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The Tyler area could see the creation of about 480 jobs in four years with the entrance of a home-based customer care center, economic development officials said Thursday.

National Electronic Warranty (NEW) Customer Service Companies Inc. announced an expansion of its contact center operations to the Tyler area, with home-based jobs delivering technical troubleshooting for DirecTV.

Tom Mullins, president and chief executive officer for the Tyler Economic Development Council, said NEW hopes to add 120 jobs a year to the Tyler area. The company researched and evaluated more than 200 cities, he said. It narrowed the list to 10 sites, which its representatives visited, and chose Tyler.

“They said the technology infrastructure and the strong workforce offered in this area helped make the decision the best decision for their company,” Mullins said. “This project will enhance Tyler’s growing reputation as a center for telecommunications and other technology-related jobs.”

Mullins said the TEDC did not perform an economic impact study, but the impact should be several million dollars a year. This is based on payroll, training materials, paying trainers and the increased buying power of NEW employees.
NEW Service Companies, based in Sterling, Va., bills itself as “the leading provider of extended service plans, buyer protection services and product support, providing coverage to more than 150 million consumers.”