Sorenson Communications has been providing help for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for several years. Now it's going to be bringing help — in the form of jobs — to an area of Utah that could use it.

The Salt Lake City-based company said Wednesday that it will open a new communications relay center in Price in a few weeks, bringing 50 jobs to a temporary site in an operation that will have 100 employees, both full and part time, by summer in a permanent location there.

The relay service, called Sorenson IP Relay, is designed to facilitate communication between people who can hear and those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, by using PCs or mobile devices.

"We think it's going to be a beautiful fit between our company and the citizens of Price," said Pat Nola, president and chief executive officer of Sorenson Communications. "We think it's a great work opportunity down there."

Price was selected for several reasons, including its ability to draw employees from Carbon and Emery counties and from the College of Eastern Utah, Nola said at a news conference.

"All of those elements come together to make a good business decision for us, and, I think, the right business decision for our company and hopefully for the people of Price," he said.

Nola said the company is well-known in the deaf community because Sorenson is the largest communication provider for them in the nation.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said at the press conference that he was "thrilled, honored and pleased" with the announcement and noted it was good news for the area, coming "a few difficult weeks" after the Crandall Canyon mine disaster.

The central Utah community is regaining its strength, and the Sorenson jobs will aid that, he said.

"Pat, what you are doing here is providing an opportunity for people who wouldn't otherwise have it, in an part of the state that is beginning to rise anew from the challenges of the summer," he told Nola. "On this we're going to build a lot more, and we will make Carbon and Emery, and Price specifically, a center of economic interest for a lot of our citizens and a lot of our businesses."

The governor acknowledged that with a global economy, Sorenson could have chosen any location for the new center. "You're building now in the communities that I think need it more than anyone else," Huntsman said. "We have a state that is creating jobs at three times the national average. That's good, but we also need to focus on those areas that need it most, and you are doing that."

Price Mayor Joe Piccolo said he was "pleased" to add Sorenson to the Price business community.

"As the governor mentioned, adversity brings forth strength, and this will be a piece in the puzzle that will re-establish some additional strength in our community, so I think it's a wonderful opportunity," he said.