The environmentally friendly call center features local design elements and will create hundreds of new jobs for the Lewiston-Auburn region. The new call center is located in the west side of the Auburn Mall at 550 Center Street near the intersection of Turner Street and Kings Road.

Designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, the Auburn Call Center will provide TD Bank's legendary customer service from Maine to Florida. As the bank continues to expand, this will ensure TD Bank continues to deliver on its brand promise of being America's Most Convenient Bank®. The Auburn Call Center team helps deliver 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year service.

"The Lewiston-Auburn area is an important employment base for TD Bank," said Bharat Masrani, president and CEO, TD Bank. "The talent and legendary work ethic of employees in the Lewiston-Auburn region is one of the reasons we chose to locate our newest call center here. We are excited to expand our call center operations in Maine and are proud to have built a facility designed to deliver a WOW! experience for our customers and employees."

"With today's grand opening of the Auburn Call Center, TD Bank is strengthening its reputation as a vibrant company and employer in the state of Maine," said Governor John Baldacci. "TD Bank contributes significantly to our economy and is an excellent corporate steward. We in Maine appreciate TD Bank's strong commitment to the state."

Once the call center reaches full capacity of 500 employees in 2011, TD Bank will be employing nearly 3,000 Mainers at its stores, operations centers in the historic Bates Mill building and other Lewiston facilities, and at TD's co-headquarters in Portland.

As a testament to TD Bank's commitment to Maine, the new center is anchored by a 9-ton boulder at its center point that was mined from the Christian Hill Quarry in Auburn. The mostly granite boulder also reflects the deep roots the granite industry has in the state. The boulder was cleaned but nolder was cleaned but not polished, and is one of myriad of local design elements in the facility. Other local design features include a circular platform that was designed and manufactured by the Pond Cove Millwork of Scarborough, Maine, handcrafted furniture pieces made out of cherry wood from sustainably managed forests by Thos. Moser of Freeport, Maine, shrubs and plants that are native to the area, and two large, colorful wall murals that depict the spring and autumn seasons in the Pine Tree State.

In addition to the local elements included in the call center design, this facility was developed to have a low impact on the environment. Earlier this year, TD Bank announced it is the largest U.S.-based bank to go carbon neutral and committed to building LEED-certified stores and offices. To help it achieve LEED Gold certification, the Auburn Call Center features many green elements, including:

* accessible by multiple lines of public transportation and secure bicycle parking is available for employees
* landscape was designed with drought tolerant plants and shrubs that do not require an in-ground irrigation system
* installed plumbing fixtures designed to use 33 percent less water
* initiated a recycling program that will collect paper, glass, metal, plastic, cardboard, fluorescent lamps and batteries
* constructed with recycled and regionally manufactured materials
* designed to supply high levels of fresh air to building occupants
* built with products that give off little or no VOCs, volatile organic compounds
* reconstructed with increased windows and a 40' x 40' skylight to provide abundant natural light and reduce lighting loads
* installed occupancy sensors to turn lights off when not needed
* will be maintained using green cleaning products
* will be powered by 100 percent green power sources.


TD Bank is also extending the call center's grand opening celebration to the local community by hosting a party that is free and open to the public. The event will be on Saturday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the northwest side of the Auburn Mall parking lot.