By Terry Oparka
C & G Staff Writer

TROY — A temporary staffing giant announced plans to expand its Troy operations, a move which will create more than 800 jobs.

Kelly Services plans to invest $7.8 million and consolidate several business units into the present location in Troy at Big Beaver and Livernois. Kelly is the second largest staffing company in the U.S. and the fourth largest staffing company in the world.

As part of the expansion, Kelly will launch a new option to employees who want to work at home. The call-center positions will allow employees with PC and Internet access, a dedicated phone line, and who possess a high school diploma and other skills to work between 10 to 40 hours each week from home.

Jonathan Means, senior vice president and general manager of Kelly Services, said that some work-at-home offers are little more than scams.

“Kelly can bring credibility, (and) as a 60-year-old company, make sure that employees are properly compensated and that their taxes are filed,” he said.

The work-at-home option benefits employees as well as employers, Means said.

He explained that companies benefit by allowing employees to work at home because it cuts down on the real estate investment needed for those employees, and allows companies to fill call center positions, which typically have  high turnover, more easily with a more stable workforce. “They’re not limited by brick and mortar,” Means said.

For example, a Houston company recently opted to fill call center positions with people working at home in the Midwest, he said. “They felt they exhausted the people available in Houston.”

Call center positions include highly skilled positions, such as registered nurses doing triage over the phone with doctors, he said. 

The company decided to stay in Troy, rather than move to Utah or New Jersey, said Assistant City Manager/Economic Development Services Brian Murphy.

“They’re a wonderful corporate citizen,” he said. Kelly Services served as a sponsor to the Aug. 10 Troy Traffic Jam Classic Car Show at the Columbia Center, which raised approximately $50,000 to expand the Troy Museum and Historic Village, Murphy said.

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority recently approved a 7-year, $4.7 million state tax credit in support of the expansion.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm said the state’s strong business climate and outstanding workforce are attracting the kinds of companies that help to diversify the state’s economy.

Over the next seven years, the Kelly Services expansion is estimated to create 572 new jobs, and 243 indirect jobs.

In support of the expansion, the city of Troy will make improvements to the intersection of Livernois and Big Beaver that will address handicap accessibility and traffic congestion issues, Murphy said.

He added that the project, valued at more than $20,000, would serve the greater public as well.

“Choosing Troy as a central location was natural,” Means said. “The infrastructure and resources were here. And there’s a lot of available talent in Michigan.”

“Michigan is becoming a business-friendly state,” he said. “We’re excited about the MEGA credits, and we have an affinity for Troy.”

For information on Kelly Services, check online at www.kellyservices.com. For information on the work-at-home positions, check online at www.kellyworkathome.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Terry Oparka at toparka@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1054.