A Virginia-based company plans to expand its Bowling Green operations, creating job opportunities and adding to the list of local businesses that have grown in the past month.

N.E.W., a work-from-home customer service company, plans to hire and train about 160 more employees in Bowling Green, bringing its total number of area employees to about 320 by May.

This addition joins several other job expansions announced in the past month, a trend that highlights the booming local market, said Jim Hizer, president and CEO of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.

“For these companies that are expanding,” he said, “they want to reinvest in a location where they’re making the most money and getting the biggest bang for their buck.”

Along with the N.E.W. expansion, DESA recently added 100 jobs and Perot Systems added 85 jobs to its payroll.

Reasons for the expansions differ for each company, but the recent job-growth spurt can be attributed to relationships formed between local economic leaders and businesses. About 80 percent of created jobs come from existing employers, Hizer said.

“We work just as hard at helping existing employers expand as attracting new employers,” he said.

Also, Bowling Green offers a variety of educational opportunities, which encourages job expansion within companies, such as N.E.W., Hizer said.

N.E.W. has a training facility in Bowling Green, and after officials hire and train new employees, the number of N.E.W. employees will be double the number of workers in any of N.E.W.’s 10 training sites and nine call centers nationwide.

The company decided to double the number of Bowling Green employees because of the local job pool. Bowling Green applicants tend to be very qualified, said Laura Lechner, communications specialist for N.E.W.

N.E.W. opened its Bowling Green training center in May. All local workers operate from their homes, answering calls from customers having trouble with a particular product. The newest slew of workers will assist callers with problems associated with one of N.E.W.’s biggest clients, DIRECTV. The first training session is set for Monday. Applications can be submitted online at www.newhomebasedccr.com.

Hizer said work-from-home opportunities are growing nationally as well as throughout southcentral Kentucky.

“It’s a very interesting niche, and it’s very attractive to people who need to stay at home,” he said, “or simply desire to stay at home.”