The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) gave preliminary approval for state tax credits to Accounts Receivable Management Inc., a credit and collection company based in Thorofare, N.J., to open an office in Lousiville, KY.
The company has plans to open a 10,000-square-foot call center “in the Hurstbourne, Shelbyville Road area,” said Joe Burch, senior vice president of ARM. The company received preliminary approval for up to $500,000 in incentives over 10 years.
Burch said the company would lease space for the new call center in order to “expand our business. … Our business plan was to go out and open up another site this year.”
He said the company chose Louisville as a potential location because it has an available work force following recent call-center departures from the city.
Burch specifically cited the recent closing of Providian Financial Corp.’s call center here and the layoffs of more than 200 workers by Sears, Roebuck & Co. after the company sold the majority of its operations in Louisville to New York City-based Citigroup.
“We believe that you’ve got a very fine work force down there (in Louisville),” Burch said.
ARM plans to invest $250,000 in starting the call center, which initially would employ 50 people — who will “all be new employees from Kentucky,” he said.
