GENESEO, N.Y. -- Coast Professional is a firm that focuses on collecting government and higher education debt. When a contract with the Department of Education expired in 2014, many of these people at Coast's Geneseo facility were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. In fact, many did after the month to month contract extension was abruptly terminated.
Sen. Charles Schumer intervened at the request of Coast leadership and the company was recently awarded a new five-year contract.
"It's from the darkest day to the best day," said Roxanne Baker, Coast Professional president. "The absolute best is calling them and telling them that Coast is going and we're ready for you, we want you to come back to work. To see their smiles and to go from having two rows with staff in it to the entire building is full makes me smile still to this day everyday I walk through the door."
Cameron Marsh was one of those who was laid off. The new deal with the Education Department allowed Coast to hire him back.
"I kept in touch with Coast to see what the update was and when was the potential of coming back," Marsh said. "I kind of kept them in the loop as to what was happening with myself as well."
Under the new contract, Coast will work with those who've defaulted on their student loans so they can repay them and that will help return money to taxpayers.
Construction is underway on a 15,000 square foot expansion to make room for more than 200 new employees the company plans on hiring. That will bring the total workforce in Geneseo to more than 500.
"There's people from seven counties that work here so it's just not local impact," Geneseo Town Supervisor Will Wadsworth said. "We love to have them because they buy lunch and come here and buy gas sometimes, but it's a great thing for all of us. We're very happy."
Coast, which also operates a facility in Henrietta, is reaching out to displaced Verizon employees who recently learned its Henrietta call center is closing, to help fill those new positions.