Sallie Mae Opens New Debt Management Unit Center

It’s official — the lights are on, and the doors are open at Sallie Mae’s new Muncie operation. Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading student loan provider, today welcomed 103 new employees for their first day of training at the company’s new state-of-the-art facility in Muncie. Formerly a shell structure, the 54,000-square-foot building was built out entirely by state and local contractors. The first training classes, made up of area residents and local college graduates, will begin work this week supporting several subsidiaries in Sallie Mae’s debt management division.

“Today we begin a new chapter for Sallie Mae in Indiana,” said Jeff Whorley, executive vice president, Sallie Mae. “Earlier this year, we were standing in an empty shell building, and thanks to the team that made it happen — Governor Daniels, Mayor Canan, Vision 2006 Economic Development Alliance, the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and countless state and local contractors — we are open for business.”

In February 2006, Sallie Mae, along with Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Muncie Mayor Dan Canan, announced the company’s plans to locate in Muncie and add 700 jobs in Indiana. Governor Daniels and Mayor Canan were instrumental in bringing Sallie Mae to Muncie along with a team of local officials who made it happen, including the following:

• President of the Muncie-Delaware Chamber of Commerce Dan Allen
• Vice President of Economic Development for the Muncie-Delaware Chamber of Commerce Terry Murphy
• Director of the City Redevelopment Commission Bruce Baldwin
• President of the Delaware County Commissioners Tom Bennington
• Delaware County Commissioner John Brooke
• Delaware County Commissioner Larry Crouch
• Attorney and partner at DeFur Voran Jon Moll

As promised, Sallie Mae relied heavily on local Delaware County contractors to build out the company’s shell building located in the Muncie Airpark. The company awarded nearly $1.7 million in sub-contracts — more than 70 percent of the sub-contracts awarded — to local businesses for construction of the company’s new facility.

Sallie Mae also tapped the talented local workforce to fill entry level and management positions at its new Muncie facility. Sallie Mae interviewed 700 applicants at its most recent job fair and has already hired 175 local residents. Sallie Mae anticipates filling up to 300 jobs in the first year of operation and an additional 200 jobs in each of the next two years, bringing the total at the facility to 700 by year end 2008.

“We’ve been very pleased with the talent pool here in Muncie,” said Whorley. “Sallie Mae is proud to call Muncie home, and as we ramp up operations, we expect this operation to produce leaders for management positions across this division. Sallie Mae’s debt management operation has more than 4,500 employees and is one of the company’s fastest growing divisions.”

The new jobs in Muncie will bring Sallie Mae’s total employment in Indiana to more than 3,000. Jobs at the Muncie operation require a high school education, communication and analytical skills, high energy and a goal- oriented mind set. Employees will earn performance-based pay and will be eligible to receive competitive benefits including health insurance, paid holidays and vacation, participation in a 401(k) and a stock purchase plan, and stock options.