T-Mobile begins construction on Kingsburg call center

KINGSBURG, Calif. (KFSN) -- After more than two years of discussions between T-Mobile and the city of Kingsburg, the wireless carrier is moving forward with construction at the former Kmart.

T-Mobile is building the Central Valley Customer Experience Center (CEC), a call center serving customers in the western region of the U.S. It's slated to open to employees in 2022 and is expected to create about 1,000 new jobs.

"It's a big deal for Kingsburg," said Alexander Henderson, the city manager of Kingsburg. "Certainly, it's a big deal for Fresno County, and you know it's a big deal for the Central Valley overall."

An economic impact assessment by the Berkeley Research Group shows the call center will address systemic economic challenges facing Fresno County by providing more employment opportunities, accelerated economic growth and additional tax revenues.

These jobs will also pay well. T-Mobile's average wage is 28 percent higher than the average pay in the Central Valley, and 44 percent higher than the average compensation in Fresno County, according to the Berkeley Research Group report.

"We are excited to create those relationships between T-Mobile and our local restaurants so that everybody is successful there. Hopefully, they'll be purchasing gas and going into our retail shops, they'll get to discover sort of the charm of Kingsburg. So, you know, we're just happy to see that come to fruition and now the real work begins," said Henderson.

The facility will become one of the largest employers in Kingsburg alongside Sun-Maid Raisins.

A T-Mobile representative says opportunities will be posted on the T-Mobile Careers page