Cardinal Health spent several months researching practically every part of the country in a site location search for two customer care facilities.
The company, a provider of pharmaceutical and medical supplies, had three objectives in its location search: quality and quantity of employees, and a facility in the 70,000 square feet to 80,000 square feet range that could easily be converted to fit its needs.
After the location team narrowed down the search to five finalist cities, Radcliffe, Ky., and Little Rock, Ark., were chosen for the facilities.
The 81,900 square foot facility in Radcliffe began operations in January with 150 employees. The company expects the work force to grow to 500 employees by the end of the year, said Angela Gardner Meleca, a spokeswoman for Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health Inc.
The customer care center will provide support services for Cardinal Health’s 50,000 customers in the United States, including hospitals, pharmacies and physicians’ offices.
Employees will answer any questions or assuage any concerns that customers might have about Cardinal Health’s products or services. Employees will work in teams to develop a solution that solves whatever issue a customer might have, Meleca said.
“This isn’t a typical call center where an employee is taking an order over the phone,” she pointed out. “This is different. We’re not taking orders. This is a business-to-business function.”
Because of the nature of the jobs, Cardinal Health needed to find a location that had a highly skilled and trainable work force that could easily pick up the knowledge of the health care industry, Meleca said.
She added that it was also important to find a work force that was willing to make a long-term commitment to the company. The facility will house entry-level, mid-level and senior-level positions.
“We hope employees will stay for a long time,” she said. “There will be an opportunity for someone to come in and grow with the company.”
When it reaches full employment, Cardinal Health will become the largest employer in the Radcliffe/Hardin County area.
Cardinal Health will receive up to $8 million under the Kentucky Jobs Development Act (KJDA), an incentive program aimed at increasing service- and technology-related employment.
Firms Expand DC Operations
The commonwealth of Kentucky is known for its logistical assets, and two well-known companies, Amazon.com and UPS Supply Chain Solutions, have decided to expand their distribution center (DC) operations there.
Citing continued growth and additional product line expansion, Amazon.com opened a 543,000 square foot DC in Hebron, with a work force of 70.
UPS is continuing its relationship with the commonwealth by siting an 800,000 square foot warehouse and DC in Louisville. The expansion will result in nearly 400 new jobs.
The $11.7 million expansion project comes on the heels of the opening of UPS’ Kentucky Healthcare Logistics Center, which is dedicated to the warehousing and distribution of pharmaceutical products.
Amazon.com and UPS will both receive tax benefits from the commonwealth for their projects.
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