Walgreen's has announced they will open a call center to be located at the health and sciences center near OMH.

The center will provide services for company benefit plans and will have about 125 employees to start.

Sounds like Dell and other call centers may have to raise compensation rates to keep their people around. Its a good thing no?

Whoopee!

I certainly hope their office space isn't located at the "research park." What a joke that would be.

The Journal Record story says "about 300" while the Oklahoman says 125. The latter says that the center adds jobs to the certified pharmacy technicians, nurses, and pharmacists Walgreens is "already hiring" whereas the former seems to indicate those positions are coming because of this center. Neither disclosed a salary range (offering PHF's instead).Neither outright says that this "Clinical Care Center" is a call center, but that seems to be the case.

What's going on here? Methinks there is some spin going on. Call-takers are probably being assisted by those aforementioned workers. Why else would the PHF go out of their way to say that they see it as a victory? Anyway, while it's not they type of research tenant the PHF should be attracting, it is giving excuse to plow forward with expansion plans, which IS a victory in my mind. I'd like to see this kind of announcement involving commercializable research, though.


Walgreens brings 300 jobs to research park
by Jerry Shottenkirk
The Journal Record
8/31/2005

Walgreens has signed a 10-year lease for office space in the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park and will add about 300 jobs to the community, officials said Tuesday.

Michael D. Anderson, president of the foundation, said those at the health complex look at the addition as a victory.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for a lot of people," Anderson said. "It's really good news. Our present space is 90 percent-plus occupied. Walgreens will put us over 1,000 employees."

A move-in date has not been decided, Anderson said.

Walgreens will use the facility as a clinical care center and will service patients in various health plans administered by Walgreens Health Services. Staff will include pharmacists, nurses and certified pharmacy technicians.

Construction or opening dates have not been decided, but the project's construction costs are expected to be about $3 million.

"Walgreens will be a 24-7 operation with analysis and consulting," Anderson said. "It's a nice addition and we welcome them wholeheartedly. The per annum income in (the research park) will be $55,000-$60,000 - that's more than double the state average and is significant for the city."

Tom Fields of Price Edwards & Co. handled the lease. He indicated Oklahoma City was chosen over other cities, including Kansas City, "largely due to the attractive campus-like setting and quality building the Research Park had to offer."

Anderson said the foundation is in the process of a build-out on two and one-quarter floors of Building 4 at 755 Research Parkway, which is largest in the research park.

Jerry Shottenkirk reports on retail, health care, energy and law. You may reach him by phone at 278-2838 or b
y e-mail at jerry.shottenkirk@journalrecord.com.

Walgreens to bring 125 jobs to the city
from the Oklahoman
Walgreen Co. on Tuesday confirmed it will bring 125 jobs to Oklahoma City with a new Clinical Care Center in the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park.
Clinical Care Center
Walgreens signed a 10-year lease for the 57,789-square-foot Clinical Care Center on 2¼ floors in building four of the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park, with construction costs expected to be near about $3 million. Tom Fields with Price Edwards & Co. negotiated the lease.

Walgreens already is hiring for jobs that include pharmacists, nurses and certified pharmacy technicians, trainers, call center representatives and technical and administrative support personnel. A pay range for the jobs was not disclosed.

The center, which is expected to open in January, will provide 24-hour, seven-days-a-week counseling and analytical services to patients, doctors, pharmacists and benefit providers throughout the Walgreens Health Services network, a division of the drugstore chain.

Mike Anderson, president of the Presbyterian Health Foundation, said because of the nature of Walgreens work, the company will be a natural employer of some of the top graduates of the College of Pharmacy from the neighboring University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

"This organization will be looking at employment benefits from a highly skilled labor force that graduates from across the street," Anderson said. "It all has a circular effect of particular benefit."

Walgreens echoed that reasoning in a statement released late Tuesday.

"Because of the health care-related services we provide, we sought a location that would support staffing that would be primarily professional (pharmacists, nurses, and certified pharmacy technicians) and engaged in patient care.

"We selected Oklahoma City because of the strong medical community and the availability of skilled pharmacists and nurses, combined with the strong work ethic of the local community," the company said.

City's work force was a factor
Robin Roberts, executive vice president of economic development with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, said she worked closely with Walgreens to secure the deal.

"Availability of work force was the No. 1 factor in their choosing to locate in Oklahoma City," Roberts said. "No. 2 was the quality of the work force. Then they truly loved the facility and the environment at the research park. Plus they truly loved the Quality Jobs Program, which is a tool that some other states don't have," Roberts said.

Roberts hopes Walgreens will add to its staff over time.

Anderson said the move is good for the research park in many ways.

"It just about gives us a full house. In our master plan, we have 10 buildings in this park -- five of them are built. The sixth is under construction and is already committed to Cytovance.

"This means we will have to plan a seventh building and increase our parking area," Anderson said.

The research park currently has 36 companies and agencies, he said.

"Walgreens' promise of 125 employees pushes the enrollment of our tax-paying employees to almost 1,000 in the research park, with the average salary range between $55,000 and $65,000, Anderson said.

"That's really good for the economy," he said.

Looks like the Oke had it right. The JR ran another story today, blaming the source for the higher number:

Walgreens to open care call center with 125 employees, room to grow
by Jerry Shottenkirk
The Journal Record
9/1/2005

Walgreens will open its Health Services Clinical and Specialty Care Call Center at Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park with 125 employees but with business expansion, the number may grow, officials said Wednesday.

It had been reported earlier by Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park officials that the company could have over 300 employees, but that estimate includes potential growth if business success warrants it. The facility is expected to open Jan. 1.

At least this is medical-related, but personally, I think this is a blow to the overall mission of the Research Park. The research park is supposed to consist of lab space for pharmaceutical companies, not a call center. I'm disappointed with the Presbyterian Health Foundation for agreeing to this.

I'd much rather see Walgreens take up some of the ubiquitous vacant space in the CBD than go to the HSC for the reasons expressed above.


I really worry about Kerr McGee eventually dumping their building on the open market and then we'll really have a lot of empty space in that area.

Somebody in the OKC leadership needs to create a plan to fill some of that space otherwise all of downtown will suffer.

Another call center...booo hooo. It does stink that it is going in the research park area, but the fact that another call center coming to OKC shouldn't be a shock. Low cost labor...low cost of doing business...call centers will continue to stream into Oklahoma. Get over it. :)