NEW YORK – Step off the-beaten path when looking for a location to build your next call center and you may be in a position to cultivate a well-qualified workforce pool. A Deloitte & Touche 2000 survey of new call centers confirms that when call centers enter a small market early enough they have the opportunity to become an "employer of choice" and usually compete for and keep the best employees. According to the survey, the South-central United States emerged as the most popular region for call center investment. For the fourth consecutive year more than one-quarter of all new jobs were destined for Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Newcomer West Virginia also exhibited strength attracting call centers. In addition, the survey reports an increase in the migration of call centers to small cities and towns with populations of less than 50,000 that are not located within a metropolitan area. New call center jobs jumped from 4,655 in 1997 to more than 12,800 in 2000. For more information on the Deloitte & Touche Call Center Survey contact Andy Shapiro at (212) 436-3649.