Pakistan is a hidden gem, says Communications Company Chief

Tom Slone sees the South Asian nation of Pakistan as a virtually untapped opportunity, not a risky place to locate his fledgling Fort Worth company's only outsourcing call center, which he quietly did last summer.

"Pakistan is a hidden gem, a hidden jewel," enthused Slone, 62, chairman of Touchstone Communications, which he co-founded after working 33 years at Associates First Capital. He left Associates First Capital as president of its U.S. consumer finance operations.

Touchstone sidestepped neighboring India, the clear leader in call center work, to offer telemarketing and other services to U.S. mortgage companies from Pakistan's modern planned capital, Islamabad. Slone said that at first glance, the city reminded him of Irving's Los Colinas development.