CenturyLink closing offices in Columbia

ABC 17 News confirmed CenturyLink is shutting down its regional dispatch center at 625 Cherry Street in downtown Columbia. The changes take effect January 13, and 40 employees will lose their jobs.

“CenturyLink, as all businesses, we continually evaluate our cost structure, as well as business practices and we adjust our operations to meet the needs of the business and our customers,” said Mark Molzen, a spokesman for CenturyLink.

Right now, 240 employees make up the Columbia branch of CenturyLink.

The dispatch center is responsible for sending out technicians in Missouri. This means Missouri customers will be working with dispatch centers in other states beginning next year.

“We’re certainly committed to customer service,” Molzen said. “Work that’s currently done by this particular center is going to be transitioned to the regional dispatch centers across Wisconsin, as well as Wake Forest, North Carolina.”

He said the closure will not impact customer service.

As far as employees being laid off, Molzen said they will have the opportunity to apply for other jobs within the company or they can receive severance packages.

According to their website, CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the U.S., headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana.

The Columbia, Missouri branch is the only branch making cuts to its dispatch center in the country, according to Molzen.