Alliance Data gets new building, more work

Devin Heilman | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 8 months AGO

Alliance Data, a Columbus, Ohio-based business of branded credit card programs, debuts its 75,000-square-foot expansion of its customer care center in Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday.

Local leaders debut the 75,000-square-foot expansion of the new customer care center in Coeur d’Alene with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The expansion will provide approximately 200 additional jobs over the next year. From left to right: Jami, Dewolf, Tammy McConaughey, Sallie Komitor, Derreck Thomas, Steve Widmyer, Melisa Miller, Steve Griffitts, and Mark Tucker.

Local leaders debut the 75,000-square-foot expansion of the new customer care center in Coeur dAlene with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The expansion will provide approximately 200 additional jobs over the next year. From left to right: Jami, Dewolf, Tammy McConaughey, Sallie Komitor, Derreck Thomas, Steve Widmyer, Melisa Miller, Steve Griffitts, and Mark Tucker.

COEUR d'ALENE — It has been two years since Alliance Data's card services business opened a customer care center in Coeur d’Alene.

On Tuesday, a large crowd of employees, supervisors, local dignitaries and company leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open a second facility on the premises, located at 745 W. Hanley Ave.

The addition of the 75,000-square-foot facility will provide more than 200 additional jobs within the year and will have the ability to accommodate 700 long-term employees. With the new expansion completed, the facility features 120,000 square feet of space, including a gym and cafeteria.

“We literally started out two years ago with four chairs, and I was occupying one of them, so we know nothing was getting done,” said a cheerful Melisa Miller, president of Alliance Data’s card services. "Imagine, to 180 (associates), to 430 and on May 18 we have a job fair … for anyone who’s got friends, family, moose who know how to work the phone, let me know, we would love to welcome them. We do expect to add another 230 cherished associates to this facility and nothing would warm our heart more than to be talking to the mayors about where we could possibly put up a third building."

Miller said when the Columbus, Ohio-based company decides upon communities where it will operate, "we look not just for space, but a quality of folks to fill our workforce and we also look for heart and soul."

As well as celebrating the new building, Alliance Data donated $16,000 to United Way of Kootenai County and $5,000 to Family Promise of North Idaho. The company and its employees practice the spirit of volunteerism and support causes including education, hunger relief and domestic violence prevention.

"It’s very inspiring to work for a company that focuses so much on philanthropy," said customer retention associate Megan Foster of Coeur d'Alene. "We’re very dead-set in our values as a core, as far as giving back to children and education."

She said she's proud of Alliance Data for generating so many jobs for the community.

"Coming straight out of college, it's sometimes hard to get a job," Foster said. "This is the perfect company for that opportunity."