HARLINGEN — The city is giving a call center time to hire more employees.
Earlier this week, city commissioners agreed to grant Qualfon Data Services Group its request for more time to comply with an agreement which requires the Mexico-based company to create as many as 200 jobs.
Now, an amended contract gives Qualfon until October 2019 to create at least 72 more jobs.
“We’re trying to give them more time to succeed here,” Raudel Garza, executive director of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation, said yesterday.
About three years ago, the EDC gave Qualfon a $200,000 up-front loan in exchange for the company’s agreement to hire 200 full-time employees, with projections to create 400 jobs by its second year.
Under the agreement that gives Qualfon $1,000 for every job it creates, the company hired 147 employees.
At that point, the agreement required the company to create at least 53 more jobs, setting its outstanding balance at $53,000.
However, Qualfon faced a business downturn that led to layoffs, Garza said.
By last month, he said, its payroll stood at 128 employees.
“They created some jobs — not as many as we wanted initially,” Garza told commissioners at a meeting Wednesday.
But Garza said Qaulfon is back to hiring employees.
“Their growth pattern is on track,” according to the company, Garza said.
What’s in the agreement?
EDC gives Qualfon $200,000 to create at least 200 jobs
Qualfon creates 147 jobs, leaving $53,000 outstanding balance
EDC amendment gives Qualfon until October 2019 to create at least 72 more jobs
