By By Michele Gerlach
Ongoing changes for Z-Tel Technologies, Inc. mean that the company has effectively moved its corporate headquarters to Atmore, and the company officials said this week they expect to hire 50 additional employees there by March 1.
Acting Chief Executive Office Trey Davis said the company's recent reduction in force in Atlanta and Tampa, where it had software and corporate operations, will spell good things for Atmore.
Davis, who originally worked with Touch 1 in Atmore before the company was acquired by Z-Tel, said the majority of the company's corporate functions are now in Atmore.
"We're not formally moving headquarters, but this is our de facto headquarters," he said.
Davis said the company's financial department will be moved to Atmore by the end of the calendar year, and he expects to need more employees with computer technology skills in the near future.
While some employees in the Tampa operation have been offered opportunities to move to the Atmore office, only about 25 percent of them plan to move, Davis said.
"We have 550 employees here now, and we should be at 600 by March 1," Chief Operating Officer Frank Grillo said. "At that time, 75 percent of our employees will be working in Atmore."
Wednesday, Z-Tel held its first board of directors meeting in Atmore.
"We have different energy level here now," Davis said of the Atmore campus. "We're going to have more professional jobs and better paying jobs and opportunities."
In the past, Z-Tel's Atmore operation handled customer service functions for the re-sale of long distance services. Now, the company is increasing the complexity of the services it provides and supports to include local telephone service, long distance services, DSL, WAN and LAN.
"As we are transitioning, we're putting in our own switching equipment," Davis said, adding that the initial rollout of local service will be in New York, followed by Tampa, Orlando and Miami.
Pending shareholder approval expected this week, the company also plans to change its name to Trinsic, the brand name of services it already is marketing, over the next 45 days.
Stephen Van Pelt, director of human resources, said the company accepts employment applications in its building located on the south side of Brookwood Road.