Discover to Open New Customer Care Center in Chicago’s Chatham Neighborhood and Bring Nearly 1,000 Full-time Jobs to the Area

Discover today announced plans to open a new Chicago-based customer care center in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. Located at 86^th Street and Cottage Grove, the center, once fully operational, will provide nearly 1,000 full-time jobs to neighborhood and area residents. Most of the positions will be for customer care representatives with a starting hourly wage of $17.25. Full-time employees will receive Discover’s full benefits package, which includes health insurance, a 401k plan, eligibility for 20 days minimum of paid time off, a focus on career development, and the opportunity to receive a free college education effective upon the first day of employment.

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The 100,000+ square foot customer care center will offer more than 500 parking spots and is conveniently located within a short distance to the 87^th St. Red Line Stop, Metra’s 87^th St. Station, and major bus routes, which will make the site accessible for commuting employees and vendors. Renovation plans also include up to 5,000 square feet of internal/external use space adjacent to the customer care center that will be available for use by community based organizations. Discover plans to seek community input on utilization of that space.

“Discover and its employees are committed to helping people achieve brighter financial futures, which we can best achieve in Chicago by bringing jobs to the area and having direct and long-term involvement with the city,” said Roger Hochschild, CEO and President of Discover. “We fully support Mayor Lightfoot’s call to action for Chicago companies to bring quality jobs directly to communities that need them. Discover recognizes that traditional corporate site selection has contributed to issues of unequal opportunity in our society, and we want to be part of the solution. We hope our commitment to Chatham will serve as a springboard for further economic development in the area; and we’re excited to work with residents and community leaders and add to our award-winning customer service team.”

Discover is working with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office, city Aldermen and neighborhood leaders on plans for the center. Opening the new site supports Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West community improvement initiative and will offer job opportunities and economic development beyond Chatham to residents of INVEST South/West neighborhoods Roseland, Pullman, Auburn Gresham, South Shore and South Chicago. Discover’s investment on the South Side also fully supports the Together We Rise: For an Equitable and Just Recovery initiative to help ensure a fair and equitable recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover is prioritizing hiring local talent and has committed to employing minority-owned businesses in the renovations and operation of the center. The center will be led by Juatise Gathings, who grew up in the Roseland community and has worked in three of Discover’s customer care centers during her nearly 10 years with the company. Her local roots, experience, and expertise make her well suited for the role.