ROCKFORD, IL—Although this city retains a hefty bit of industry,especially in aerospace and logistics, over the last few decades itdid lose thousands of jobs, leaving behind a highly-trainedworkforce looking for employment. The deep labor pool, however, hasrecently attracted other companies including many that run callcenters. And the outsourcing company APAC Customer ServicesInc. has just renewed a 73,757-square-foot lease for itscall center at 7180 Spring Brook Rd. in Rockford, illustrating thecontinuing appeal the city has for this sector.

APAC, the Bannockburn, IL-based subsidiary of EGS Inc.Co., did look at a variety of alternative locations inRockford, other Illinois cities and even out of state, according toofficials from JLL, who helped negotiate thelease, but decided to stick with Rockford due to what it saw as astrong call center labor force and comparatively low rentalrates.

“We seem to have become a hub for this type of activity, partlybecause the city has a readily available supply of labor,”Mike Nicholas, president of the RockfordArea Economic Development Council, tells GlobeSt.com. Thearea also has a highly-developed fiber optic system, which alsoaids businesses like APAC with an extremely high volume of calls.“And the city has very low power rates compared to otherneighboring towns; and we do have spaces available.”