CallTech’s success growing
Six years ago Dennis Matteucci ventured out of retirement to help out his hometown. Matteucci, who was with IBM for 30 years and served as the company’s vice president for telecommunications world-wide, promised his wife that they would retire to the Brownsville area, where they had both been born.
“She’s the reason we came back. For the last 18 years (before retirement) I traveled all over the world,” Matteucci said.
In 1998 the Matteucci’s moved back to southwestern Pennsylvania, settling into a house in California Borough. Eighteen months later, Matteucci’s wife had passed away and he found himself looking at taking on yet another job.
“I grew up in Brownsville. It was a rather flourishing community. The people were friendly. They were helpful. They looked out for one another. There was plenty of employment,” Matteucci said. “When I saw this town die, I knew I had to do something.”
Matteucci called some of his former business contacts, convincing them to open a customer service center in the Brownsville area.
“I wanted to give people some dignity and pride,” Matteucci said.
Matteucci’s contacts at CallTech in Columbus, Ohio, agreed to the business proposal, but only if Matteucci would serve as the manager. Brownsville was the first off-site location for the Columbus-based firm. The company now has eight locations in seven states and employs more than 3,200 people.
The company’s growth is mirrored by the growth in Brownsville.
“Initially, we had about six people, then 20 to 30. We continuously grew the place and by mid-December, there will be about 600 people there,” Matteucci said.
When the customer service center opened in the former Gabriel’s store building on Roberts Road, just east of Brownsville, the plan was to eventually bring about 400 jobs to the area. According to Kathy Matteucci, Dennis Matteucci’s sister-in-law and the personnel manager at CallTech’s Brownsville location, there are currently 340 employees at the site with plans to hire 250 more by December.
Kathy Matteucci said the Brownsville location currently serves six clients: an on-line travel service, an Internet telephone service, an automotive industry tool manufacturer, a used car pricing service, a data storage firm and the manufacturer of MP3 players. The 250 new jobs will be offering customer support for the MP3 manufacturer.
Kathy Matteucci said the way the facility is currently set up, it can handle about 550 employees, though there is additional space that could be renovated, allowing the company to hire as many at 750 people eventually. Kathy Matteucci said 75 to 80 percent of the staff is full-time with a benefit package that includes a 401K retirement plan, medical and dental benefits, vacation, sick time and college tuition reimbursement.
“Company-wide, we have the lowest attrition rate,” Kathy Matteucci said. “A lot of them have been here since the company opened and they tell us they aren’t going anywhere.”
“What makes me feel good here is to see so many Brownsville people working here,” said Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan.
Dennis Matteucci credits Ryan for providing some of the initial support for the project.
“She was one of the key people involved when I decided to bring this business to Brownsville,” Matteucci said.
Ryan said she would like to work with more former Brownsville residents who are willing to bring some of their business to Brownsville.
“Denny is a person who came back to the community, saw what was happening and it touched his heart and he did something,” Ryan said. “We need more people willing to roll up their sleeves.”
Ryan said the borough does not have the resources to research which former residents might be good business contacts willing to open satellite offices in Brownsville.
“We would welcome anyone who would want to help us with any research or to make contact with any (former) residents who want to give back to their heritage,” Ryan said.
“We’re out of the industrial age and into the technology age and that can work here,” Matteucci said.