HOUSTON – ARI, a leading global fleet services provider specializing in complex car and truck fleets, celebrated the grand opening of its newest state-of-the-art call center in Houston, Texas on November 9.

The facility, located at 13805 West Road, already employs nearly 50 local residents, and has the capacity to employ 185 individuals. This is the sixth ARI call center in North America and it will help support ARI’s continued commitment to superior customer service in every aspect of its business.

“Houston was a natural choice for us when deciding where to locate this facility,” said ARI President Carl A. Ortell. “The Houston area has an abundance of talent, especially with regard to technicians who are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. As a result, we were able to find the kind of top quality professional we seek to hire to support both our national operations and our vibrant and ever-growing customer base in the region.” Ortell noted that the new call center will allow ARI to maintain its commitment to providing its clients with cost-efficient fleet solutions and the very best in customer service.

The grand opening included a breakfast reception; remarks by Ortell, Bob White, ARI’s senior vice president of Client and Fleet Services, and Ted Davis, department head for Call Center Operations; an official ribbon cutting ceremony; and an opportunity for invited guests to tour the facility and experience demonstrations of some of ARI’s newest technology offerings, ARI analytics and the upgraded Intellifleet system.

ARI’s six North American call centers support customers’ fleets by fielding calls and providing assistance with regard to repairs, breakdowns, accident response, preventive maintenance and other driver needs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The company’s call centers have taken 3 million calls year-to-date, and are on track to take 3.5 million by the end of 2012. Of the more than 400 technicians that are employed across the company’s six call centers, nearly all are ASE certified and many have more than one certification. In addition, ARI counts among its ranks 37 World Class technicians, the highest ranking given by the ASE. In addition to Houston, ARI operates call centers in Maple Shade, New Jersey; Grapevine, Texas; Mississauga, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec and Mexico City, Mexico.