Aflac’s CNY Division Plans Staffing Increase
By Martino, Kristina
SALINA – American Family LifeAssurance Co. of New York’s (Aflac New York) Central New York Division plans to hire an additional 100 agents in 2008.
The company needs the extra agents to meet growing demand for its supplemental health, life, and disability insurance products from its Central New York clients, says Michael Miner, regional sales coordinator for the Central New York division.
“We are a growth company and are growing by leaps and bounds,” Miner says.
The Central New York division opened its doors in January 2007 at 135 Old Cove Road in Salina. In about 16 months, the division boosted its sales from $4 million to about $8 million, Miner says.
In response to this growth, Miner plans to add 100 agents to its existing staff of 87 that currently includes two full-time staff members and 85 independent agents. Of the 87 current employees, 50 were hired in the last nine months, Miner says.
The 1,300-square-foot Salina-based di-vision office employs two administrators and six independent agents. Aflac’s Central New York region leases office space in the Donwood Office Park, which is owned by Donwood Office Park Association, LLC, based in East Syracuse.
Miner is also in charge of 37 agents split between two district offices located at 1020 Seventh North St. in Salina and 6700 Old Collamer Road in DeWitt. He oversees 15 agents each in Binghamton and Utica and 12 agents in a Watertown office.
Aflac New York provides guaranteed-renewable insurance. Its product portfolio includes cancer protection, short-term disability, life insurance, accident, hospitalization, sickness, and dental coverage.
The Central New York region will begin providing vision coverage in fall 2008, Miner says.
Aflac’s cancer-protection plan is the division’s core product accounting for 40 percent of sales, Miner says. He says that short- term disability, accident, and hospitalization coverage also generate a lot of sales.
Aflac New York’s parent company is Aflac Inc. (NYSE: AFL), the world’s largest provider of supplemental-disability insurance, based in Columbus, Ga. It insures more than 40 million people worldwide. Its clients consist of more than 402,300 businesses of all sizes such as banks, hospitals, school districts, and state governments, who provide the supplemental insurance to employees through payroll deductions. Some of its well-known clients include Wachovia Corp. and Wal-Mart. Aflac also provides products to individuals seeking a specific coverage.
Brothers John, Paul, and Bill Amos launched Aflac in November 1955. In its fast year of operation, Aflac had 6,426 policyholders and $388,000 in assets.
Aflac generated $15.4 billion in total revenue in 2007, up 5.3 percent from $14.6 billion in 2006. Aflac had more than $65 billion in assets in 2007. It employs about 8,400.
In the first quarter of 2008, Aflac’s profit rose 14 percent to $474 million and revenue also increased nearly 14 percent to $4.3 billion.
The popular Aflac quacking-duck TV campaign was created by Robin Koval, president of New York City-based Kaplan Thaler Group, an advertising agency she co-founded with Linda Kaplan Thaler in 1997. Koval recently appeared in Syracuse to speak at a women’s business conference.
Aflac was one of the agency’s first clients and it wanted to better brand its supplementary-insurance products. During planning, Koval’s team kept forgetting the name, Aflac, so Koval kept repeating it until one of her co-workers plugged her nose and realized it sounded like a quacking duck – marking the beginning of a now 10-year-old campaign.
BOTW PROFILE
Michael Miner
Regional Sales Coordinator
Aflac New York
* Age: 36
* Education: Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Binghamton University
* Residence: Baldwinsville
* Family: Wife, two daughters
* Year became division manager: 2007
* Favorite part of the job: The people
* Hobbies: Family, work, golf
* Favorite book: “Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy
BOTW FACTS
American Family Life Assurance Co. of New York (Aflac New York)
135 Old Cove Road
Liverpool, N.Y. 13090
Phone: (315) 455-3226
Fax: (315) 455-3224
www.aflac.com
* Type of business: Provider of supplemental health. life, and disability insurance
* Year founded: January 2007
* Employees: 87 districtwide (six in Salina office)
* CNY division square footage: 1,300
* CNY district sales coordinators: Scott Mathias, Brian McLauchlan, Michael O’Donnell, Mary Frances Pfluke, Jeff Reese, Andrew Thomas; Michael Miner, regional sales coordinator
* Annual sales: CNY Division – About $8 million in 2007; companywide – $15.4 billion in 2007
* Other district sales offices: 1020 Seventh North St., Salina; 6700 Old Collamer Road, DeWitt; one office each in Utica, Watertown, and Binghamton
Copyright Central New York Business Journal May 9, 2008
(c) 2008 Business Journal – Central New York, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.