FORT KENT - The spectacle of the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race was not the only excitement that was going on in Fort Kent over the weekend.

Just after the start of the 15th running of the event, Gov. John Baldacci joined officials from Synergy Solutions to announce the creation of 80 full-time jobs at the former MBNA building in Fort Kent.

Synergy Solutions, an Arizona based supplier of outsourced teleservices solutions, will begin operations by the end of the year. The company has seven call centers throughout the United States. The closest center to Maine is in Johnson City, N.Y.

In concert with the 80 jobs, the company also expects to hire 20 part-time employees at the Fort Kent facility.

Corey Conklin, founder and chief operating officer of the company, was on hand at the event as Baldacci announced the good news.

"Thanks to Mr. Conklin and Synergy Solutions, we will see 80 people in the St. John Valley working full time," the governor said in a written statement. "This is strong economic development for Aroostook County, and we are happy to welcome Synergy Solutions to Maine.

"Synergy Solutions is walking into a situation where it will have 100 employees ready to work hard and perform beyond expectations," Baldacci added.

The company’s decision to come to Aroostook County happened relatively quickly, Walt Elish, the executive director of the Aroostook Partnership for Progress, said on Saturday.

Aroostook Partnership for Progress was instrumental in enticing the customer contact business to set up shop in Fort Kent.

"This really happened very quickly," Elish said. "It took about a week. We brought them here and they looked at the facility and we sent them all of the information that they needed."

He credited the APP team, the Northern Maine Development Commission and the Northern Maine Finance Corp. for helping to seal the deal, as well as members of the community.

"This could not have happened without the help of the people here," Elish said. "The response from the community was just overwhelming. People came out and met with the company and expressed a willingness to get to work for them."

About 60 people lost their jobs when the MBNA facility in Fort Kent closed last February. The closing came after Bank of America completed its acquisition of MBNA Corp. and announced plans to close four of the seven call centers it acquired in Maine.

The shutdowns took place in Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Farmington and Portland.