The State
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By: Kristy Eppley Rupon
Aflac is giving Columbia something to quack about.
The supplemental insurance company will hire 400 workers in the Midlands by the end of the year, nearly doubling its work force here to 825, officials said Wednesday.
The Columbus, Ga.-based company – with its famed duck mascot – also hopes eventually to bring all of its Midlands’ operations, currently in two locations on Huger Street and Devine Street, together onto one campus, officials said. However, they did not give a timeline and have not identified a location.
The company started its group supplemental insurance arm here 21/2 years ago, when it bought Continental American Insurance Co. in a $100 million deal. It had 175 Columbia employees at the time and said it hoped to grow to 400 by 2015.
“It’s taken off pretty well,” said Aflac spokesman Jon Sullivan.
Group supplemental was a new product line for Aflac, which previously sold only individual supplemental insurance. The new line made it easier for Aflac to market to larger companies, Sullivan said.
Aflac chose Columbia – also home to competitor Colonial Life – as the place to branch out primarily because Continental was a good fit, Sullivan said. It was a family-run, Southern company that had a history of providing benefits to its employees, which attracted Paul Amos, president and chief executive officer. Continental was the first company Aflac had purchased since it was founded in the mid-1950s.
The Midlands also has proven to be a good place to expand, Sullivan said, adding Columbia “is an insurance town.”
Columbia is a big player in the insurance-technology sector, led by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, headquartered in Northeast Richland. “It’s proven to be fertile ground to bring people in who understand the insurance business,” Sullivan said.
Aflac is hiring for a range of positions, including call-center specialists, claims processors, managers, supervisors and business analysts – with 84 jobs currently available. To apply, go to aflac.com/careers.