The gleaming new silver and glass building at Seventh and Plum streets is Delta Air Lines' only reservation and sales call center in a downtown area. It is also the Atlanta-based company's first major capital project in two years.

The new Delta reservation center at 655 Plum St. (Brandi Stafford photos) | ZOOM |

        And when Delta officials hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, it will be the first major business to show such a commitment to downtown following April's riots in nearby Over-the-Rhine (Delta had previously pledged $30 million to gain naming rights to the proposed convention center expansion).

        No wonder the $12 million building is seen as a symbol by not only the airline, but elected and business officials as well.

        “This is a big deal,” said Rick Greiwe, president of Downtown Cincinnati Inc. — a nonprofit firm that promotes downtown business interests. “It just made sense to all the parties to make this happen.”

        Delta president and chief operating officer Fred Reid is expected to attend Tuesday, as is Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken and other Tristate business and elected officials.

Tough competition

        Keeping the center downtown took a lot of doing, with the suburbs and Northern Kentucky in the running of a heated contest last spring.

Skip Houck, reservation sales rep, talks with a customer. | ZOOM |

        “We could have put it anywhere, given the current technology, even in a cornfield,” said Eric Summe, Delta's director of government and public affairs for the central region. “But we are an advocate of the regional form that this area is taking. We wanted to have a balance, and having the call center downtown and the hub at the airport gave us that balance. And the city really stepped up to make that happen.”

        The city came up with $250,000 a year in tax breaks for 10 yearsto help pay for upgraded equipment, and is leasing the land (formerly a parking lot) to Delta.

        In October, Ohio granted the company, which operates its second-largest hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, a $3 million, 10-year loan at 4 percent interest, to help cover the cost of construction.

        “This was a critical move in the right direction for the city,” said assistant city manager Richard Mendez, who many at Delta and construction firm Al Neyer Inc. say was instrumental in coordinating the incentive package.

        Mr. Mendez and Mr. Greiwe both said that in addition to the development angle, a key reason for the deal was to keep individual payroll taxes flowing. City officials have previously said that Delta reservation employees pay $500,000 annually in city earnings taxes.

        For Delta, the new center — which cost a total of $17.3 million including new computers and infrastructure — is symbolic for another reason.

        Company officials say it shows their dedication to getting input from the front lines, where local workers took 865,000 calls in May out of a total 5.7 million calls system-wide. North American calls to Delta are routed to the next available agent in one of 13 reservation centers throughout the continent.

        The Cincinnati center remains open 20 hours a day, except during busy periods such as when bad weather hits or even during the first few weeks of the Comair strike, when it can operate around the clock to reaccommodate passengers.

        Previously, reservation employees worked on two floors at Atrium II on Fourth Street, which reservation sales supervisor Joe Piller said “was getting cramped, given that we were getting to nearly 1,000 workers.”

        “Our people just love this new place,” Mr. Piller said, gesturing to the people wearing headsets scattered around two floors who have been taking calls at the new facility since June 4. “They just can't believe that Delta Air Lines would go to this much trouble for them.”

Workers accommodated

        Mr. Piller and acting district manager Susan Judson said everyone had input on the design of the building and even the workstations, which allow workers to take reservation calls standing up or in whatever position makes them comfortable.

        The building also gives those taking calls the window views, with managers' offices in the middle of the building. Mr. Piller said there was some initial grumbling about losing a river view, but said many are pleased with the vista of Price Hill, Clifton Heights and downtown.

        Each team of 15-20 workers got to choose its work area based on seniority, and the 900 or so workers were allowed to vote on what to call the building's various meeting rooms — now named after Cincinnati landmarks such as Mount Adams, Fountain Square and Union Terminal.

        And there is a new cafeteria called the City View Cafe, as well as several lounges, including a “quiet” room that has no televisions or telephones.

        The new setup allows for Delta to expand its work force by at least 35 people, with room for more. Ms. Judson said the new technology — each workstation has Delta's upgraded computer reservation system and features flat-screen monitors — along with the more conducive working environment should immediately improve productivity by 2-4 percent.

        “It's also a lot quieter in here,” Ms. Judson said. “The way we have it laid out, you'd never know you were in a call center. I had a veteran tell me after her first day here that it was the easiest day she'd ever had.”

Parking is free

        But Ms. Judson said the biggest improvement has been the free parking at the four-level, 600-slot parking garage attached to the building, also a key in keeping Delta downtown.

        “About half our workers live in Kentucky and half in Ohio, with many of those having a Cincinnati mailing address, so a central location just made sense,” Ms. Judson said. “They love being able to get out of their cars, hit a button on the elevator and be at their desks — and not have to pay for it.”

        Mr. Piller and Mr. Greiwe both said they hope the fact that 900 or so workers were relocating to downtown's west side would encourage even more development.

        “Hopefully some retail will spring up to take advantage of that,” Mr. Greiwe said. “This is the best way I could think of to take advantage of an underutilized parking lot.”

        Now that this center, and the company's external and internal approach to getting it built, appear to be a success, Ms. Judson said this could be a model for Delta in the future.

        “We're just glad to be here, and a piece of the economic puzzle in Cincinnati,” Ms. Judson said.

Comair must heal wounds
Comair taking reservations
Delta opens reservations center
BYCZKOWSKI: Last word on tech scene
Wanderlust turned into profit
What's the Buzz?
Vacation scary notion for business owners
Business meetings and seminars
Industry notes: Commercial real estate
Tristate Business Notebook
Bankruptcies