Hospitality Marketing Concepts Inc. opening new operation in Gander

After several months of negotiating and meeting with potential employees, Hospitality Marketing Concepts (HMC) Inc., an international company with its North American corporate office in Vancouver, has decided to establish a customer contact centre in Gander, which will create approximately 200 full and part time positions.

Sandra C. Kelly, Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology and MHA-Gander district, made the announcement at a news conference in Gander today. As Minister Kelly stated: "Government, along with NETWORK Newfoundland and Labrador, has worked extremely hard to attract this business to our province. I am excited to see that all of the pieces have fallen into place to bring this business here, which will generate economic activity for Gander and surrounding areas."

During October and November, the company held two job fairs in Gander to gauge interest from potential employees. As Valentina Tang, Hospitality Marketing Concepts� vice president of sales for Canada, noted, "Hospitality Marketing Concepts is very pleased to be expanding its operation into Newfoundland and Labrador. We are also pleased with the quality of the workforce and we look forward to establishing a strong presence here."

One of the key players in working with the company to establish in Gander has been NETWORK Newfoundland and Labrador, a public/private partnership between the provincial government and NewTel, which was established in 1995 to attract customer contact centres to the province. Frank Fagan, president of NewTel and senior vice-president, customer services, Aliant Telecom, speaking on behalf of NETWORK, said: "This is another positive sign that public/private sector partnerships can be very successful. NETWORK Newfoundland and Labrador has been a highly effective partnership and I look forward to seeing the benefits that this latest achievement will bring to the province's central region."

The Town of Gander�s Department of Economic Development also played an important role in bringing the company to Gander. Gander Mayor Claude Elliott, who was on hand for the announcement, commented: "Hospitality Marketing Concepts is a welcome addition to the business community of the Town of Gander - the jobs that HMC will bring to Gander will be a tremendous economic generator for Central Newfoundland. We are very proud to be the site of the largest customer contact centre in the province outside of the capital city."

The provincial government will provide incentives in the form of a wage rebate on gross payroll, which will be up to a maximum of $250,000. The incentives will come into effect after the jobs have been created and verified, and employees have been paid.

Nick Connolly, manager of the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Human Resources Centre in Gander, stated: "Human Resources Development Canada, through the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Development Agreement, is pleased to assist Hospitality Marketing Concepts in creating employment opportunities for Gander and area residents."

The company, which expects to officially open in January 2001 in the Polaris Building, operates 14 customer service centres in the United States and six additional centres in Canada. It was formed in 1988 and is a leading provider of club membership programs for prestigious hotels and other businesses in international and domestic markets. The company�s hotel membership programs are designed to provide participating hotels with improved customer loyalty, increased patronage, an additional channel for acquiring new customers and a more predictable recurring revenue stream from a growing base of individual members.

The company stated that as of last year, it had established hotel membership programs and on-going marketing relationships with over 475 hotels in more than 250 cities worldwide, including Rome, New York and Hong Kong.

Those interested in applying for positions with Hospitality Marketing Concepts Inc. in Gander are asked to forward resumes via fax to the company�s corporate office at (604) 608-0486, or through e-mail at hidec@clubhotel.com.

Media contact:

Jacqueline Simon
Director of Communications
Industry, Trade and Technology
(709) 729-0050

Brenda M. Reid
Public Relations Manager
NewTel, an Aliant company
(709) 739-2503

Valentina Tang
Vice President of Sales
Hospitality Marketing Concepts Inc.
(604) 638-6190

2000 12 05 4:40 p.m.