Vizio Brings South Dakota Another Call Center

Jobs are jobs—I shouldn't gripe. But I just can't get excited about Vizio's opening of another call center in our fair state. The top North American LCD-TV seller will employ maybe 45 people in North Sioux City, on the old cow-spot campus where Gateway once employed 5,000. And those employees won't make anything—as I understand it, neither does Vizio, which contracts out most of the actual manufacturing of its flat-panel TVs. More South Dakotans (and Iowans) will just sit at desks and say things someone pays them to say. Not exactly the kind of work that builds a sense of entrepreneurial independence or pride in one's work.

But Governor Rounds is thrilled Vizio is here, thrilled enough to go rub elbows with Gateway founder Ted Waitt at the grand opening... and to hand Vizio a thousand bucks or our money for each employee they hire.