(5/6/2006)

Major New Employer In Rapid City

Expanding company will bring up to 500 new jobs to western South Dakota

PIERRE, SD – Gov. Mike Rounds announced today that N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. (NEW), a leading provider of extended service contracts and buyer protection programs for consumer products, will expand into Rapid City, South Dakota, where it plans to open its ninth communication center and bring 500 jobs to the area.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome NEW to South Dakota. This company will provide quality jobs in the Black Hills, and benefit from South Dakota’s productive, dedicated workforce,” said Gov. Rounds. “This is another example of the progress South Dakota is making toward realizing the state’s 2010 Initiative goals – a great win for Rapid City and the surrounding area.”

Scheduled to officially open in early June of 2006, the existing facility will provide NEW with additional infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the company. The communication center will be an inbound call center providing customer service support and troubleshooting for consumers.

NEW will begin hiring for a variety of positions including customer service, supervisory and support personnel for the center. During its first three months of operations NEW plans to hire over 250 employees. The company's long–term expansion plans call for hiring up to 500 people.

NEW provides employees the opportunity for career growth, coupled with a professional setting and the latest technologies. In addition, NEW offers competitive wages and an outstanding benefits package, which currently includes healthcare, income protection, 401 (k) and paid time off.

Commenting on the new center, Ray Zukowski, NEW’s Senior Vice President of Operations, said, "NEW's continued growth and success has made it necessary to expand the company's communication center operations. We chose Rapid City, South Dakota because they opened their arms to us and provided outstanding support at both the state and local level. In addition, the area is growing, offers a great quality of life for residents and the workforce is highly educated and motivated.”

"NEW is recognized in the call-center industry as a leader in the delivery of quality customer service. They are known as a quality employer – one who promotes from within and is a great corporate citizen,” said Bob DeMersseman, president of the Rapid City Economic Development Partnership. “We are pleased that NEW chose Rapid City as their next call center home and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship."

“This is a huge win for the entire Black Hills region,” said Jafar Karim, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “Clearly there’s great forward momentum in the region. And as we work collaboratively with the Rapid City economic development team, you’re going to see more results like this.”

Potential employees can view career opportunities at http://www.newcorp.com/careers or through the South DakotaCareerCenter.