TEXARKANA, TX-Harte-Hanks Inc.'s decision to open a new callcenter followed an extensive search and a final list of sixlocations. In the end, the New York City-based company inked afive-year lease for a 40,000-sf building to become one of thecity's largest employers.

Tann Tueller, Harte-Hanks' corporate officer and vice president,says the search took two years and focused on tertiary marketswithin a three- to four-hour drive of the company's Austin, TXfacility. Texarkana was on a list of 12 cities, then made the finalcut along with Abilene, Corpus Christi, El Paso and Kingsville, allin Texas, and Las Cruces, NM.

Tueller says the quality of available labor and the buildingitself were the deciding factors. “This had been previouslyoccupied by Windstream and already had the infrastructure set upfor a call center,” Tueller explains to GlobeSt.com. “With this, wecould go in with little retrofitting and just start it up.” The1960s-era building at 1900 N. Robinson Rd. will be painted,re-carpeted and conference and break rooms added to ready it forstartup.