The Virginia-based company plans to open a 60,000 sf call center here Aug. 1 on a 7.2-acre site adjacent State Highway 303 that sits between a Wal-Mart and a Safeway store. Nextel is having The Alter Group of Chicago build the facility. The land is owned by Paul Pazooki, a long-time Kitsap area developer.

The Kitsap County region traditionally has been heavily dependent upon the military. Now, however, a tight labor markets and higher business and housing costs in larger metropolitan areas such as Seattle have encouraged many firms seeking call center locations to seek out secondary markets such as Bremerton and the rest of Kitsap County.

At full speed, the facility will employ 500, making it one of the top five private employers in Kitsap County. "We have been working on this deal for over a year," said Kevin Dwyer, business recruitment director for the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council (KREDC). "It's great to finally see all of this coming together."

Nextel's Kitsap County facility will be an "inbound" call center where employees will be responsible for processing incoming calls generated from the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Entry-level wages at the Nextel's Kitsap site will range from $9.50 to $10 an hour, with more experienced people drawing higher wages, according to Dwyer.

Nextel Communications, Inc., based in Reston, VA, is the leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the United States, serving 178 of the top 200 U.S. markets. In addition, through Nextel International Inc., Nextel has wireless operations and investments in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, Peru, Chile and Japan.

The Alter Group has developed 100 million square feet of either speculative projects for its own portfolio or build-to-suit facilities for corporate users in 42 different markets in 17 states. The company previously has built other call centers for Nextel.