Admiral to go by Elephant Auto Insurance
Admiral Americas, the U.S. arm of Welsh-based Admiral Insurance, has picked a new name. Read more
Welsh firm close to offering car insurance in Va.
July 1, 2009 by Al Harris · 3 Comments
Admiral Americas will offer auto insurance to Virginia motorists late this year or in early 2010, according to a story in WalesOnline.
The insurance company, with headquarters recently established in Richmond, is the U.S. arm of Wales-based Admiral Insurance. The company is the third largest auto insurer in the United Kingdom.
WalesOnline reports the Richmond office has 19 employees under the command of 35-year-old Andrew Rose, a graduate of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business who worked for Capital One and Countrywide before landing the job with Admiral.
The company said in a news release in March that they planned to hire as many as 50 employees through the third quarter.
According to the article, the company will roll out its insurance products in Virginia before expanding to other states.
Although Richmond is the latest home for the insurance carrier, the company’s Welsh roots are not played down at their 26,000-square-foot Innsbrook office.
From the article:
And for a Welsh company to be investing in the US and creating jobs, instead of a US company announcing inward investment into Wales, is unusual, admitted Mr Rose.
“We have the Welsh flag hanging in our lobby, all the staff ID cards are having the Welsh flag on them. Wales is part of our heritage and we are proud of that.”
Admiral Americas is in the process of branding itself with a new name, Rose told WalesOnline. They have narrowed it to a couple of choices from a list of more than 1,000 possibilities. The company held a naming contest to generate idea and has used focus groups to pare down the selection.
Admiral is apparently a fun place to work as well, as described in a companion article in WalesOnline:
Admiral is famous for the emphasis it places on staff having fun in the workplace; its ministry of fun, with a different department taking control each month, directing frivolities in the office.
In Virginia, it was a shock for some new staff members to find themselves being fired at with a foam gun by their boss. But the fun element is all about striking a balance with hard work, said Mr Rose.
Another fun tidbit about Admiral: To keep paper waste at a minimum, Rose instituted a policy that each employee must do one push up for each piece of paper that he or she prints in the office.
BizSense interviewed Rose in March; you can read that interview here.
The Pipeline: Commercial Real Estate Round Up for 6.5.09
June 5, 2009 by Al Harris · Leave a Comment
Thalhimer reports Dr. Klinton Kranski purchased a 1,700-square-foot office condo at 555 Southlake Boulevard in Chesterfield from Scott Douglas Corporation for $171,000.
Admiral Americas, a UK-based auto insurer, leased 26,600 square feet at 140 East Shore Drive in Henrico. Read more
The Monday Q&A: Why a new insurance company chose Richmond
March 9, 2009 by Al Harris · 9 Comments
Wales-based auto insurer Admiral announced last week that it was locating its U.S. headquarters in Richmond. The company was founded in 1993 and is third largest insurer in the United Kingdom.
Andrew Rose, president and chief executive of Admiral Americas, is a Virginia Tech engineering graduate. Several years ago, he got married and made his first move to Richmond to work for Capital One. He later went to the Darden School of Business. Read more
Richmond lands headquarters for UK-insurer
March 5, 2009 by Al Harris · 2 Comments
UK-based car insurance firm, Admiral, announced plans this week that they have chosen Richmond as headquarters for their newly formed subsidiary Admiral Americas.
The company will start doing business across the pond sometime this year. They will hire up to 50 people by the third quarter, and employ as many as 200 by the end of next year, according to a press release issued by the Greater Richmond Partnership.
Some job listings have already appeared online.
The company will lease 26,000 square feet somewhere in the Innsbrook area, according to the release.
Admiral, which is the third-largest auto insurer in Britain, posted a 14 percent net gain in profits last year for a total of $204.7 million U.S. currency, according to Bloomberg.
Richmond was chosen over a list of cities that include Charlotte, Dallas, and Chicago during a six month search.
Andrew Rose, CEO of Admiral Americas, said Richmond was ultimately chosen for its cost-effective real estate and quality labor force.
