210 Jobs Coming to Virginia Beach, Mayor Announces

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Car rental company Avis Budget Group and insurance giant Geico plan to hire or relocate a total of 210 workers here in the coming months, Mayor Will Sessoms announced today in his State of the City address.

Avis Budget plans to hire about 85 management and support staff and move about 15 more workers from the Northeast. The average salary for the new jobs will be about $70,000 a year, city officials said Wednesday.

"When you get 100 jobs at $70,000 a year, in this economy, that's a wow, a big wow," Sessoms said Wednesday.

The company, based in Parsippany, N.J., already employs more than 500 workers at its 166,000-square-foot building at Centre Point Office Park, off Baxter Road, where it handles bill processing, claims and customer accounts. A year ago, Avis Budget officials announced they were hiring 70 workers.

"Avis Budget Group was looking to maximize the value of our operations," said Larry Weinstein, vice president of the company's local processing center. "At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, Virginia Beach offers lots of lifestyle and business advantages."

Sessoms' formal announcement will come one day after the Virginia Employment Commission reported that the jobless rate for Hampton Roads jumped to 8 percent in January, nearly a record high.

"The fact that these two companies have once again selected Virginia Beach as a place for expansion reinforces the great business climate Virginia Beach provides," Sessoms said.

He presented his State of the City address today at a luncheon sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the Avis Budget expansion, city officials expect the company to apply for about $150,000 in economic development funds.

Warren Harris, the city's economic development director, said Avis Budget's plans are not contingent on the economic development grant, but the availability of the funds "helped to secure the deal."

Geico's expansion required no city incentives.

Geico, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. based in Chevy Chase, Md., has already hired 65 workers and will bring on an 45 more in the coming months, said Joe Thomas, the insurance company's regional vice president.

The company, which sells auto insurance and other insurance products, already employs more than 2,200 workers in Virginia Beach in its 254,000-square-foot building in the Corporate Landing Office Park.

The new workers sell and service insurance policies and earn an average salary of $35,000 a year, Thomas said.

"We've always had some pretty good success here," he said. "We've been able to attract and retain folks."

SOURCE: Virginia Pilot