The state's location is within 500 miles of 60 percent of the nation's population and one-third of Canada's population. In addition, West Virginia offers a smorgasbord of travel and transportation options.

Six interstate highways link the state with sought-after U.S. marketplaces, and there are plenty of other transportation options including air, rail, and water.

Then there's the work force. And oh, what a work force it is.

Call centers connect with success thanks to local work force

The Clarksburg and Harrison County work force has been good to InfoCision. So good, in fact, that the company is adding 125 jobs to its local call center only five months after it began operations in November.

"Our Clarksburg facility has performed well beyond our initial projections," said Steve Brubaker, senior vice president of telephone marketing operations for InfoCision. "The quality of the employees we've been able to recruit and the warm reception by local government and business officials have been the keys to our success here in Clarksburg."

The Akron, Ohio,-based company conducts outbound and inbound telephone marketing for the commercial and direct marketing industries.

InfoCision employs 1,600 people at 13 call centers in five Ohio and West Virginia locations. The company was recognized by Call Center Solutions magazine as the nation's most outstanding telephone marketing company in 1999.

In February, TeleTech Holdings Inc. announced it would open a call center in Morgantown. The facility opened in May with 500 employees.

"TeleTech is excited by the opportunity to open another center in West Virginia," said Sean Erickson, senior vice president. "The area's highly educated work force, favorable labor demographics, positive market conditions, and state and local economic incentives were important factors in our decision to locate in Morgantown."

-Rachael Hedgcoth