NCR won’t disclose how many of its 1,200 employees in Dayton were offered positions in Atlanta or how many accepted. But local business leaders say they’ve heard from NCR insiders that far fewer are choosing to stay with NCR than the firm had hoped.
“That’s pretty much the scuttlebutt I’ve heard,” said David Gasper, who sold his software company to NCR in 1999. Gasper has been helping to find local jobs for NCR employees.
NCR’s relocation package includes all moving expenses, a 6 percent realtor’s fee, up to $7,000 for closing costs, $1,500 for incidentals and a $17,000 lump sum for families to transition to the Atlanta area, documents show. Each employee has been given a transition deadline.
NCR officials say the transfer of employees to Atlanta will be complete by early this year. A cadre of 30 to 50 NCR employees are expected to remain at the company’s data backup center for the foreseeable future, employees say.
Hundreds of former NCR employees like Lashchuk are discovering there are jobs for the taking in the Dayton area, even in a tight economy. They can credit their specialized skills and advanced degrees, as well as a community that recognizes their value.
Sinclair Community College and local business leaders teamed up to create a Web site called ChooseDayton.com, where NCR employees who want to stay here can link up with employers who are hiring. Since August, more than half of NCR's 1,200 employees have registered at the site. So have 67 interested employers.
In September, the Job Center of Dayton launched Project Hire, a federal stimulus program that rewards employers for each new position they create with up to $7,000 for on-the-job training. County officials are encouraging local employers to use the program to retrain ex-NCR workers for the demands of their industry.
Cathy Kinder, 33, said she was surprised when she lined up three different job interviews before leaving NCR in December “because I had heard how bad the Dayton market was.” She started as a project manager this week for DRS Technologies, a defense contractor in Beavercreek.
“People need to know it’s a myth that there are no jobs in Dayton,” said Deb Norris of Sinclair.
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