Discover plans to open a new customer care center in Chicago, Illinois. According to company officials, once fully operational the facility will create roughly 1,000 full-time jobs.

The company announced it is renovating the shuttered Target at 86th and Cottage Grove in the Chatham neighborhood, including up to 5,000 square feet of internal/external use space adjacent to the customer care center that will be available for use by community based organizations.

“Discover and its employees are committed to helping people achieve brighter financial futures, which we can best achieve in Chicago by bringing jobs to the area and having direct and long-term involvement with the city,” said Roger Hochschild, CEO and President of Discover. “We fully support Mayor Lightfoot’s call to action for Chicago companies to bring quality jobs directly to communities that need them. Discover recognizes that traditional corporate site selection has contributed to issues of unequal opportunity in our society, and we want to be part of the solution. We hope our commitment to Chatham will serve as a springboard for further economic development in the area; and we’re excited to work with residents and community leaders and add to our award-winning customer service team.”

Company officials noted that the 1,000 full-time jobs will pay at least $17 an hour and offer competitive benefits to local residents in support of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's INVEST South/West community improvement initiative.

“Discover’s commitment to Chatham, and the hundreds it will employ from it and the neighboring communities, is an important example of the type of transformative, inclusive investment that can create jobs and opportunities for all Chicagoans,” said Michael Fassnacht, Interim President & CEO, World Business Chicago.

The company hopes to hire and train 100 employees this year. They will work in a temporary space until the store is fully converted by year’s end.

“These are great jobs coming to Chicago and this is a big win for south side residents. Discover’s commitment to not just opening a customer care center in Chatham but hiring locally is a testament to their passion for creating brighter futures and driving change,” said Marie Trzupek Lynch, President and CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. “It has been exciting to support Discover along the way as they turned this concept into a reality, and we’re thrilled to continue that support now through hiring efforts focused on south side residents.”