NARS Celebrates 1 Year in Flagship U.S. Call Center

National Asset Recovery Services (NARS) Friday announced the one-year anniversary of its newest collection call center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The site has experienced explosive growth since launching last year with a staff of 97.

St. Louis-based NARS began recruiting for the call center in November 2006 in the relatively small town of Cape Girardeau, boyhood home of NARS President and CEO Christopher Buehrle. The site now boasts more than 500 employees, and NARS’s goal is to have the 550-seat facility fully staffed by the end of the first quarter.

The quick growth was all part of the plan. “We grew a little more quickly than we anticipated,” Greg Cappa, NARS executive vice president, told insideARM, “but we planned on staffing this site up very quickly.”

“The success we have achieved in our first year has been due to many things, but most importantly is attributed to the terrific team of people in our Cape Girardeau facility,” said Buehrle in a press release. “This work is quite challenging at times and our people make all the difference in the world. Our focus on results and people provide for a very unique environment in today’s work world.”

Cappa said that much of the early success in staffing can be attributed to jobs leaving the area in advance of NARS’ opening. The site has also helped revitalize the neighborhood around the center which consists primarily of retail establishments.

The project to build the call center in Cape Girardeau has already received accolades from state leaders. In August 2007, the NARS Call Center Project was named the Missouri Governor’s Community Project of the Year at the annual Governor’s Economic Development Conference held in Springfield, Mo. State and local dignitaries, such as the mayor of Cape Girardeau and a Missouri State senator, were present at the official grand opening ceremony in September.

Since the call center launched, NARS has added an in-house exercise facility, an employee eatery — the NARS Café, and a daycare center.

NARS, a nationwide BPO and ARM services provider, also operates facilities in St. Louis, Montego Bay, Jamaica and Panama City, Panama.