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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

CenturyLink Begins Construction On Monroe, Louisiana Center of Excellence

03/05/2013
CenturyLink began construction on its Technology Center of Excellence, a 250,000-square-foot expansion of its existing 365,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana, where it plans to create 800 jobs.

The Technology Center of Excellence will include technology research and development space, a network operations center and additional meeting and office space. In the center, employees and vendors with network technology and information technology skills will collaborate to create innovative new product and service offerings for CenturyLink customers.

CenturyLink CEO and President Glen F. Post III said; “We look forward to continuing to grow CenturyLink’s presence in Northeastern Louisiana, and to working with individuals and organizations to make the region an even better place to live and work.”

Louisiana Economic Development said the building project will help fulfill the company’s 2011 announcement of an 800-job headquarters expansion. These jobs, combined with a prior 350-job expansion announced in 2009, will contribute $67.7 million in new annual payroll by 2016. The company will then have 2,600 employees in the Monroe area. In addition to the 800 new direct jobs, LED estimates the headquarters expansion will result in 1,170 new indirect jobs in the greater Monroe area, with the building project creating an additional 350 construction jobs at peak activity.

Governor Bobby Jindal said; “Today is a great day for Northeast Louisiana and our entire state. CenturyLink is one of Louisiana’s greatest success stories, and we’re proud that they chose to build on that success by capitalizing on our strong business climate and expanding their headquarters here at home. The Technology Center of Excellence will provide high-paying job opportunities for our people and great telecommunications research opportunities for our workers and students, which will help to expand our already growing and highly skilled workforce. The new facility will also help CenturyLink continue to support Louisiana’s strong digital media industry.”

As an incentive, the State will contribute up to $14.9 million toward the headquarters expansion. The company, which hasn’t yet established the final project cost, will begin the building construction in May 2013, state officials said. Site work, including a new north loop road on the corporate campus, began in late February.

“We are extremely proud of CenturyLink for choosing to make this corporate investment,” Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo said. “The 800 new jobs at the CenturyLink Technology Center of Excellence will help attract and retain intellectual capital and support jobs to our city. This expansion to CenturyLink’s Monroe campus is a sign of their commitment to the economic vitality of our city, parish and region.”

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