Font Resize
LAS CRUCES - There is no secret in this day of high unemployment as to where job growth is taking place in Las Cruces: call centers.
Sitel, CyraCom and Convergys are among of the customer support centers in Las Cruces who've collectively hired more than 1,000 employees.
John Muñoz, site director of Sitel, said that the company, which handles customer service calls for DirecTV, has gained a new client and is preparing to hire more employees this year. That makes Muñoz, the recently named president of the board of directors for the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, a person to watch during the upcoming year.
Muñoz, 45, said that some work is taking place to prepare the Sitel facility at 2100 Summit Court, which already employs more than 500 workers, to handle even more.
"We're working on infrastructure in the back," he said. "We're getting ready to start to ramp up (hiring) this year. With all the opportunities and jobs, you'll see a bunch more activities."
"We're pretty excited. It's not just consistent hiring, we're growing," he said.
Muñoz has been involved with the Hispano Chamber, which has close to 400 members, for three years.
"We want to do several things," he said of the chamber. "We want to expand what we have done on education."
The organization holds a middle school recognition event several times during the school year. The program started more than a decade ago and honors middle school students. There's no economic division or grade requirement,
"This is not only a good thing to do for the community, it's a good thing to do for business and our future workforce," Muñoz said.
Muñoz was raised in New Braunfels, Texas, and came to Las Cruces a little more than four years ago to work as a site director for ClientLogic, which later merged with Sitel. He is a graduate of Texas State University in San Marcos with a degree in political science.
Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457.
