MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Linda Fegan, Director of Marketing and Communications Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc (519)747-2541 ext 404 (866) 233-5133 toll free, (519) 897-6515 cellular BlackBerry lfctt@region.waterloo.on.ca always connected on BlackBerry
For Immediate Release
Expedia.ca Joins the List of Fortune 500 Company Clients for arvato Growth Brings New Jobs to Kitchener’s Downtown
Canada’s Technology Triangle, Waterloo Region, July 12, 2007…arvato services today announced an expansion of its facilities at 235 King Street, Kitchener and the creation of new jobs openings at the business contact centre. arvato services, a subsidiary of arvato AG, the international media and communication services provider of Bertelsmann AG, is the leading service provider for every aspect of effective solutions in the fields of Customer Communication and Supply Chain Management. The staff ramp up is a result of their successful bid for the Expedia account. Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr says this announcement is another sign of the positive impact of the City’s core area development strategy. “People are gravitating to the downtown and this opportunity for more jobs is very welcome.” Post-secondary activities such as the Laurier School of Social Work, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and McMaster’s Degroote Medical School are recent examples of the developments that have brought knowledge-based workers to the downtown. arvato has had a continued track record of growth in Kitchener. The firm opened its offices in 2003 and currently occupies 49,000 sq. feet of office space. It will grow to 61,000 sq. feet, taking on the 6th floor of the King Street location. Susan Velez, VP Human Resources, at arvato ‘s Valencia, CA offices, said the workforce will surpass 900 people at the Kitchener location. “Staff in Waterloo Region is telling us there is a great, dynamic culture here and this is leading to reduced turnover for our corporation. It is important for people to see there is opportunity to advance their career in the workplace.” Velez points to a number of key people who have been at the Kitchener facility since its inception and have moved up the ladder to management. The company is searching for fulltime customer service representatives to start working immediately. The Waterloo Region is a strong centre for business processing companies in Canada. Canada’s Technology Triangle is home to some of North America’s largest financial service organizations and their employees. Top amongst them include Canada’s largest financial services company, Manulife Financial Canadian Division with over 3,300 employees. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, with assets in excess of $170B, maintains one of their largest employee operations in Waterloo Region. A recent development was the establishment of CGI Group, one of the largest independent information technologies and business process services firms in the world, based in University of Waterloo’s Research + Technology Park. Virtual Causeway is another example of a company that worked with CTT Inc to establish in the Region and continues to grow and diversify. Post-secondary expertise and support is significant in the Region. The University of Waterloo, in addition to their School of Accountancy, has the Institute for Quantitative Finance and Insurance, the Deloitte Centre for Tax Education and Research, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance, the Institute of Insurance and Pension Research and the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research. Wilfrid Laurier University has the largest undergraduate business program in Canada. Building on the Region’s entrepreneurial tradition, Wilfrid Laurier University is home to the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship, the Centre for the Study of Nascent Entrepreneurship, the Clarica Financial Services Research Centre, and the Centre for Supply Chain Management, amongst several other business and accounting centres. Additionally, Laurier offers the diploma in financial accounting, a one of a kind program that allows its graduates to be responsive to the changing needs of business. Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning offers a bachelor of Business Studies in conjunction with the University of Windsor and a bachelor of Applied Business, International Business Management. Conestoga’s School of Business continues to
provide training in accounting, financial planning, general business, international business management, management studies, marketing, materials and operations management and office administration. - 30 For media interviews with arvato please contact Andy Meltzer, Matter Communications, by email at arvato@matternow.com or call 401351-9500. For a site visit please contact Marie Stehr, by email at marie.stehr@arvatousa.com or call 519-772-8501. -30-
About Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc (CTT Inc) Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc (www.techtriangle.com) is the not-for-profit, public-private regional economic development partnership marketing the Waterloo Region and the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo to the world. Its mandate is to attract new businesses, investment and talent, while promoting regional economic growth. The organization works closely with the Economic Development Departments of its partner municipalities, member-based business organizations and the four post-secondary educational institutions. The area known as Canada’s Technology Triangle includes Waterloo Region, the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. More information on the business processing sector of Canada’s Technology Triangle can be found at: http://www.techtriangle.com/KeyIndustries/business.cfm and look for key industries.