Geico could double Carmel work force by year’s end

Insurance giant Geico is ahead of schedule when it comes to staffing its Carmel customer-service center, reaching the 400-employee mark in December.

The Washington, D.C.-based company said it could double employment in Carmel by the end of this year. Geico’s local staff is expected to reach 1,600 by 2016, the city said in a news release.

Geico announced plans for the service center in March and began hiring the following month.

A July ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Carmel facility, located at 101 W. 103rd St., drew the likes of Geico CEO Tony Nicely and billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway holding company owns the auto insurer.

“We have found Carmel to be every bit the wonderful environment for business that the city said it would be, and then some,” Geico Indianapolis Director Gary McKenzie said in a prepared statement distributed by the city. “We are thriving here and look forward to a bright future.”

Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Geico up to $10 million in conditional tax credits and up to $400,000 in training grants based on its job creation plans. The tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company must hire workers to be eligible for the incentives.

The service center employs sales agents, customer service representatives, supervisors, managers, trainers and human resources personnel. It continues to accept applications online.