Hays call center to celebrate expansion

Island Mountain Development Group will celebrate the 5,200-square foot expansion of the eCommerce call center in Hays Wednesday, July 20.

The expanded part of the call center, which handles calls for internet lending businesses, was opened some time ago, but employees had so much work to do they didn’t have time to celebrate, said Terry Brockie, the spokesman for Island Mountain.

The call center employs about 80 people now but is expected to add 40 more in coming weeks, Brockie said, making it the major employer on the south end of Fort Belknap.

There will be tours of the building, music, food and refreshments at the celebration, he said.

The call center opened in 2009 with five employees, he said.

Island Mountain is a tribally owned, autonomous economic development program, Brockie said. The call center is just one of the many successes it has had recently.

The company expects that in about 10 weeks, a cooperative store will open in Lodge Pole that will provide groceries that people on the southern part of the reservation have often had to travel to Harlem to shop for in the past, he said.

Spirit Box, a computer company that specializes in selling computers, computer setup and computer repairs, just hired its fifth employee, he said.

Snake Butte Construction Co. does general contracting work and engineering. It has offices in Hays and Billings, he said.

The intent of Island Mountain is to create jobs on the reservation and to make it more self-sufficient, Brockie said.

Fort Belknap, especially the more remote southern part of the reservation, has been plagued with high unemployment rates.

The new businesses will help alleviate that problem, he said.

Brockie had served as Blaine County superintendent of schools, but resigned to take a position with Island Mountain.

“Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job with Blaine County,” he said. “But it was a 62-mile trip one way.”

The position with Island Mountain enables him to be part of the development of the reservation where he grew up.

“I used to be an educator,” he said, “so I see many of my students working at jobs we brought to the reservation.”