Envisioning Buffalo as a back-office mecca

10/30/2005

Loyal, hard-working, educated work force and cheap real estate seen as lures

By MATT GLYNN
News Business Reporter

With the region's manufacturing job count shrinking and Delphi Corp.'s fate uncertain, John L. Manzella sees promise in "back office" jobs to bolster the local economy.
The locally based global trade specialist recommends the region brand itself as a hub for knowledge-based service work that doesn't require face-to-face customer contact. GEICO Direct's Amherst customer service center, which is expected to grow to 2,500 employees, is a prime example of the kind of business he has in mind.

With the region's manufacturing job count shrinking and Delphi Corp.'s fate uncertain, John L. Manzella sees promise in "back office" jobs to bolster the local economy.
The locally based global trade specialist recommends the region brand itself as a hub for knowledge-based service work that doesn't require face-to-face customer contact. GEICO Direct's Amherst customer service center, which is expected to grow to 2,500 employees, is a prime example of the kind of business he has in mind.

Manzella mentions the idea of making the Buffalo area the nation's "back-office capital" in his new self-published book, "Grasping Globalization," which explores how companies respond to international business trends.