National brand celebrates grand opening in Jefferson Parish
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. – Today, Select Comfort Corp. executive Melissa Barra joined state, regional and local leaders to dedicate the company’s new technical support contact center in the Elmwood area of Jefferson Parish. Select Comfort’s new support center occupies 28,000 square feet at an office building in the Elmwood business corridor near New Orleans, located at 1333 South Clearview Parkway. At the new contact center, employees are providing sales and support services for customers of the company’s Sleep Number® beds and products.
Announced in June 2017, the project will create 225 new direct jobs with an average starting salary of $30,000 per year, plus benefits. To date, 133 of the new direct jobs have been filled. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 104 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 325 new jobs in the Southeast Region of Louisiana.
“On behalf of our entire region, I am pleased to welcome this publicly traded company as the newest member of the Jefferson Parish business community,” said Greater New Orleans Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht. “We are honored to have been part of a unified team of organizations, which worked with Select Comfort leadership to choose Elmwood as the right location for this center. This is a great recognition of our business climate and the caliber of work performed by the men and women of this region.”
Select Comfort develops, manufactures, markets and supports Sleep Number adjustable-firmness beds and sleep-related accessory products in the U.S. Founded in 1987, the company is headquartered in Minneapolis and operates manufacturing facilities in South Carolina and Utah. Select Comfort employs 4,000 team members and operates 550 company-owned Sleep Number® retail stores. Its annual revenue in 2016 exceeded $1.3 billion.
“On behalf of the State of Louisiana, I am proud to welcome Select Comfort’s technical support contact center to Jefferson Parish,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Select Comfort produces some of the best-known brands in the industry, and I am confident that the company will have tremendous success in identifying excellent talent to support their center. Select Comfort’s selection of Louisiana for its new contact center is a testament to the high-quality talent in our state, and I congratulate the entire Select Comfort team on launching this new chapter.”
“In conjunction with our Minneapolis office, our new Sleep Number New Orleans Relationship Center supports the growth of our company, enabling us to continue to provide excellent service to our customers,” said Chief Strategy and Customer Relationship Officer Melissa Barra. “New Orleans is the perfect fit for our second location, with its warm service culture and strong partnership from the state and local government.”
LED began working with the company on a potential project in February 2017. To secure the project, LED offered Select Comfort a competitive incentive package that includes a flexible, performance-based grant of up to $800,000 to reimburse the company for lease assistance, infrastructure costs and relocation expenses. The company also is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs Program. Louisiana won the Select Comfort project in competition with other states.
Sleep Number also received the comprehensive solutions of LED FastStart®, the nation’s No. 1 state workforce training program. With support from LED FastStart, Sleep Comfort launched LouisianaSleepNumberJobs.com soon after the project was announced. The site provides information regarding job openings.
“Along with the entire Parish Council, I am honored to welcome Select Comfort and Sleep Number to Jefferson Parish,” Parish President Mike Yenni said. “We are proud of Jefferson Parish’s robust business climate, quality workforce and unique assets, such as the thriving Elmwood corridor which has become Select Comfort’s new home. These many qualities set Jefferson Parish apart and make us a desirable destination in which to do business. We look forward to supporting Select Comfort as they continue to create quality job opportunities for our residents.”
Employees at the new center will provide support for Sleep Comfort’s SleepIQ® technology. Integrated into Sleep Number beds, SleepIQ tracks a person’s sleep to offer insights and make suggestions for better quality sleep. Sleep Number bed models will be featured in the center as personnel assist customers with product and service inquiries. Employees also will sell Sleep Number products via online chat.
“Jefferson Parish will benefit greatly from these new employment opportunities,” said JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna. “The collaborative effort of state, regional and local organizations solidified this major economic development win for Jefferson Parish. The JEDCO team is proud of the role it played to enhance the region’s business climate through the attraction of this national brand. We look forward to supporting Select Comfort’s aggressive hiring plan and creating a long-term relationship that will capture the company’s future growth in our area.”
About Select Comfort
Thirty years ago, Sleep Number transformed the mattress industry with the idea that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to sleep. Today, the company is the leader in sleep innovation and ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Mattresses” by J.D. Power in 2015 and 2016. As the pioneer in biometric sleep tracking and adjustability, Sleep Number is proving the connection between quality sleep and health and well-being. Dedicated to individualizing sleep experiences, the company’s 4,000 team members are improving lives with innovative sleep solutions. To find better quality sleep, visit one of the 550 Sleep Number® stores located in 49 states or SleepNumber.com. For more information, visit the company’s Newsroom and Investor Relations sites.
About Greater New Orleans, Inc.
GNO, Inc. is the regional economic development organization for Southeast Louisiana. The GNO, Inc.’s Mission is to create jobs and wealth in the Greater New Orleans community. The GNO, Inc. Vision is for the Greater New Orleans region to fulfill its potential as one of the best places in the country to grow a company, and raise a family.
More information can be found at www.gnoinc.org.