Company offering Christmas miracle for laid off call center employees

North Myrtle Beach, S.C. (WPDE) — Just days after more than 50 people lost their jobs when a brand-new call center unexpectedly closed in Myrtle Beach, a company further up the coast is offering a chance to finally receive a paycheck.

Aventus, which runs a call center from its headquarters in North Myrtle Beach, is offering to interview and potentially hire former employees of the Greenwood Hall call center this week, with training starting the day after Christmas.

“This time of year, your heart kind of melts when you see something like that,” Aventus Vice President Ray Ferro explained, when asked about his thoughts as he saw the headlines about Greenwood Hall. “And you know, made us first grateful to be in the position that we are in to be with such a good company, and secondly it kind of made us take stock of the fact that we’re in a position where we can help somebody.”

Ferro said the company was looking to hire 30 people as business picks up after the new year, but the number mattered less than the qualifications of the potential employees.

The company is also preparing to open an office in Georgia, which means some positions will become vacant as certain staff members are shifted to the new location.

The plan is to fast-track the normal hiring process for people with previous call center experience.

“If they think they can jive with that, with the corporate culture we have here, and with the type of client base that we have here, we would love to put that talent to use and make sure they get a good living,” he said.

Aventus CEO Josh Royal was out of town, but said in a text to ABC15, “It’s important to employ these people before the holidays.”

One man that can help get them the right resumes? Isaiah White, who was the former manager of Greenwood Hall’s Myrtle Beach location.

White accompanied our crew to the interview with Aventus, on Royal and Ferro’s invitation.

By the time we caught up with him after we finished, he said he had reached out to around 15 of his former team members. Several already had interviews scheduled with Aventus management.

White said he’d apply for a management position, if one is available.

“Having that piece of mind saying hey, in a week, I’m going to start generating income again, I think that’s huge for everybody,” White said.

ABC15 has reached out to Greenwood Hall leaders to find out when their former employees would be paid for their three weeks of work.