Expanded contract creates jobs at CABVI

UTICA — The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) of Utica will add 18 new jobs now that a federal contract has been doubled in value and extended in length.

The contract is with a federal agency and requires CABVI’s customer service representatives to verify, track, and report customer compliance with certain federal regulations. The contract is valued at $7.5 million over five years.

“CABVI’s customer service representatives are handling twice as many calls than originally expected — over 14,000,” CABVI President and CEO Rudy D’Amico said in a release. “Based on the call volume, our client doubled the contract.”

The 18 new jobs, many of which will go to blind and visually-impaired people, will boost efficiency at the call center, driving down wait time for callers and allowing CABVI to serve more people annually, Call Center Manager Ryan Eddy said.

CABVI opened its call center in 2010, and its customer service representatives make calls to clients of the federal agency, which CABVI did not name, to guide them through a certification process. Clients are also able to contact the call center to fulfill their obligations or receive information.

The new jobs boost CABVI’s total employment number to 220, an increase of 86 employees since 2005. Of those numbers, 91 workers are blind or visually impaired. Central Industries, CABVI’s integrated manufacturing and services division, employs 124 workers. CABVI also operates a call center at the S.S. Stratton Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Albany. CABVI also provides vision rehabilitation services in Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Fulton, Lewis, Montgomery, northern Otsego, and Jefferson counties.

Contact DeLore at tdelore@tmvbj.com