May_June 2016 Chamber Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Looking Inside... GEICO Insurance … It’s What They Do By Dawn Haun As you drive down Route 17 west in Stafford County, pass the Wawa store and in a mile ahead you will see a large building with mirrored windows, and on the top of the building are letters that spell GEICO. As you enter the building in Stafford County, its enormous scope and bustling groups of people flowing in and out, can be a bit intimidating. One can only imagine the nervousness of a potential employee, going for a job interview at the largest employer in Stafford County, GEICO Insurance. There’s a constant hustle as employees scramble for elevator space to get to another floor in the building. Showcases throughout the departments hold photos of hundreds of employees celebrating a milestone or volunteering at a charity event. Oh, and not to miss posters of the company’s gecko mascot. Just turn on the television or radio, and chances are within 15 minutes you will hear or see a GEICO Insurance commercial. T h e i r advertising campaigns contain surreal humor and satire, GEICO provides on–site that it dares amenities for their employees, such as, fitness center, outside you not to recreation areas, cafeteria, watch it. convenience store and GEICO has banking at GEICO Federal produced Credit Union. many wellknown ad campaigns and are the top favorite for many viewers. A personal favorite is when Tarzan fights over directions with Jane when they are lost in the jungle, “It’s What You Do.” Other spots in the latest campaign, “It’s What You Do,” include a mom who always calls her son at the worst possible time to vent about his dad; the band Europe singing “Final Countdown” to a microwave; and a pair of golf announcers whispering, even as a player gets devoured by a Kraken—no more directly related to car insurance than alligators or geckos, but great for underlining Geico’s value in entertaining and memorable ways. GEICO, (The Government Employees Insurance Company) is considered the fastest growing auto insurer in the U.S., and the choice of more than 14 million customers. They have a regional office site in Stafford County, one of 14 regional sites that support GEICO’s overall business. They are also the second-largest insurance company in Virginia second to State Farm. The 44-acre campus is located on Rte. 17, just a few miles from Interstate 95, and accessible to the FREDericksburg Regional Transit system. The site is home to several of GEICO company operations including GEICO auto insurance, GEICO commercial auto insurance, GEICO Insurance Agency and GEICO National Print Mail Center. Other insurance coverages offered are renters, boat, motorcycle, and business insurance. Last year, GEICO rolled out a new product to meet the insurance coverage needs of ridesharing drivers in Virginia. GEICO’s ridesharing product covers drivers that Uber (UberX and UberXL), Lyft, Sidecar and others have approved to drive for them. It replaces the driver’s personal auto policy and provides coverage both for personal and ridesharing use. Odds are that someone you know has worked at GEICO. In the 22 years Geico has been in Stafford, its employee base has steadily increased. They started with 1800 employees when the Stafford office opened and added 2,000 more positions throughout the 20 years to currently employing 3800 associates, becoming one of the largest regional operation centers for GEICO. Before 1992, GEICO had local sites at Shannon Office Park and then at Riverside Business Park. When GEICO was ready to expand, they chose the Stafford County location to build the five-story, 370,000-square-feet office building. It took two years to build. Providing opportunities for long-term careers. Many associates begin their GEICO career with an entry-level position and Customer service associates Shannon Robinson (left), and Nikki Lewis (right). 14 Fredericksburg Regional Business MAY/JUNE 2016
advance to higher positions. Associates are encouraged and supported in pursuing professional goals they set. GEICO offers tuition reimbursement and on-site resources to get an insurance title. “We are an employer that provides opportunities for employees to grow into long-term careers,” said Theresa Livelsberger, GEICO Human Resources Director. “100% of the supervisory staff started in entry-level positions. Our company offers competitive starting salaries, industry-leading training, and a comprehensive Total Rewards benefits program and career advancement without the commute to Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia.” The Human Resources department at GEICO is an active department, working diligently to attend to the questions and needs of the nearly 4,000 employees. Recruitment is high demand, and the department handles all of the hiring and interviews in-house. They plan to fill nearly 