Branching out

COEUR d'ALENE - Discount Communications Inc., the satellite TV retailer headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, has started a new home-security and safety division and plans to hire 30 new sales representatives.

Chief Executive Officer Allan Brandvein said the new employees will work in the call center, mostly for the new division. The business currently employs 40 people, most of whom are sales representatives for satellite service, while the rest are in customer care and administration.

The 10-year-old business has 45,000 customers nationwide, and has annual sales of $5 million to $6 million, Brandvein said. The headquarters are at 214 W. Sunset Ave.

He said he wanted to start the new division to increase Discount Communications' base of customers.

The base pay for the new employees will be $9 per hour. He said with commission the representatives will be making an average of $15 per hour. Top sales people could earn more than $20 per hour, he said.

Discount Communications will be hosting a job fair Monday and Tuesday, starting at 8 a.m. both days. The hiring and training process will run through the week, Brandvein said.

Discount Communications will be occupying about 5,800 square feet of the 9,000-square-foot building on Sunset Avenue, which is owned by Brandvein. That's an increase of 1,800 square feet of floor space compared with what the business was occupying in the building. He leases out other space in the building.

For the new home-security and safety division, Discount Communications will provide customers with free equipment and installation. The customers will pay for services.

Discount Communications can install control panels, alarms, motion detectors, cameras and other equipment. Customers also will be able to control heating and air-conditioning systems, lights and locks remotely, he said. The business also will be offering services for the care and monitoring of people with health problems.