The 96,000-square-foot facility - the first phase of what will ultimately be a 221,000-square-foot campus in the North Port/Bridge Port Business Center - is home to 550 of Heartland's operations and customer service professionals. As Heartland continues to grow its merchant customer base, it plans to create nearly 100 new jobs in Jeffersonville over the next year, bringing the total to more than 650 local employees.

The new service center features Class 'A' office space, training and conference rooms as well as call center workstations. As the central hub for Heartland's servicing operations, the company's customer advocates will field more than 100,000 customer calls every month there.

"Since opening our original service center in Indiana in 1998, our Jeffersonville employees have played a key role in helping Heartland grow from a start-up company to the sixth largest processor in the nation with nearly $60 billion of annual payment processing," says Bob Carr, chairman and chief executive officer of Heartland. "Our ongoing success and growing merchant base of more than 162,000 customers nationwide enables us to increase our investment in the local economy and the future of Heartland."

The brick, glass and metal building - designed by Architectural Investments of Louisville, Kentucky - maximizes the use of natural lighting for energy efficiency. Daylight shines into the lobby atrium through a large art glass display that features Heartland's corporate logo. Four large clerestory light wells inside the service center allow natural light to penetrate the facility and provide the opportunity for social interaction, connecting team members from floor to floor.

The building features 100% raised flooring with under-floor ventilation, 88 miles of electrical wiring, 10 miles of conduit and 152 miles of under-floor communications cabling. The raised floor affords ultimate flexibility and access to the building's electrical, mechanical and communications infrastructure. This redundant system and the building's state-of-the-art security technology protect the 24-hour facility from interruption.

Future phases of the 35-acre campus - an additional 125,000 square feet to be completed in two phases during the next 18 months - will feature additional office space and conference rooms - as well as a full-service cafeteria, fitness center and on-site day care facility.

The total project cost for the first phase of the new service center is $24 million. The total project cost for the complete campus is projected at $46 million.

Indiana is supporting Heartland's expansion by providing state and local incentives totaling $6 million over a 10-year period. These incentives include local property tax abatements, economic development tax credits and training grants.

"It is a pleasure to congratulate Heartland Payment Systems on the opening of its service center," said Mitchell Daniels, Governor of Indiana. "Heartland has been an important part of Indiana's economy, providing jobs to Hoosiers and servicing the State of Indiana. I would like to thank Bob Carr for his vision and choice to continue Heartland's growth in our state."