BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — New jobs will be coming to downtown Bluefield with the New Year when a major heavy equipment company moves one of its call centers into the community.

Mercer County’s business community learned Tuesday during a meeting of the Development Authority of Mercer County that Caterpillar was moving a call center now located in Pearisburg, Va., to Commerce Street in downtown Bluefield.

“They are moving their international and domestic call center to 622 Commerce Street,” Janet Bailey, the authority’s executive director, said. The building is the former location of the Bluefield AAA.

Current plans call for opening the new Caterpillar center on Jan. 1, 2015, Bailey said. The company hopes to have a grand opening by mid-January.

The call center will employ 24 people. Assistance from the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation, which owns the building, helped make the call center’s relocation possible…