In a little over a month, a new local business has achieved the employment goal they thought it would take them a year to reach.

Community Safety, a company that makes fund-raising calls for civic groups, began opened up shop on North Second Street in October with a staff of 20. Those workers have impressed the corporate office in Minnesota, said operations manager for the Ironton branch, Greg Bryant.

&#8220We've really been doing well. Everybody that we've hired has been really productive and the people at corporate headquarters really like the work ethic that we've shown for the first month,” Bryant said.

Currently, eight seats are filled by Bryant's 20 callers. He was informed Tuesday that that number would be upped to 24 seats in early December, meaning an additional 30 to 40 new hires.

&#8220Basically, we're going to have tripled in size within the first two months,” Bryant said. &#8220That's what everyone's amazed at. When we first started talking, we were hoping for that number within a year.”

More than any other factor, Bryant said that it was the hard-working locals at the center who have been responsible for the growth.

&#8220I credit it to the people that we've hired,” Bryant said. &#8220It's just their dedication to being here every day, because this job's not an easy job, it's not for everyone and the people that we've hired have really done well.”

Although making fund-raising calls for non-profit organizations may not seem challenging, Bryant said that it's difficult at first for some employees used to more manual labor.

&#8220That's the hardest thing is to get into the mindset that they have to kind of sit in the same cubicle all day long,” Bryant said. &#8220Once they can get through the mental part of the job they have to learn how to motivate themselves and drive themselves. It's more mentally demanding than physically demanding.”

Now that they've adjusted, Bryant is looking for some more good men and women. Applications are currently being taken at the One Stop Center at 120 N. Third St. in Ironton.