EBay takes incentive, will add jobs in Utah

Utah has won its bid to add more jobs to the state's employment rolls. Internet auction giant eBay Inc. has officially accepted an incentive offered by the state of Utah to further expand its global customer support operations.

The announcement Wednesday came following a vote in October by the Governor's Office of Economic Development Board to offer eBay nearly $2 million in incentives to expand the company's customer support operations in Draper.

The incentive is in the form of a refundable tax credit based on 25 percent of new state revenue over 10 years.

"The expansion of our customer service operations is not only a reflection of our great working relationship with the state of Utah, but our continued commitment to improving the customer experience at eBay," Chad O'Meara, vice president of customer service for eBay Marketplaces, said in a prepared statement. "We have attracted and retained a quality work force in Utah over the past 10 years, and we appreciate the ongoing community and economic support."

EBay, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., currently employs about 1,000 workers in Utah. The incentive approval was based on the company adding about 250 positions between its new data center and customer support operation. The new project would support an additional 207 full-time positions in Utah by the end of 2010, with the promise to maintain that level for the 10 years the incentive covers.

The company on Wednesday did not reply to Deseret News requests for details about the job additions.

Utah reeled in the new positions with a $1.7 million tax incentive over 10 years for positions that pay at least 25 percent above Salt Lake County average wages. The company would spend $40 million over the next 10 years on capital investments, $70 million in wages and generate about $6.8 million in tax revenues, according to projections.

The Draper expansion is a consolidation of eBay's North American customer support operations, which included the closing of its Vancouver, British Columbia, facility.

Contributing: Lois M. Collins

e-mail: jlee@desnews.com