Thursday, September 17, 2020

‘Diversity’ prompts company move to Romulus

 LeRoy Burcroff 
Calling the City of Romulus “the perfect fit” a premier provider of business process solutions will be moving to the community.
FCR will move the company contact center operations into the city. The proposed expansion is part of an FCR pledge to continue bringing opportunity and jobs to smaller communities across the United States while strengthening its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, corporate officials said. 
“I've always believed that the best way to make an impact is through investment in our communities,” said FCR President and Founder Matthew Achak. “After doing substantial research into cities and towns for our next expansion, we decided that the city of Romulus presented us with many new opportunities. Romulus fits perfectly into our business model of offering customer service and technical support jobs to those living in small to mid-size communities.
Romulus is a diverse city filled with hard-working people looking for new employment opportunities and pathways into tech. We are confident we will find plenty of candidates who have the skill set we are looking for.”
Mayor LeRoy Burcroff agreed with Achak assessment of the community.
“The City of Romulus is a home of opportunity, with a strong, diverse and hard-working talent base, as well as a business-friendly economic climate,” Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcroff said. “We are thrilled to partner with the forward-thinking leaders at FCR to bring new and continuing job opportunities that offer local residents direct access to a career in technology, with the added flexibility of a work-from-home schedule.”   
FCR plans to expand into Romulus and other diverse communities as part of an effort to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and address inequality in the workplace, Achak noted.
The company has pledged to increase its racial diversity, and is currently hiring a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager to ensure it meets its goals in this effort. 
“It is impossible to ignore what is happening across the United States,” Achak said. “It made FCR take a look at our efforts concerning diversity and equity. We started asking ourselves what we could do differently and how we could make a difference. We asked if we were doing everything we could to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces, especially when it came to race. FCR has always been a company that has embraced diversity, and we support the movement for racial justice. One of our biggest challenges has been overcoming the lack of diversity within the regions that we currently operate and reside in. How does a company increase its diversity when little diversity exists where you work and live?”
As the country began to tackle the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, FCR pivoted away from a traditional brick-and-mortar call center operation to a remote work from home business model in mid-March. The move preserved nearly every company job, officials said.
“Unlike many industries during the pandemic, the demand for our services continues to grow. We continue to add jobs, hiring new employees directly into work-from-home positions for the very first time,” Achak said. “Suddenly, we are no longer operating in this old model that says we have to hire people in a specific physical location. Now, we can hire new colleagues from all over the country, targeting communities where we can access the best folks for specific roles and programs.”
“We decided that instead of waiting for the demographics to change within our existing communities, we would proactively expand into diverse communities and communities of color,” Achak said. “There are economic and demographic conditions in those communities that mirror what we see in Oregon, Montana, and Idaho.” 
“We have become a major employer in every city we currently operate in. We are excited to bring new jobs and interesting work to the Romulus community,” said Katheryn Carnahan, COO for FCR.
“What makes us different is that we offer our colleagues the opportunity to build lasting careers that utilize each individual's unique talents,” Carnahan said. “Our colleagues are the most important part of the equation to our success, and they allow us to accomplish all of our goals. We are confident that Romulus will provide us with the talent-rich environment we have been searching for, and we can't wait to get started.” 
FCR will immediately offer work-from-home positions for Customer Service and Technical Support. In addition to entry-level positions, the company will also provide leadership and management opportunities. FCR is currently recruiting to support one of its largest clients, which is expanding its business in 2020.  The company will initially hire 15 to 20 colleagues, with plans for additional hiring throughout the year.
Candidates will need a high-speed internet connection from their home. However, FCR will provide all necessary computer and telephone equipment. Those interested in learning more about FCR or who wish to apply for a position can do so at www.gofcr.com.