Iowa Network Services (INS) announced Wednesday the acquisition of Caleris. Caleris operates outsourced call centers in Jefferson, Manning, Newton and Marshalltown, serving primarily telecommunication and technology businesses.
“Caleris is a great fit with the back-office services we currently provide to enhance the productivity of our business customers, as the company has a great onshore call center model that competes with global leaders,” said Ron Keller, president and CEO of INS in a company press release. “This is one more example of how we’ll continue to support customers and shareholders by diversifying into businesses with a proven track record of profitable growth.”
Caleris was founded in 2003 by Iowa entrepreneurs Rick Grewell and Sheldon Ohringer. The company announced in October 2004 plans to open a call center in Jefferson in the building that had been recently vacated by Fareway. Greene County Development Corporation was instrumental in attracting Caleris to Jefferson.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with INS, a company that has continually supported rural economic development in Iowa. We look to expand our current operations and workforces in Manning, Jefferson, Newton and Marshalltown, while also seeking additional sites in our state,” Ohringer said.
Grewell and Ohringer will both continue in leadership roles in the company. Although some INS jobs in Des Moines will be eliminated, Ohringer said the company expects to add a total of 100 jobs by year-end.
The acquisition reflects INS’ continued commitment to expand service offerings and leverage network connectivity to the business community. When formed in 1987, INS was focused exclusively on serving the more than 150 Independent Telecommunications Companies in Iowa with voice and long distance services. Now, INS has expanded its markets and product offerings to include the state’s largest fiber optic network, digital video services, a data center, cloud computing, wireless communications, human resources services and a host of other information technology and communications solutions.
Caleris specializes in inbound call support services including technical support, customer care, and IT corporate help desk. For several years, Caleris has provided help desk services for INS internet customers. Caleris serves clients in varying industries, ranging from consumer electronics manufacturers, telecom and datacom companies to insurance companies. In addition the help desk services, Caleris provides user-generated content moderation for social media websites.
