GETZVILLE, N.Y. -- The GEICO employees in Getzville have performed so well, the insurance giant is expanding its commitment to Western New York. It announced Tuesday 600 more new, full-time jobs are coming to CrossPoint Business Park, right down the road from its regional office.
"Let me emphasize, it is our GEICO associates, the reasons why we have continued to grow and become the number one insurer in New York state, and we also, service other states out of this office including New Jersey and Connecticut where we're also the number one insurer," said Tony Nicely, chairman and CEO of GEICO.
GEICO started its operations in Western New York with 75 employees back in 2004, has more than 2,700 right now.
The company is also investing $11 million to prepare its new space, and the state is providing $4 million in capital grants to support the expansion.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he called Warren Buffett to tell him about the Buffalo Billion when it started, and this project shows how it's helped jumpstart the private sector in the region.
"When Tony Nicely and Warren Buffett say 'We have 600 jobs, we could bring them anywhere, and we're bringing them to Buffalo, it means they're betting on Buffalo, and when Tony Nicely and Warren Buffett are betting on Buffalo, Buffalo should feel pretty good about it, because they know what they're doing," said Cuomo, D-New York.
Starting salaries for entry-level jobs will begin at $31,000 and college graduates hired into GEICO's management development program will start at $42,000.
"We have great higher learning institutions around here, the education level is above average, we think the work ethic is above average. You won't find a better company for someone to work for for the next 35 or 40 years than GEICO," said Nicely.
He hopes to have GEICO in the new building by the end of the year, and while it is not the number one insurer in Western New York, Nicely says the company intends to change that.