LEWISTON — Fifteen years after starting the company from a laptop on his couch, Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque has finalized the sale of Argo Contact Centers to Georgia-based ITC Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount.

Levesque said Monday that Argo’s 300 jobs, roughly 200 of them in Lewiston, will stay in the city and that selling was best for the company’s future.

“I realized back in early 2017 that in order for the company to continue to grow, we needed two things: capital and additional brainpower,” Levesque said. “I had a lot of inquiries, but (ITC Capital) came to the table with the best plan, the most capital and the most knowledge.”

Since 2013, Argo, a mostly in-bound call center, has been headquartered locally at 64 Lisbon St. after an extensive, multimillion-dollar renovation of the former McCrory’s department store.

The sale on Argo’s assets closed on Oct. 1. Levesque said he stayed through the transition, leaving May 2. He retained the Lisbon Street property, entering into a long-term lease to ITC Capital. A second location, in Pittsfield, had been leased by Argo.

All employees stayed on.

“At this point in my life, my biggest concern, frankly, was the future potential for the employees that helped me grow Argo to what it was,” Levesque said. “It was a good financial deal for me, it provided a great opportunity for them and I think it’s going to provide great opportunity for the city of Lewiston and the city of Pittsfield, too.”

Levesque said the then-pending sale left him more time to run for mayor of Auburn, an election he won in 2017. It also left him more time to devote to the position upon winning.


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