Rima Shah
The AFLAC duck will be quacking in Glendale as the insurance company
looks into opening offices in the city.
The move will help expand the company's business and bring
employment to the city, officials said.
"Glendale is one of the largest-growing communities," said Mona
Marcos, regional director of AFLAC. "We want to open offices in major
cities."
AFLAC already has offices in Pasadena and Burbank and is looking
to penetrate deeper into the Glendale market, Marcos said.
The city of Glendale, the Glendale Fire Department and the Police
Department are all AFLAC clients, Marcos said.
The insurance company also caters to several private businesses
throughout the city, she said.
While earlier the company focused on group insurance, individuals
have lately been able to purchase policies through the company,
Marcos said.
"We are glad that AFLAC, with its long-standing history of great
customer service, is moving to Glendale," said Armond Agakhani,
president of the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce. "We look
forward to working with them."
It will take about six more months for the company to open shop
here, she said. Right now, the company is trying to find an
appropriate office to house its more than 50 employees in the city.
"We would like to be in the heart of Glendale," she said, adding
that they might have to move to the northern part of the city to
accommodate its employees.
Besides searching for a location, the company is also looking for
sales and management employees to run its Glendale operations.
The company is looking to hire about 50 people, and Armenian
language skills are a plus, Marcos said.
"Every time businesses move into Glendale, it tells me it is a
vibrant city, and that is why people want to move in here," Mayor Bob
Yousefian said. "It brings in jobs, good-paying jobs."
The Georgia-based company was founded in 1955 and has operations
in the United States and Japan.
For more information, call (323) 550-1674.
