VXI closing downtown Canton call center as employees work from home
CANTON – VXI Global Solutions will abandon its downtown offices Friday as area employees begin working from home.
Los Angeles-based VXI said it is expanding its work-from-home program. Most of the employees at the Canton office already were working from home, the company said in a press release. VXI said its management team was helping employees find opportunities in its expanding work-from-home campaign.
The announcement disappointed city officials who are concerned that another downtown building is being vacated.
Mayor Thomas M. Bernabei said in an email that officials in Canton and other Ohio cities have been emphasizing that the trend toward remote work brought about by COVID carries many potential pitfalls.
"This is a case in point," Bernabei said of the VXI move. "I wish VXI and its employees well and I look forward to a positive future use of the VXI building."
More:VXI to add 100 to 150 new employees in downtown Canton
Details about projected income tax losses weren't immediately available from the city treasurer’s office, Bernabei said, adding that city officials don't know the number of employees lost because of the move.
VXI opened the Canton location in 2011 at 401 Cleveland Ave. NW, which used to house operations for Ohio Bell Telephone Co. At the time, the company projected it would employ up to 1,000 people locally.
Last September, the company conducted a job fair and said it was hoping to hire between 100 and 150 sales and customer service agents. Employment locally was more than 400 people at that time.
The company didn't say how many people currently are employed in the Stark County area.
Debbie Burgess, senior vice president of U.S. operations, said in a press release that VXI is offering all employees an opportunity to move into the company's virtual work program.
Chief Human Resources Officer Erika Bogar King said VXI wants the change to be as smooth as possible.
According to county records, the building on Cleveland Avenue NW is owned by a Los Angeles company, but records don't clarify if VXI is the property owner. The three story office building is 66,000 square feet and was building in 1923, records show.
VXI promotes itself as a business process outsourcing provider in customer service, digital solutions and customer experience. Its has more than 40,000 employees at more than 40 locations in North America, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe.
Reach Edd at 330-580-8484 or edd.pritchard@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @epritchardREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: VXI closing downtown Canton site as employees work from home
