Governor's Office of Economic Development

Midwest Card Services Expanding to Milbank

RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 2001

For More Information Contact: Mary Lehecka Nelson, 773-5032

(Pierre) –  Midwest Card Services of Brookings is expanding its telemarketing operations into Milbank, South Dakota, Commissioner Ron Wheeler, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, announced today, Jan. 9.

“Today is a good day for Milbank,” Wheeler said. “Not only is Milbank welcoming a quality South Dakota company as its newest corporate citizen, the community is also retaining 120 jobs that were recently threatened with the closure of TeleSpectrum,” he said

According to Jay Weems, President of Midwest Card Services, the expansion of services was motivated by the availability of trained labor. “The departure of TeleSpectrum gave us the opportunity to expand our telemarketing activities. We were attracted to the skill sets of the employees and feel that this facility will be a good fit into our corporate strategy.”

The first person to make the connection between the supply and demand of skilled labor was Kevin Tetzlaff, President of Community State Bank in Milbank. Community State Bank and Midwest Card Services are both owned by Fishback Financial Corporation. “Community State Bank has been servicing the Grant County area for over 15 years. From our sister company’s experiences, we knew we were moving into an excellent environment,” Weems said.

Midwest Card Services provides backroom servicing support for financial institutions. The company currently employs 272 people and is headquartered in Brookings.

“We are excited to provide employment opportunities for this quality workforce in Milbank,” Weems stated. “We believe the quality of workers in the Midwest is superior to the rest of the country and we’re excited about the opportunities this facility provides,” he said.

Midwest Card Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fishback Financial Corporation.

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