AUGUSTA, Ga., March 26, 2010 – GEICO's Doug Popplewell was named auto damage field manager for South Carolina with responsibilities for six auto damage field supervisors, 31 auto damage field adjusters and the more than 153,000 auto policyholders in the Palmetto State.
Popplewell began his career at GEICO in 1988 as an auto damage adjuster at the company's Augusta location. He had previously managed his family-owned collision repair center in Augusta. His other positions at GEICO include 11 years as an auto damage supervisor, giving him a total of 22 years of auto damage experience.
"My favorite part of working in auto damage is helping GEICO customers through a stressful time," Popplewell said. "We handle the assessment of damage to our customers' vehicles, coordinate their rental vehicle and then work with the repair shops on proper, speedy repair."
Wendell Gaskin, Southeast auto damage director, welcomes Popplewell as a member of the Southeast auto damage manager team. "We expect his education and experience will contribute to our continued growth in South Carolina. Since South Carolina is a coastal state, Doug's team is on constant standby for catastrophe duty in the event of a hurricane or other disaster. We know he will be a great asset to the team."
Popplewell earned a bachelor's degree in business from Augusta State University and is certified in I-CAR Platinum, ASE B6 Estimating, and Chief Frame Analysis. Additionally, Doug was a participant in the 2009 Southeast Regional Management Seminar and has completed several regional auto damage projects during his tenure as a field supervisor.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 11 million private passenger customers and insures more than 18 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
GEICO's online service center helps policyholders take care of policy sales, policy changes, claims reporting and to print insurance ID cards.
GEICO also provides insurance quotes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
For more information, go to www.geico.com.
