In Personal Call to CEO, Schumer Urges Time Warner Cable to Locate New Call Center at Compass East in Buffalo, Which Would Bring 250 to 300 Jobs to Buffalo's East Side

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and N.Y. State Senator Tim Kennedy urged Time Warner Cable (TWC) to locate a new call center at Compass East, the site of the old Sheehan Hospital in Buffalo's East Side. Currently, TWC is in the site selection process for a new call center on the East Coast, and Schumer and Kennedy are pushing for it to be located in Buffalo. The call center could create as many as 175 new jobs, and overall would employ 250 to 300 workers, including approximately 100 jobs that Time Warner plans to move from elsewhere in the country. Schumer called Rob Marcus, COO of TWC, and Glenn Britt, CEO of Time Warner Cable to urge that they locate the new center in Buffalo.

"As Time Warner Cable searches for a new call center site on the East Coast, I'm urging them to put Buffalo on speed dial. I have contacted two top executives at Time Warner and vowed to do anything in my power to make this project a reality because I know it was such a win-win: Time Warner will benefit from Buffalo's exceptional workforce and low cost of business, and this new facility could bring between 250 to 300 jobs and continued economic development to Buffalo's East side," said Schumer. "What's more, I know that this new Time Warner facility could be a wonderful addition to the Michigan Street neighborhood and help breathe new life into this now dormant building."

Schumer noted that State Senator Tim Kennedy has been working to help the former Sheehan hospital build out of bankruptcy, and held a community meeting earlier this year to talk about potential uses for the site. Kennedy, who along with the community, identified the site as a key opportunity for economic development in the region said:

"Buffalo is, unquestionably, the ideal location for Time Warner Cable, and we are urging them to locate their new call center -- and the jobs that come with it -- here in the City of Good Neighbors. This is also a unique opportunity for Time Warner to partner with Buffalo and write the newest chapters of a building that has long been a part of Buffalo's history. For over 100 years, this building -- the former Sheehan Hospital, now Compass East -- has stood at 425 Michigan Avenue, with its doors open to support our community. The community identified job creation as a top priority for the Compass East project and Time Warner Cable can help us accomplish that objective. Time Warner can bring new life, new activity and most importantly new jobs to Buffalo."

On a call to Time Warner Cable's COO Rob Marcus and in a meeting with CEO Glenn Britt, Schumer highlighted Buffalo's many business-friendly features: the low cost of purchasing real estate, the able and exceptional workforce, and the high quality of life for employees. Time Warner has noted that such a call center could add at least 175 new jobs to its selected region and would bring approximately 100 more existing jobs to the new location.

If Buffalo is selected, Schumer said the call center could be located in the old Sheehan Hospital, which is now called "Compass East"--a project designed to revitalize the region around the burgeoning Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and Michigan Avenue African American Heritage Corridor. The old Sheehan Hospital was purchased earlier this year by McGuire Development Co. for $2 million and the Time Warner Cable could be one of its first tenants.

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