HR1212 LRB094 20270 HSS 58249 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, It is the privilege of this Body to recognize
3 milestone events in the history of businesses in our great
4 State; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The Cingular Wireless call center in Rantoul is
6 celebrating its tenth anniversary and is a model for
7 public-private partnership in economic development and job
8 creation; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The center is located on what was once the Chanute
10 Air Force Base that was surplused by the government in 1993;
11 the Village of Rantoul has since turned the abandoned 2200-acre
12 complex into an aviation and business/industrial park; the
13 Village has worked diligently to improve the abandoned
14 infrastructure; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The Cingular Wireless Rantoul facility became
16 operational as a wireless call center on April 15, 1996, with
17 approximately 30 employees; the center now occupies the entire
18 92,000 square foot, 2-story building that was acquired by the
19 Village of Rantoul in 1993 when the base was closed; from 1993
20 until 2002 the building was utilized as a commercial,
21 multi-tenant building of which the Cingular Wireless Rantoul
22 call center was the anchor business; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Originally the Cingular Wireless Rantoul call
24 center occupied only the second floor of the multi-tenant
25 building; the second floor consisted of 50,000 square feet and
26 had seating for approximately 225 associates and support staff;
27 in 1998 an additional 25,000 square feet was leased for
28 additional seating of 117 employees; in April, 2002, Cingular
29 Wireless acquired the entire 92,000 square foot building, which
30 contains seating for 550 associates and 70 managers and support
31 staff; and
 

 

 

HR1212 - 2 - LRB094 20270 HSS 58249 r

1     WHEREAS, The Cingular Wireless Rantoul facility is a
2 state-of-the-art call center employing approximately 550
3 Illini; the Rantoul center decor has been copied in many
4 company call centers from the bright, colorful wall paints to
5 the open seating and upbeat atmosphere; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Rantoul call center has always enjoyed a
7 reputation as one of the premier employers in the Central
8 Illinois area; being in close proximity to Champaign/Urbana and
9 the University of Illinois, Cingular Wireless is provided with
10 a more than ample potential workforce; currently, Cingular
11 Wireless Rantoul call center associates represent
12 approximately 34 zip codes from about a 50-mile radius;
13 Cingular Wireless's experience with the Central Illinois
14 workforce has been that these are hardworking individuals with
15 a strong work ethic; therefore, be it
 
16     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18 we congratulate the Cingular Wireless Rantoul call center on
19 the occasion of its tenth anniversary; and be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21 presented to the Cingular Wireless Rantoul call center as an
22 expression of our esteem.