300 New Jobs Coming To Howard County, Maryland To Staff New Verizon Wireless Customer Service Center

LAUREL, MD — Verizon Wireless, the nation's most reliable wireless carrier, today announced it is building a new, 139,000 square-foot call center in Hanover, Md. near the intersections of Routes 100 and 295 for the company's growing Customer Service operation. The new $22 million state-of-the-art center near Arundel Mills, about 12 miles from the company's Laurel regional headquarters, should be ready for occupancy late this year.

The new facility will give the company's regional Customer Service operation room to grow from its current total of about 500 employees to about 1,100. The company employs about 1,900 in Maryland and is seeking to hire an additional 300+ Customer Service representatives and supervisors over the remainder of the year for positions in the new center.

Applications for Employment Now Being Accepted
Interested applicants can call 1-800-575-HIRE or go to Verizon Wireless' website, www.verizonwireless.com/careers, and apply online. Verizon Wireless offers competitive salaries and employees can take advantage of numerous opportunities for career advancement. Employees qualify for generous benefits packages including:

• Health benefits, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance from day one
• Tuition reimbursement and on-the-job training
• Dollar for dollar 401(k) match up to 6 percent of salary
• Short and long-term incentives
• Profit sharing
• Annual salary merit increases

"This is a tremendous win for Howard County and the State of Maryland," said Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. "Verizon Wireless is one of the nation's leading wireless carriers, and we are extremely pleased they are continuing to expand their operations in Maryland. This outstanding new facility and their decision to add 300 new jobs is a real testament to the quality of life and business climate in the State and Howard County."

Verizon Wireless Regional President Pat Devlin said, "We're delighted our success in serving our customers is letting us expand our local investment, and create new jobs and promotional opportunities for our employees. Thanks to Governor Robert Ehrlich, Economic Development Secretary Aris Melissaratos, Howard County Executive Jim Robey and to Dick Story, Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, for their unwavering support."

"We are delighted that Verizon Wireless chose to add a second Howard County location, reaffirming that Howard County is a great place to do business," said County Executive Jim Robey. "When we presented the opportunity to the state, Maryland partnered with Howard County in making this project a win for Howard County, Maryland and the entire region."

The new center is designed with employee comfort and productivity in mind. Modular furniture and flat screen computers will give the center a sleek and modern look, while an internal television network will be used to provide timely communications with employees. The center will include a contemporary employee training facility, fitness center, a full-service cafeteria, and the latest energy and temperature control systems.

The center will be home to Verizon Wireless' regional Customer Service organization. The company's regional staff, federal government support operations and the national data and multimedia services teams will remain in the current Laurel facility.

Growing to Stay Ahead of Surging Customer Demand
A Great Place to Work
Verizon Wireless is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work in the country because of its employee-friendly policies.

Earlier this year, Verizon Wireless was named a Workplace of Excellence by the non-profit Maryland Work-Life Alliance for the third consecutive year. The company was also recognized in the March 2005 issue of Baltimore Magazine as well as Bethesda Magazine as one of the best regional workplaces.

Nationally, the company has been named one of Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" for three years in a row and Health Magazine last year named the company one of 10 U.S. employers to best help women balance their professional and personal responsibilities.

In each of the past four years, Verizon Wireless has been named one of the nation's top 100 companies by Training magazine for its continued commitment to employee development and for smartly connecting its training programs to business objectives. Earlier this year, the company ranked 20th on the magazine's annual list of the "Top 100 Training Organizations in America," and was the highest ranked wireless service provider.

Extensive 4-6 Weeks of Training for New Hires
Employees participate in a comprehensive, ongoing training program to prepare to serve customers in their new jobs. Intensive training lasts from four to six weeks depending on the specific role of the employee. Each customer service employee is expected to take between 6-8 hours of additional training every month. The continuous focus on training and customer satisfaction helps prepare these employees to provide Verizon Wireless customers with exceptional customer service.

Cabot is developer of the property located on Coca-Cola drive in Hanover and has designated it part of the Cabot Commerce Center @ BWI.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.  

####