From staff reports

Sioux Falls-based Five Star Call Centers is expanding to Wichita, Kan., as it adds a fourth location.

The call center was rebranded from Lawrence & Schiller TeleServices last year following the acquisition of Midco Connections. Its roots go back to 1978 when it was started by Paul Schiller and Craig Lawrence.

Chief marketing officer Joel Sylvester said 8 percent of Sioux Falls employment is call center-related, ranking it among the highest in the nation.

“This is a call center community and people know how to do it right,” he said. “So how do you open and operate a high-standards customer service center 400 miles from here? ‘You transplant the Sioux Falls customer service culture.”

The company is moving Dave Basart, director of customer success, and Kristi Keiser, customer success manager, to head the Wichita center.

“Both live and breathe the Sioux Falls customer service commitment,” Sylvester said.

Five Star employs about 600 people, a figure Sylvester said will grow rapidly once Wichita is added. Its other sites are in North Sioux City and Fargo.

The company is operated by the leadership team of Sylvester; Troy Holt, chief operating officer; and Ray Peterson, chief customer officer.