On Monday, Portland-based Consumer Cellular will open its call center in the former T-Mobile USA Call Center location in Redmond.

Consumer Cellular has hired about 45 T-Mobile call center employees and plans to add more, said John Marick, the CEO for Consumer Cellular.

When the Redmond T-Mobile USA Call Center closed in June, the city lost its largest private employer and about 360 jobs.

Ten Consumer Cellular supervisors started work last week, Marick said, and on Monday the frontline workers will come on board. Starting in September, he said, Consumer Cellular will host job fairs to bring on about 25 employees a month. The goal is to employ 150 people by the end of the year, he said.

Marick said the Redmond location on Southwest Sixth Street will be Consumer Cellular’s third call center. For the last seven years, he said the cellular telephone provider has experienced annual growth in customers, revenue and employment of about 30 percent in each.

“Having the space at the new facility allows us to continue to support and grow the business like we want to,” he said.

Along with the impact on direct employees, Marick said the call center will have a trickle-down effect in the community.

“Employees will have disposable income that they can spend in the community,” he said.

“We’re excited to be not only part of the community, but also the economic success that will happen from employing those people,” Marick added.

Consumer Cellular represents an Oregon-born entrepreneurial company that will be a great fit for Redmond, its workers and the community, said Jon Stark, Economic Development of Central Oregon manager for Redmond Economic Development Inc.

“We’re looking forward to the growth and long-term sustainability of this unique cellular communications company,” Stark said.