RUMFORD — A Rumford native who is the chief executive officer of appraisal management company Landmark Network is bringing jobs to town from Los Angeles.
In a late Friday afternoon news release, Scott “Erik” Richard stated that he will launch a pilot program on Sunday, July 15, in downtown Rumford.
The program will initially hire up to six employees to assist with Landmark’s operations from an office in the River Valley Technology Center on Lowell Street, he said.
Designed to provide job opportunities in the area, the program will employ qualified individuals to assist in back office support for Landmark’s Los Angeles headquarters and its sales offices in Boston and Atlanta, Richard said.
Landmark Network is an appraisal management company that provides clients with a wide range of valuation services. Its Landmark Reverse division focuses exclusively on appraisals involving FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgages known as reverse mortgages, he said.
The company, which was established in 2007, currently employs more than 9,000 valuation professionals nationwide.
“I have been fortunate enough to build a successful company during one of the toughest economies in history,” Richard said.
“It is my desire to further the goals of Landmark as it continues to grow and, at the same time, give back to the community where I grew up.”
A former resident of Rumford and Mexico, Richard attended elementary school in both towns and also attended Mountain Valley Middle School and Mountain Valley High School.
Richard said he conceived the idea for the pilot program after watching competitors transfer certain functions of their company’s support needs to India.
“I returned to Rumford on vacation and realized how many people in my own hometown were in need of work,” Richard said.
“It just made sense to bring support positions here and give these people an opportunity to provide for their families.”
Richard said the idea is to start with a pilot program “so that we can assess the level of productivity and work out any kinks.”
“The hope is to employ several dozen qualified individuals to run a fully functioning back office support center,” he said.
“I would like to thank Rumford Town Manager Carlo Puiia, Jim Rinaldo with the River Valley Growth Council and Congressman Mike Michaud for their hard work and support of this project.”
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