FERRIDAY, La. – A computer technical support company is still considering placing a customer service center in the area, and a group of local officials should visit one of the company’s similar centers in the next 30 days.

That is according to Buddy Spillers, president of the Ferriday-based Macon Ridge Economic Development Region, which has been working with economic development coordinator Teresa Dennis and state lawmakers to woo the business to the area.

Spillers said the company, which he still will not name, is looking to locate several call centers throughout the United States. Sites being considered in northeast Louisiana include Concordia Parish and the Winnsboro area.

&uot;It could take a year for this to become a reality,&uot;&160;Spillers said. &uot;(The company) is in no hurry.&uot;

If it did choose to locate in the area, the center would employ about 400 people. When Macon Ridge published questionnaires in local newspapers last month to see how many trainable people would be interested in such jobs, it received about 200 responses.

But Spillers said he believes the area has all the trainable people the center would need. &uot;I think that’s a pretty good response,&uot;&160;he added, referring to the questionnaire.

The company trains its workers to answer customer questions for computer hardware and software companies.

The next steps Macon Ridge will take to attract the company to its 12-parish area will be to compile more demographic information, such as average ages and incomes, for the company, a process that is already taking place.

After that, local officials will fly to one of the company’s existing call centers to see how it operates and talk further with company officials, although Spillers said he is not yet sure which location.