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Change in City Government Keeps Alltel in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Posted on: Thursday, 6 November 2003, 06:00 CST

Nov. 6--WILKES-BARRE, Pa.--Six months ago, Alltel Information Services was considering moving away from Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, officials confirmed.

Now, the company has made a long-term commitment to its Wilkes-Barre location, counting on a change in city government to change the face of downtown, officials said Wednesday.

Alltel signed a five-year lease last month for its space in the former PNC Bank, said company Vice President Dave Fritz. Alltel officials would not disclose how much the company will pay.

"We started believing that there is great opportunity within the downtown area," Fritz said.

The Alltel Corp., headquartered in Arkansas, provides a wireless telecommunications service. The Wilkes-Barre office, which moved from Dallas to its current location in 1996, writes computer programs for wireless billing.

A declining business climate and safety concerns for Alltel's 200 employees, prompted company officials to consider a move last summer.

Fritz, who formerly was located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, said the company decided to stay partly because of the change in city government.

Referring to Mayor-elect Tom Leighton, Fritz said Leighton has shown "a desire to improve the downtown area, bring in some additional businesses (and) new police."

And while some employees still are skittish about working downtown, the safety concern was "not an overriding factor."

"I think, really more than anything, (Alltel) saw the winds of change in Wilkes-Barre," said Steve Barrouk, president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry. "Now we're in an upswing mode."

Alltel leases five upper floors in the former PNC Bank building. Alltel's lease expires in October. The building is owned by Antonio Rado and Martin Mariano, trading as RAM Buildings, a Bloomsburg company.

The company's lease expired in October, but Alltel was given an extension until February.

Fritz also said some city programs -- including the Diamond City Partnership's "Clean and Green" downtown beautification project -- helped keep Alltel in the area.

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To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesleader.com

(c) 2003, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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