What is the nature of the business you do here?

Prudential has operated in the El Paso area since 2014 with our business and technology center. The site has a wide variety of career options with about half of the staff functioning in a customer service, back office (CSBO) role, and the other half of the team operating in a technology role, supporting the broader Pru book of business around the globe. The CSBO roles include registered licensed professionals (FINRA), underwriters, bilingual contact center roles, finance roles, data analytics and case management, with more roles on the horizon. The technology roles are focused on cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, quality testers, salesforce support, software and data engineering, project managers and business analysts, and new roles being evaluated on a regular basis to enhance career opportunities.

Why did you choose this area?

The reasons that Prudential was initially attracted to El Paso were the veteran population, the diverse talent pipelines and the region (increased time zone coverage along with business continuity for services that may be impacted on the East Coast with extreme weather). Fort Bliss, UTEP and The Borderplex Alliance were very influential in the decision. Since being more established in the community, Prudential has been very happy to connect with the abundance of bilingual and technical talent that is available in the region or willing to move back for the right role; the value that military spouses bring along with veterans; and strong partnerships in the community with EPCC, the YWCA of El Paso del Norte, United Way of El Paso, Workforce Solutions Borderplex and many other great community partners.

What is it like to do business here?

The El Paso community has embraced Prudential and made it very easy to do business and grow in the area. We have partnered with multiple entities such as WOS, Hiring Our Heroes, Onward to Opportunity, Endeavors, AUSA and others to quickly become one of the leaders in the community, supporting the substantial veteran and military spouse population in our community where we can. We have also seen really great talent come from the likes of UTEP and NMSU as the demand for growth has increased — helping to fill roles in a timely manner with strong talent.

What is it like to hire people here?

The talent in the region is our greatest selling point. The majority of Prudential’s executive leadership team has visited by this point, and unanimous feedback that we receive from all of them is how impressed they are with the talent in the region. They highlight the intelligence but also notice the drive to do more and deliver. They see the grit that our city is known for and are blown away with the level of service focus they see everywhere. We often hear our leadership team say “people are so nice.”

What do you think you get here that you don’t anywhere else?

A robust, diverse, talented pipeline of talent that is eager to grow their career with Prudential and add value wherever possible, as well as the experience and view from one of the largest Latino communities in the country, including firsthand feedback on what younger workers and Hispanics (fastest-growing U.S. demographic) need from the financial industry. We also get the experience and training from veterans and talented military spouses that have grown to love the community, who are very grateful for an organization like Prudential to help them bridge their military and civilian careers.

What advice would you have for a company considering our area?

Get here and experience the community for yourself. The people and the culture are differentiators that can truly only be appreciated in person. Our community is full of exceptionally smart, well-educated individuals looking for opportunities. A large portion of these individuals have had to work hard for everything they have accomplished, overcoming many challenging obstacles. The resiliency and grit embedded in our region’s DNA makes us stronger without compromising the warmth, hospitality and compassion that make El Paso so special.

—Shawn Ollis
Vice President of Operations
+ Site Executive