Computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. will pick up the keys to a new call center in Conway, Ark., on Friday, and move 400 workers into it over the weekend.

Those workers are now in temporary space in Little Rock, 25 miles south of Conway.

Palo Alto-based HP (NYSE: HPQ) plans to ultimately house 1,200 workers in the new facility, which is designed to hold up to 1,400 if that ever becomes necessary.

Brad Lacy, president and CEO of the Conway Development Corp. and Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, said HP will move into the southern half of the two-part building first. The other half is still being built and should be finished by the end of January.

Many of the new HP workers are locals, but some families have moved in from all over the country to work at the center, Lacy said.

HP has “plugged in” to Conway, said Mayor Tab Townsell. “We’ve got some of them on our city boards and foundations right now.”

Turning over the keys will be a very simple procedure, Lacy said, since HP will have to work hard to shift all 400 people over the weekend. A ceremony to mark the opening of the facility will be held later in the winter or in the spring, he said.

Conway, with a population of about 52,000, is the county seat of Faulkner County and has three colleges and universities — the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College and Central Baptist College. The town is known for toad races held at a festival in early May every year. Read More...

Source : Bizjournals.com