Call center lays of 30 employees
By JODY MURPHY, jmurphy@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG - A telemarketing firm, citing a downturn in the economy, has laid off 30 employees from its Parkersburg call center.
"It's just the economy,'' said Stuart Discount, president and chief executive officer of 121 Direct Response based in Philadelphia. "Some of our clients have cut back on projects due to lack of funds."
Discount said the layoffs affect only Parkersburg. The company has at least four other call centers, including one in Weston, W.Va. On its Web site 121 Direct Response said it has more than 210 agents at both the Parkersburg and Weston sites.
Discount said the company has no plans to leave Parkersburg.
"Parkersburg has always been very good to us," he said. "We have had no problem hiring. Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons the layoffs occurred (in Parkersburg) rather than Weston. Weston is a smaller community and it would have been harder to rehire."
He said 121 Direct Response, which has been operating in Parkersburg for about 12 years, still has 18 months on its lease.
Discount said this is not the first time the Parkersburg call center suffered layoffs.
"Following (Hurricane) Katrina, due to the nonprofit field, as money went to other organizations we had layoffs. All our layoffs have always been basically related to the conditions of the economy."
Discount believes the company will be back in hiring mode in Parkersburg by October.
"It will be easier for us to rehire once we secure some more clients,'' he said.
