Verizon considered numerous locations for its new 500-job financial services hub, but after an extensive review the telecommunications giant chose Tulsa
 Governor Mary Fallin presents plaque to Verizon Vice President Michelle Robinson during Friday's gathering
"Once the valuation was complete, Tulsa emerged as an ideal location," said Michelle Robinson, vice president for external relations-south area.
"We chose Tulsa for a number of very sound business reasons, including the very simple fact that it's a fantastic place to live, work and generally do business," she said.
Robinson and others made the announcement during a news conference at Verizon's facility in the Cherokee Industrial Park, where it already employs 900 people in customer service and other duties.
She noted that the additional jobs, which will handle accounts payable, accounting and related financial activities for Verizon's wholesale and enterprise segments, would be "high-paying," though she would not specify an income range.
The positions would start to be filled in the third quarter of the year and ramp up through 2015.
Jonna Kirschner, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce said, “Under the Governor’s direction the Oklahoma Department of Commerce is targeting five high growth industrial sectors with financial services being one of those. Verizon locating a financial services hub in our state has a positive impact on economic development and our continued mission to increase the quantity and quality of jobs in Oklahoma,”
Gov. Mary Fallin, speaking during the gathering, said it was exciting to have a Fortune 500 company decide to expand in Tulsa. "This is a big deal," she said. "We knew that Verizon had many other options and places they could look at to add jobs and make investments."
Robinson said various factors that caused New York-based Verizon Communications Inc. to choose Tulsa was the area's quality of life, its low cost of living and its strong labor pool.
The expansion won't involve any physical growth. Instead, Verizon will fill unused space in its building at 6929 N. Lakewood Ave. in the industrial park.
The facility already houses wholesale sales, information services, engineering, network operations, finance, customer service, marketing, corporate facilities and real estate, legal, credit, collections and human resources operations for Verizon.
WorldCom originally purchased the building from Memorex-Telex in 1995 for $8.5 million, and eventually increased the office space to 1 million square feet. WorldCom and MCI Communications merged in 1997. MCI, in turn, was acquired by Verizon in 2006.
Verizon leases space in the building to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Capital One Auto Finance Inc.
 Credit: Robert Evatt, Tulsa World
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