Editor’s Note: Gov. Mike Beebe talked exclusively with Talk Business editor Roby Brock about the details of Hewlett-Packard’s major Conway announcement, how the deal came together and how he plans to use the victory to stimulate other economic development efforts.

Hewlett-Packard Co., one of the world’s leading information technology companies, has selected Conway for a new $28 million customer service and technical support center that will employ up to 1,200 workers with an estimated annual payroll of $50 million.

Based on state incentive data, average starting salaries will likely be in the low-$40,000 range, but some sales jobs could pay six-figure incomes.

HP also announced Thursday it would build a similar center in Rio Rancho, N.M., near Albuquerque. HP said the Arkansas and New Mexico operations are designed to meet its growing customer requirements, and that the center will provide “sales, service and technical support” for customers.

“The bulk of their investment is in human capital,” Gov. Mike Beebe told Talk Business in an exclusive interview Wednesday with the economic development team that worked on the effort known as Project Sigma.

Beebe committed $10 million from his Quick Action Closing Fund as part of the state’s incentive package.  That money will help construct the $28 million, 150,000-square-foot building in Conway’s 180-acre office and technology park called the Meadows. The Conway Development Corp., a local economic development agency, will own the building and lease it to HP. 

Other performance-based payroll and investment incentives — part of the state’s Advantage Arkansas standard incentive program —were used to lure the Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech firm to Arkansas.

The 1,200 IT jobs will be phased in over a four-year period starting in 2009.

However, Beebe stressed that work force readiness and his repeated theme regarding the marriage of education and economic development were the strongest factors for winning the bid.

“This is a specific, applicable instance of addressing that philosophy,” Beebe said. “And not only having the jobs for them when we educate them, but actually those that we’ve already educated, those that already have ties to Ark