GEICO To Open In Upstate N.Y.

NU Online News Service, Dec. 30, 12:05 p.m. EST?Auto insurer GEICO said it will open a customer service center in the Buffalo, N.Y., area and create up to 2,500 new jobs in the region during the next 12 years.[@@]

The company said it will begin its move-in and training activities next month, and the new service center will start operating during the second quarter of 2004.

Initially GEICO expects to hire 650 sales, service and claims associates for the service center within the next three years when it temporarily moves into leased space. The insurer said it will eventually hire as many as 2,500 employees when the development of its 250,000-square-foot facility in Buffalo is completed in the next 10-12 years.

In a joint statement with GEICO, New York Gov. George Pataki praised the auto insurer's decision, calling it "one of the largest economic development deals in the nation and the start of a whole new era in western New York."

Mr. Pataki added, "When one of the fastest growing companies in the United States chooses western New York for an operation that will employ 2,500 people with good paying jobs, it sends out a message loud and clear that the Buffalo area is once again a region to be reckoned with when it comes to landing new jobs and new economic opportunities."

GEICO Chairman Tony Nicely said that New York was "the right place to expand. We're excited about the welcome we've received from the people in Buffalo. We will work hard to provide our new associates with long-term career opportunities and to help them move ahead in the company. We're very proud to be part of the Buffalo community."

Based in Chevy Chase, Md., GEICO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in Omaha, Neb. GEICO is a direct-market provider of auto and other related insurance to preferred low-risk demographic groups as well as nonstandard, high-risk drivers. The company also offers motorcycle insurance and emergency road service.