Bill Me Later to open customer service center in Hunt Valley

Bill Me Later may be ready to hire you now.

The Timonium-based company is set to open a customer service center in Hunt Valley today, and plans to hire 120 new employees to staff the 250-person facility, said company Chief Executive Officer Gary Marino.

Bill Me Later allows clients to buy items online and use their account with the company to make the purchase, rather than giving their credit card information directly to the online vendor.

“We’ve gone through some really strong growth in the last two years,” said Marino. “Certainly with the economic environment, growth [around the area] has slowed. Hopefully we can provide some opportunities in our own backyard.”

The 26,000-square-foot Hunt Valley facility will serve the needs of the company’s more than 4 million clients, and expand the company’s customer service division, Marino said.

Baltimore County officials hailed the expansion as an important move by one of the area’s key companies. Bill Me Later employs more than 325 people, and has 1,000 online companies that use its service, including Amazon.com, Hotels.com and Overstock.com.

“In the face of a slowing national economy, it’s a very good sign for Baltimore County to still be adding jobs in a growing technology sector,” said David Iannucci, executive director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development.

Bill Me Later was named the third-fastest-growing company in Maryland in this year’s Inc. Magazine rankings, with three-year growth of over 2,500 percent. Part of the company’s success comes from a history of credit-related business in the Baltimore area, Marino said. CitiBank, MBNA and a firm that became the credit division of JPMorgan Chase have all had a local presence at one time or another.

“Baltimore has always had very strong activities in the credit card industry,” Marino said. “So we’re kind of  exploiting some of that talent that still resides here.”

Iannucci said the company’s new office will be close to Hunt Valley’s light rail stop, an attractive feature for many employees. It also continues the ongoing expansion of the northern Interstate 83 corridor, which already houses video game companies and high-tech firms.

“The Hunt Valley I-83 corridor is one of the major growth areas in Baltimore,” he said. “It’s not officially designated that, but it certainly is. We’re seeing a lot of tech jobs there.”

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