Convergys Corp. marks 30 years of calls in Utah

"We enjoy having them. They employ a lot of students in Taylorsville, and because of their flex schedules, a lot of mothers can get jobs here. It's a great place. We're happy to have them. We hope they grow — double," he said.

Salt Lake County's economic development director, Dale Carpenter, said Convergys is representative of an existing county business doing well. "You've got 30 years of time and grade, as it were, and that's very impressive," he said.

"I value what this call center means to the economy of this county. It provides a lot of good jobs and a lot of upward mobility for people. I have nothing but good things to say about what they do, and I think they have a splendid reputation with respect to their clients and the service they render to their clients' clients."

Rowell said she has agents who enjoy working on the phones and have been at it for 10 years. Others, she said, started with the company and have grown into human resources, training or information technology roles. "We've been very successful at providing a good environment for people to work in and grow in," she said.

And while a work-at-home program is expected to blossom in 2007 — 120 agents in Logan already work from home, and 75 will be added in Ogden in the next two months — the Taylorsville center's human resources office remained busy Wednesday, with a half-dozen folks at just about any given time working on completing employment applications.

"There's no doubt we're very pleased with the response that we have now, and always have had, from the community," Mansfield said, "and it speaks well to what a desirable place this is to work."

While the Taylorsville site was celebrating its anniversary on Wednesday, the corporation was busy announcing its third-quarter financial results. Convergys reported net income of $45.2 million, or 32 cents per share, during the quarter, which compares with $42.4 million, or 30 cents per share, for the 2005 third quarter. Revenues were a quarterly company record of $702.7 million, up 9 percent from the prior-year quarter.

Convergys stock rose 19 cents Wednesday to close at $20.95 per share on the New York Stock Exchange. During the past year, the price has ranged from $15.32 to $21.72.

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com