Comcast to close Fort Collins call center

FORT COLLINS  — Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) will not renew its lease on its Harmony Road call-center campus, leaving up to 237 workers uncertain about the future of their jobs.

Comcast spokeswoman Leslie Oliver confirmed that the company will not renew its 80,000-square-foot facility in the Hewlett Packard campus at 3420 E. Harmony Road. She said the company is transitioning its workforce model to a “virtual work option” system that allows employees to work from home or elsewhere.

Employees based at the property has the option to stay with Comcast and move into the virtual workforce system, request a transfer to another physical location or leave the company, Oliver said. Those workers have until Sept. 21 to notify the company.

“It’s not really about a cost-cutting move,” she said. “Yeah, we might be reducing the costs from operating the call center, but we’re making the investment in the virtual work options program, and we’re maintaining the same level of employment.”

Comcast’s decision comes weeks after city officials began connecting eligible residents to Connexion, its $143 million municipal broadband service. Oliver said Connexion’s launch didn’t play a role in Comcast’s decision to close the call center, and the company does not intend to roll back offerings in the city.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade touted Comcast’s expansion efforts in 2016, offering $8.1 million in various incentives and expecting the cable company to house up to 600 employees there.

The building is owned by Loveland-based McWhinney Real Estate Inc., which purchased the property in May for $21 million, according to Larimer County property records. A spokesman for the company declined to comment Wednesday afternoon.

Oliver said the company’s lease expires in 2027, but it intends to vacate the property by Dec. 4. She said Comcast is evaluating its options for the lease term.

This is a developing story that will be updated throughout the day.

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