700 positions this year. Training programs for college graduates to fast-track into management GEICO offers two programs for college graduates to learn the ropes and move into management. Employees in the Management Development Program a fast-track to management program learn about one of the major insurance operations with on-the-job training, development seminars, and mentoring, coaching, and real life business projects. At the end of the program, employees receive their professional insurance license and are prepared to manage a team of associates. The Emerging Leaders Program is a selective program to train employees for Operations Management or Information Technology. Emerging leaders gain a complete view of GEICO’s overall business or IT operations through indepth job rotations, hands-on training, mentoring by executives, and leadership training. GEICO and employees give to the community GEICO is the Rappahannock United Way’s highest contributor for 2015, with a corporate gift of over $259,000, bringing their total campaign to $1,058,951. “This makes GEICO a million dollar workplace campaign for two years running,” said Janel Donohue, President of Rappahannock United Way, at the presentation last month. GEICO employees have been giving their time and donations to the local community since establishing roots here in 1990,” said Talbert. “We have partnered with the schools and nonprofits. The Rappahannock United Way is an important part of our community. Associates also support Relay for Life, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Red Cross, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Fredericksburg SPCA and the Annual Car Seat Safety Campaign. Our civic involvement extends to the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and Fredericksburg Regional Alliance.” Earlier this spring GEICO partnered with the Marine Corps Marathon and offered a 15% discount on registration to active duty and reserves. 2,500 members of the military took advantage of the discounted registration, it is now sold out. “The upcoming marathon is one of many successful marketing opportunities we use to grow our brand in the marketplace,” said Talbert. GEICO was recognized as 2013 “Best Places to Work in Virginia” by Virginia Business and Best Companies Group. It’s what they do. AT A GLANCE: • GEICO’s Fredericksburg office opened in 1994. • Fredericksburg started with 1800 associates at the Stafford County site. • Stafford County office is one of the largest regional operation centers for GEICO. • Currently Stafford employs more than 3,300 associates. • Largest employer in Stafford County. • Recognized as 2013 Best Places to Work in Virginia by Virginia Business and Best Companies Group. • In 1996, after many years as a publicly traded firm, GEICO became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, headed by Warren Buffett, one of the country’s most successful investors. • GEICO is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland. • GEICO is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. • GEICO serves more than 14 million private passenger customers, insuring more than 23 million vehicles (auto and cycle). • GEICO was founded in 1936 by Leo Goodwin, Sr. and his wife Lillian to provide auto insurance directly to federal government employees and their families. • In 1974, GEICO began to insure the general public, after real-time access to computerized driving records became available throughout the United States, and it was briefly the fifth-largest U.S. auto insurer. • GEICO generally deals directly with consumers via telephone and internet; however, the local agent program has more than 150 offices countrywide. • Stafford County office is one of the largest regional operation centers for GEICO. • In 2012 GEICO spent over $1.1 billion in advertising, or 6.8% of its revenue. All of GEICO’s television ads are made and produced by The Martin Agency, which is based in Richmond. • GEICO associate starting salary ranges from $34,000 - $50,000 per year. MAY/JUNE 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 15
Page 1 and 2: FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL BUSINESS MA
Page 3 and 4: Thinking about Leadership Frederick
Page 5 and 6: Leadership Fredericksburg: Producin
Page 7 and 8: FROM THE COVER: Proven successful,
Page 9 and 10: UMW Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) Int
Page 11 and 12: HR Matters The Emerging Frontier: T
Page 13: Feature #GreenBiz2016 FREDERICKSBUR
Page 17 and 18: Tips from the Pro The pros and cons
Page 19 and 20: Using next-generation WiFi to take
Page 21 and 22: Green Printing is . . . • busines
Page 23 and 24: Sands Anderson named among “Virgi
Page 25 and 26: Leadership Fredericksburg Continued
Page 27 and 28: May 2016 11 - Ribbon Cutting Reside

May_June 2016 Chamber Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?