CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Joe Manchin today officially opened and dedicated the new Customer Services Center operated by Mountaineer Gas Co. West Virginia’s largest natural gas distribution company and NCO Group, Inc., a leader in business process outsourcing solutions. The Center is at 408 Leon Sullivan Way.
 
The Mountaineer Gas Co. Customer Services Center will initially employ 50 workers. Once the planned expansion of the workforce occurs with other businesses, NCO will employ 125 workers and have the potential to accommodate 200 employees for additional expansion. The Mountaineer Gas Customer Service Center represents the first expansion of NCO into West Virginia.

The initial new hires will handle projects such as customer care support and services for Mountaineer Gas. The state of West Virginia, through its Workforce West Virginia program was instrumental in assisting Mountaineer Gas and NCO, by committing $40,000 to this project.
 
"We are very pleased that NCO and Mountaineer Gas have shown their confidence in West Virginia by making a significant investment in new facilities and, most importantly, in new jobs," said Gov. Joe Manchin. Today’s announcement continues to demonstrate that West Virginia is an attractive place to do business in these tough economic times and that our state is continuing to grow. West Virginia remains one of just a few states with a solid financial status and that stability is an advantage for companies like NCO and Mountaineer Gas in making choices about where new jobs will be created."
 
"It is an exciting day for Mountaineer Gas and its partner NCO to be able to announce the location of a major new Customer Services Center and to bring new jobs to Charleston said Tom M. Taylor, President of Mountaineer Gas Company. We are committed to the continued growth of Mountaineer Gas in West Virginia and we’ve been proud to have a positive and supportive partner in Governor Manchin and his Development Office to continue the growth of providing safe reliable and cost efficient natural gas to over 220,000 West Virginia customers."

"NCO could not ask for better partners than Mountaineer Gas, and the Governor’s Economic Development Office," said Jay King, Senior Vice President of Operations at NCO. "There was a lot of hard work put into making this a reality, and NCO couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship here in West Virginia."

About Mountaineer Gas
Mountaineer Gas Company serves over 220,000 customers, and is the largest natural gas distribution company in West Virginia. Mountaineer Gas Company employs 430 in the state and its service territory covers 48 West Virginia counties and services over 64 percent of gas distribution customers in West Virginia.

About NCO
NCO is the industry leader in providing clients with business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions. NCO’s outsourcing portfolio includes accounts receivable management, customer management services and back-office services for a diversified customer base. NCO operates a global network of over 100 operations centers running on a centralized data platform with the flexibility to respond to a rapidly changing marketplace and to scale operations to meet client specifications. Qualified applicants wishing to apply for employment with NCO should visit www.ncogroup.com.


Contact: Matt Turner
(304) 558-2000

Office of the Governor
Communications Office- Gov. Joe Manchin III
State Capital
Charleston, WV 25305
toll free: (800) 642-9003
Fax: (304) 558-1558
website: www.wvgov.org