GEICO to Open New Facility in Buffalo

GEICO and New York Governor George Pataki’s office announced that the auto insurer has selected Buffalo as the site of its second major operations center in New York.

GEICO plans to develop a 250,000-square-foot facility in the CrossPoint Business Park in Buffalo’s Amherst area over the next several years. Before the facility is completed, GEICO will lease space in the Audubon Office Park, also in Amherst.

The company will begin move-in and training activities after the first of the year, and be operational during the second quarter, 2004. Initially, GEICO expects to hire 650 sales, service and claims associates within three years, and could expand that to as many as 2,500 employees ultimately after the CrossPoint site is completed.

“This is one of the largest economic development deals in the nation and the start of a whole new era in Western New York,” said Governor Pataki. “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.”

“We knew New York was the right place to expand,” said GEICO Chairman Tony Nicely. “And 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.”