Success spotlight: Cingular[R] Wireless.

• Position: Regional Focus - Cingular Wireless' Fayetteville offices

Fayetteville's skilled work force, industrial real estate, job-training and education programs and proactive economic developments plans don't just look good on paper. They are real qualities that attract real business.

Those characteristics Persuaded Atlanta-based Cingular Wireless to set up Shop in Fayetteville, says Maureen Christensen, director of customer service for Cingular, the nation's second-largest wireless phone company. In one of the biggest coups for the city's economy, Cingular selected Fayetteville in 2001 over Wilmington and sites in Louisiana, Florida, Oregon and Texas for the home of its customer-service call center.

Cingular Wireless serves 23 million voice and data customers across the United States and, in 2002, had revenue of $14.7 billion. It is a joint venture of the domestic wireless division of Houston-based SBC Communication Inc. and Atlanta-based Bellsouth Corp.

Cingular's Fayetteville center, one of 12 the company has around the country, answers inquiries from customers in 11 states. It employs more than 700 and handles an average 500,000 calls per month.

"When we were conducting our site selection, Fayetteville had all the right qualities--strong demographics in terms of work force and size, a community college offering higher education and good job-skills training and available real estate," says Chistensen. "We also considered the proximity to a military base as a positive. We felt they would be a good neighbor and there would be family members needing jobs."

The wireless providers standing as one of the nation's top companies did not go unappreciated by local economic development officials. They worked diligently to bring Cingular to Fayetteville, and Christensen reports she was very pleased with the attention and assistance she received. "The Economic Development Committee was very Active in...