The gecko needs you: GEICO brings 2500 jobs to area
By
Nick Solazzo
GEICO auto insurance is interested in hiring college students , specifically graduating seniors, for their new Buffalo call center. The company is well known for its low rates and great service. The auto insurance provider is currently only hiring customer service and sales representatives, but will add claims agents once it is up and running. GEICO will offer several entry-level positions and allows soon-to-be graduates the opportunity to meet with one of its college recruiters. Jobs are available in all 12 GEICO locations. On Feb. 10, the company held a job seminar in an effort to reach out to prospective applicants, inform them on the progress at the Buffalo location, as well as answer any questions applicants may have. Close to a thousand people attended the event, which was held at the Sheridan-Parkside Community Center in Tonawanda.
Initial plans call for 2,500 jobs to be created in the area once the company's permanent office built. Rough estimates expect construction to last 18 months and open in 2005. GEICO's permanent Buffalo office will be a 250,000 square-foot customer service call center in the CrossPoint Business Park in Amherst . Currently, the company is leasing an office building in an effort to begin Buffalo operations. GEICO has already started the hiring process in the area.
We're going to grow from 75 associates that we've already hired, to hopefully 500 by year end, said John Zinno, general manager for the Amherst location.
Officials hope to create 650 jobs at the temporary location before the next wave of hiring starts. It is during that phase, where the remaining employees will be hired to work at the permanent facility. So far, throughout the hiring process, the company has had nothing but good things to say about our area.
The area offers a well-educated and enthusiastic work force. We're excited about GEICO's expansion in the greater Buffalo area, and we appreciate the team support we have received, said Tony Nicely, GEICO CEO.
The decision to build an office in the Buffalo area could pay huge dividends for the struggling economy. Gov. Pataki recognized this as a step in the right direction for the area.
This is one of the largest economic-development deals in the nation and a start of a whole new era in Western New York . 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 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, he said.
GEICO is the fifth-largest insurance provider in the world. |
