Governor Celebrates Sallie Mae's Debt Management Call Center Success

One year ago, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and executives from Sallie Mae -- the nation's leading saving-and-paying for college company -- stood in an empty shell structure to announce the company's plan to bring 700 jobs to Muncie. Today, joined by Muncie Mayor Dan Canan and local economic development leaders, Governor Daniels and Sallie Mae celebrated the one-year anniversary of that announcement at the company's new state-of-the-art facility, home to 530 employees.

"Today we know first hand that Muncie is a great place to live and work," said C.E. Andrews, executive vice president, Sallie Mae. "Sallie Mae is extremely pleased with the quality of new employees here, so much so that we have exceeded not only this year's headcount goal, but also next year's. We continue to see our Muncie operation as a training ground for future managers in our company."

Sallie Mae has tapped the talented local workforce to fill entry level and management positions at its new Muncie facility. The company originally anticipated filling up to 300 jobs in the first year of operation; however, it has since surpassed that target, adding 530 jobs since the operation opened for business last October. The company still expects to employ 700 individuals by the end of 2008. The Sallie Mae jobs in Muncie bring the company's total employment in Indiana to more than 3,000.

As promised, Sallie Mae relied heavily on local Delaware County contractors to build out the company's shell building located in the Muncie Airpark. The company awarded nearly $1.7 million in sub-contracts -- more than 70 percent of the sub-contracts awarded -- to local businesses for construction of the company's new facility.

Sallie Mae has already launched a new management training program at its Muncie facility through a partnership with Ball State University. The company's Fast Track Management Trainee Program provides an accelerated track to management positions at the Muncie operation and keeps some of Indiana's best and brightest students in Muncie. The program already has its first graduate, Ball State alum Jon Downing, who introduced Governor Daniels to Sallie Mae employees at today's event.

"Indiana has been home for me my whole life, and I always knew I wanted to start my career in the state," said Jon Downing. "Sallie Mae provided that opportunity through its Fast Track Management Trainee Program, and today, I am a supervisor at a one of Indiana's best companies."