175 recently hired for IBM customer service center at Heartland



Heartland Business Center
9301 S Innovation Drive, Daleville IN



DALEVILLE, Ind. — With the recent announcement of IBM’s new customer service center employing 175, the Heartland Business Center is nearly full.

The 220,000-square-foot business center was once an outlet mall and has been developed into a business center over the past several years, said Terry Murphy, vice president of the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.

About 20,000 square feet remains at the center.

IBM opened its first business center three years ago and is now located both at the Heartland Business Center and in the 63,000-square-foot space it shares with Jarden Home Brands that was once Burlington Motor Carriers’ corporate office.

“IBM is one of the most globally recognized companies in the country,” Murphy said. “For them to have a growing presence here in this part of the country is great. It gives instant name recognition for companies looking to locate here and expand. We are encouraged by the fact that a company of the caliber of IBM has made a substantial investment in this community and continues to grow.”

IBM doesn’t disclose the number of employees at its centers, but the company has about 700 employees in Daleville. The new, trained employees began work Monday.

“This expansion gives us the opportunity to work for future projects,” Murphy said. “Other corporations can see we are a community that has a successful track record. That’s a plus for us.”

The Heartland Business Center is a boon for central Indiana, Murphy said, pointing out it is a great synergy of businesses and a good way to reuse an existing facility.

IBM officials have said their desire to expand locally came from their satisfaction of the local job force.

“IBM opened its first center on Commerce Drive three years ago,” said Kent Holcomb, IBM senior state executive. “(Monday’s) announcement is directly tied to the skill of our employees and superior customer service being delivered in Daleville.”

One of IBM’s consumer electronics customers in Daleville has been given the Call Center Excellence Award North America, which ranks it as one of the top five companies in the country for consumer feedback. The award is sponsored by the International Quality and Productivity Center and is based on consumer satisfaction survey ratings. And company officials have said that IBM’s work for health care providers — the company doesn’t disclose company names — has increased productivity by 38 percent and maintained quality measurement at more than 99 percent for more than 160,000 clients.

Murphy said the Alliance, Delaware County commissioners and Delaware County Redevelopment Commission all were critical to making the expansion happen. The Redevelopment Commission approved the use tax increment financing funds as an incentive to help bring the new jobs and investment to Daleville.

IBM is now one of Daleville’s biggest employers and other incentives could bring its employment levels to as high as 1,000.

In addition to the area’s quality work force, Holcomb said the company decided to expand in Daleville because of the business environment in the area is a positive one and because the first center has been so successful — in terms of productivity, efficiency and customer service satisfaction.

It was a “natural next step forward,” he said.

The employees at the center are customer service representatives providing technical support for consumer electronic products, Holcomb said. The center also provides health care processing directly assisting more than 150,000 clients of a major insurance company so the customers can receive payments on claims.

Heartland Business Center is managed by SugarOak.  SugarOak is a full service real estate company offering investment, management, and construction services across multiple property types. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, SugarOak has ownership interests and management portfolios across the US and Canada