusa.com/Careers.html.

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photo Christina High and Georgette Metts work at HomeServe in this file photo. The business provides emergency home repair programs.

HomeServe's chief executive said Tuesday that when the provider of emergency home repair service plans decided to add more than 100 jobs, putting them in Chattanooga was "a no-brainer."

"We're growing 30 percent a year," said CEO Thomas J. Rusin. "We need a city that can grow along with us."

Rusin said the Stamford, Conn.-based company's head count in Chattanooga will be at about 350 when the jobs are filled in three or four months "and we don't see that growth slowing down."

Most of the slots at the company's Brainerd call center are in customer care, but some will be available in information technology, finance and management, he said.

Dale Jones, human resource business partner for HomeServe, said that starting pay will range from $12 to $13 per hour.

HomeServe took its first call in the city in November 2010. It now has 240 people in nearly 30,000 square feet at The Pointe Corporate Centre.

Rusin said plans are to invest about $65,000 in the expansion, mostly in training, though there will be some build-out at its facilities. He said customer service is key for HomeServe's business.

"We've got a great group of people who are passionate about customer service," Rusin said.

He said that when the company was looking three years ago for a city in which to place the call center, "Chattanooga embraced us more than any other city we looked at."

Ron Harr, who heads the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, said it takes a lot of teamwork to help a company grow its business.

"It takes every player on the team, from the governor through the mayors and to the Chamber to the last person answering the phone to make these projects come together," he said.

Charles Wood, vice president of economic development for the Chamber, said HomeServe has benefited from Chattanooga's advanced data infrastructure and Smart Grid.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.