'I can potentially build a career': Chatham now home to new Discover call center, community space
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A boost for Chicago's Chatham community.
The Discover Call Center and Shinebright Community Center is now open. The company's call center is located at 86th and Cottage Grove, the site where Target closed in February of 2019.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray has more on how the company is helping to rebuild trust in the neighborhood after a big box store left.
"Hi this is Thea with Discover here in Chicago."
The 13,000 square-foot building is the new home for Discover's Financial Service call center at 86th and Cottage Grove, but it will also serves as a community center for the neighborhood.
"Normally you hear about a company like discover and it's in the suburbs of Chicago. This is eight minutes from my house. So I can potentially build a career, but also really be close to home."
Katherine Bland has been working at Discover for nearly a year. Before that, she worked at a big box store, and then became a stay at home mom.
"When I found out about the center and that it was so close to the community, I felt like it allowed me to be a mom," Bland said. "But also be in corporate America, as well because of the access."
The mayor's office said the project supports Mayor Lightfoot's INVEST South/West initiative and will offer job opportunities to residents in Chatham, Roseland, Pullman, Auburn Gresham, South Shore and South Chicago.
"We also wanted to answer the call from the mayor to invest in the South Side and West Side neighborhoods. Chatham is not one of the 10 INVEST South/West communities, but we are perfectly surrounded by five. So, 87% of our employees live within five miles of our center," said Juatise Gathings, Director of Regional Operations for Discover.
To build and maintain the site, Discover awarded 47% of its business to minority-owned suppliers, 28% to women-owned vendors and 25% of their overall spending for the project was awarded to Black-owned construction firms.
"Chatham is not a minority community, it's a Black community. So it's important that we did everything that we can to amplify the voice of community members and make sure they had access to work on the facility," Gathings said.
The goal is to employ 1,000 people from the South Side and West Side neighborhoods by 2024, hoping to fill empty cubicles.
Manny Newson has been working at Discover for nearly a year. In November, he lost two cousins to gun violence.
"They're very understanding and compassionate. I will give them that. They definitely got your back, like as if they were my family," Newson said.
