IT’S OFFICIAL

RED OAK — An unofficial report that DirecTV would bring in 150 jobs to Red Oak became official last week after the satellite company signed a 7-year lease agreement for the former CDS Global facility.

Red Oak Chamber and Industrial Association Executive Director Darrel Steven Carlyle formally announced via a press release that DirecTV was relocating a dispatch center in town.
“This is absolutely a win-win for DIRECTV and our community,” said Darrel Steven Carlyle, Executive Director of the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Association. “We knew that showing DIRECTV this affordable, prime location, as well as the many other benefits of locating in Red Oak, would result in a positive outcome for everyone – for many years to come.”
The company will be hiring 150 full-time employees, and is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2011.
Jobs at the new facility will primarily be dispatchers, who will route technicians to service or installations jobs and will serve as a liaison between the customer and technicians when a work order is generated.
CDS, which processed subscriptions for customers such as Reader’s Digest, vacated the building after closing the facility in June, resulting in more than 200 jobs lost to the community. CDS’ closing was just one of many Red Oak has endured the last five years, resulting in the loss of nearly 900 jobs. Those closings included Romech (2006), Red Oak Die Casting (2009), and Traco Windows (2009).
However, CDS’ closing helped with the recruitment of DirecTV, opening up the perfect facility with the needed equipment for a dispatch center.
“The facility is an ideal location for DIRECTV,” said George Maher, president of ACORN I Development which owns the building. “The mostly-furnished building features the communication connectivity and space DIRECTV needs to quickly occupy the building and get their operation running.”
DirectTV will only be leasing about half of the building, while retaining first refusal option on the remainder.
Red Oak Mayor Ted Schoonover stated in the release his belief that DirectTV will be a perfect fit for the area.
“DIRECTV will be a great addition to our community,” said Mayor Ted Schoonover. “They will fit right in and find that they have made a great choice in locating their dispatch center in Red Oak. This is a strong community with small-town values, a great work ethic, and unique warmth found only in the Midwest. We welcome the newest member of our economic community with open arms.”
Anyone interested in career opportunities with DirecTV should call Richard Petty at (866) 288-8004 or visit www.directv.com/careers.