A financial services tech company is setting up shop in Hickory, where it will hire more than 400 workers, the state announced Tuesday evening.
Fiserv Inc., which is based in Wisconsin, will create the new jobs beginning in February. The jobs, in customer support and other client services, will pay an average annual wage of $25,368.
According to the governor's office, Fiserv has more than 20,000 workers worldwide, including the former Carreker Corp., employing more than 100 people in Charlotte. The company, which provides banks with technology related to online banking, mobile banking, processing and other services, earned $140 million in the second quarter, up 40 percent over the same period a year ago.
Hickory, in Catawba County, has been hit hard by the exodus of furniture and textile makers as those jobs move overseas. In September, the county posted an unemployment rate of 13.6 percent, one of the highest in the state. That compares to a national rate of 9.8 percent.
Last year, Hickory recruited Convergys and Covation to open call centers, which promised a total of about 1,400 jobs.
The office of Gov. Bev Perdue announced Fiserv's hiring on Tuesday evening. The state is providing an $800,000 grant through the One North Carolina Fund, which requires Hickory to come up with a matching amount. Fiserv will also have to meet job creation goals before receiving the money.
But incentive programs like the One N.C. Fund are controversial. Critics say that companies can exaggerate their investment in the community, and it's nearly impossible to measure their return.
According to the governor's office, Fiserv will invest $4.9 million in Hickory over the next three years.
“We want to thank state and local officials in North Carolina for their encouragement and support as we locate in this area,” Fiserv division president Jardon Bouska said in a statement sent by Perdue's office. “Hickory offers the resources we need, including the skilled labor to staff our current operation and the ability to expand to meet our company's future needs.”
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