Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and CEO Brian Davis and President Everett Stagg of Coast Professional Inc. announced the company will create 146 new direct jobs in an expansion of its West Monroe contact center. Operating in Ouachita Parish since 2007, Coast Professional will maintain its 9,000-square-foot office on Expo Circle while adding a new 8,200-square-foot facility on Downing Pines Road.
With the expansion, Coast Professional will make a $750,000 capital investment and retain 125 existing jobs. The new project will add 146 direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $36,500, plus benefits. In addition, Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 85 new indirect jobs, for a total of 231 new jobs in Ouachita Parish and Northeast Louisiana.
“Coast Professional’s latest outbound contact center will bring immediate career opportunities to the people of West Monroe and surrounding areas,” Gov. Edwards said. “We’re proud to be assembling a team of state and regional workforce partners who will help Coast Professional meet its immediate hiring needs for this expansion, and we’ll be announcing more details about the hiring plans in the very near future.”
To prepare for its growth, Coast Professional will be converting a former Sears Hometown store and renovating the interior space and parking area to accommodate the new workforce. The company specializes in outbound calls to resolve debt for federal customers.
“Coast has seen significant growth over the past year and is looking to add to our ever-growing team,” said Stagg, who also serves as co-chairman of the Shareholders Board at Coast Professional. “The new location is a milestone within our company’s history and is a culmination of many years of effort, planning and success. I want to thank the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, the Ouachita Workforce Development Board 81, the City of West Monroe, Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Workforce Commission and the Governor’s Office for their support in making this happen. As we enter a new chapter, we’re looking for candidates that have an enthusiasm to learn, bring their A-game every day, and who are looking to enhance their financial futures.”
LED FastStart® – the nation’s top-ranked state workforce program – will guide recruitment efforts for Coast Professional while the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the regional Workforce Development Board Area 81 will lead training efforts for new Coast Professional personnel.
“The Louisiana Workforce Commission is proud to partner with Coast Professional,” said Secretary Ava Dejoie. “This call center is a direct investment in Louisiana’s workforce, and the LWC prides itself on providing workforce development stimulation for job-seekers and employers through training initiatives, such as Registered Apprenticeship and the Incumbent Worker Training Program.”
“The Ouachita Workforce Development Board 81 is so pleased and overwhelmingly appreciative to be a part of Coast Professional’s expansion to our area,” said Doretha Bennett, the workforce board’s executive director. “We will continue our support for such an essential action and progress.”
The North Louisiana Economic Partnership and West Monroe officials offered strategic support to Coast Professional to make the expansion project possible.
“The City of West Monroe is extremely pleased to support the expansion of Coast Professional, a longtime existing West Monroe company,” Mayor Staci Mitchell said. “The city worked with several partner organizations to offer a competitive incentive package that allowed this West Monroe business to expand locally instead of in another state. Our leadership has worked diligently to create a pro-business environment conducive to economic development.”
“North Louisiana Economic Partnership congratulates Coast Professional on expanding its presence in West Monroe,” said NLEP President Scott Martinez. “NLEP worked with a team of state, regional, local and workforce partners to create an economic incentive package and workforce solutions that brought this economic development project to West Monroe.”
NLEP and the State of Louisiana began discussing a potential project with Coast Professional earlier this year. The company is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Enterprise Zone Program, which includes a tax credit of up to $3,500 for each net new job created.
Details on the hiring process for interested job candidates will be announced soon, with Coast Professional planning to move into its new facility and begin operations there before the end of the year.