GEICO's largest regional office turns 35

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The company celebrates 35 years at its Southeast, Midwest Regional offices in Macon

MACON, Ga., August 11, 2009 – On a muggy, overcast August morning in 1974, GEICO employees reported for work at a new, sprawling, four-story, brick-and-glass building in East Macon. A huge storm the night before made the pathways a muddy mess to navigate (the sidewalks and many of the parking areas were yet unpaved), and associates tracked Georgia red clay on their shoes and into the building.

The day was marked with optimism as GEICO opened its Southeast Regional office, one of the first large regional offices of its kind in company history. At 8:10 a.m. that Aug. 12 morning, then-Gov. Jimmy Carter sent flowers and called GEICO management to welcome the company to the Peach State.

“We are so excited to be celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Macon office,” said Regional Vice President Mary Zarcone. “Selecting the Middle Georgia area has certainly been a big win for us. It’s hard to imagine GEICO without Macon or Macon without GEICO."

Since its opening, GEICO has become one of Macon’s largest employers. Thirty-five years ago, the Macon office opened with 150 employees, but by year’s end there were nearly 800 associates in the Macon office. The work force continued to grow and 25 years later, in 1999, GEICO opened a second, four-story, brick-and-glass office across the street from the first building to house its Southeast operations. When the second building opened, the company had roughly 3,400 employees and contributed $74 million in payroll to the local and state economy, according to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Earlier in 1974, GEICO operated in a small office space on Poplar Street in the old First National Bank office building downtown. But GEICO relocated from those temporary digs and moved to a large tract of land off Ocmulgee East Boulevard – which was a two lane highway coined locally as the “Cochran Short Route.”

The site GEICO chose was formerly Camp Wheeler, a staging location for many U.S. Army units during World Wars I and II roughly five miles outside of Macon city limits in east Bibb County. The military compound was the best one scouted by the GEICO selection committee according to former Macon’s 1974 regional vice president Ross Pierce, who was also a member of the selection committee.

“(Camp Wheeler) and the city of Macon had great infrastructure, particularly its mail and phone facilities,” Pierce said.

Today, Macon remains GEICO’s largest regional office comprised of both Midwest and Southeast regions, as well as consolidated services. With nearly 4,100 employees, the company is the third largest employer in the city, behind Robins Air Force Base and The Medical Center of Central Georgia. The Macon office is also the largest corporate contributor to the United Way of Central Georgia.

“We’re elated to have GEICO’s largest operation right here in Macon,” said Southeast Regional Vice President Shawn Burklin. “We’re over 4,000 employees strong – and growing.”

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States.* GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 17.5 million vehicles.

In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motor homes (RVs). Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.

As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.

*A.M. Best

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