SOCS will move to Poplar Drive building - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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SOCS will move to Poplar Drive building Monday Oct 24, 2016 at 12:01 AM Oct 26, 2016 at 8:48 AM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness Southern Oregon Credit Services plans to move into the former Umpqua Bank branch building at 2400 Poplar Drive in November. The two-story, 7,600-square-foot office, between Hilton Road and Crater Lake Highway, was built in 1989 for Valley of the Rogue Bank and acquired from Umpqua Bank in May for $810,000. SOCS President Brian Watkins said the company has outgrown its quarters at 201 W. Sixth St., in Medford, where it has been located since 2011. Before that, the business was located on Stewart Avenue for 30 years. The collections firm was founded by Ike and Lee Eisenstein in 1965.  Watkins, who has worked for the company since 1990 and became the owner in 2001. SOCS makes payments to 400 businesses and government agencies, collecting from 5,000 customers. Its debt-collection clients range from commercial, education, finance, health care, municipal, property management and retail. "We had 26 employees when we moved in and 31 now," Watkins said. "This will give us room to grow, and we've ended up with extra parking spaces." An added plus, he said, is a drive-through window left over from the bank that will allow customers to drop off payments. The collections firm also has offices in Grants Pass and Roseburg. — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.