Farmers Insurance HelpPoint launches new plant in Olathe morning at 9 clock

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies will hold a dedication and ribbon cutting for Farmers new 95,000 square foot HelpPoint facility in Olathe Thursday June 4, 2009.

The ceremony will be held at 16850 W. 119th St in Olathe. On the corner of Renner Rd and 119th Street, right across the street from the Bass Pro Shop. Following remarks by Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland and Kansas Assistant Insurance Commissioner Bob Tomlinson, the Olathe Chamber of Commerce will conduct the ribbon cutting ceremony.

“The new state-of-the-art facility is 95,000 square feet and doubles the size of Farmers HelpPoint Operation in Olathe, the company’s nationwide loss reporting and claims center,” explained Vince Donofrio, Farmers HelpPoint Vice President.

The three-story building is the final building in the 119th Street Technology Park developed by Steve Karbank and Karbank Real Estate. Designed to LEED specifications, the new facility has an indoor walking path, company store and many amenities designed with the environment and employees in mind.

“Farmers is the largest private employer in Olathe today with over 3,000 employees,” Donofrio continued. “The expansion will eventually result in a total of 600 new degreed positions. The first 300 have already been hired with the remaining 300 to be hired by the end of 2010.”

Mitch Crawford, Assistant Vice President of HelpPoint Claims said, “Our goal is to be “The Employer of Choice” in the Kansas City area, and first class facilities and a company that cares about the community and environment are very important factors.”

Farmers employees and agents are very involved in the local community. Farmers is the presenting sponsor of the Olathe Free Summer Concert Series and one of the largest corporate sponsors for the March of Dimes in addition to supporting numerous local causes including the Salvation Army, Olathe Food Pantry, Olathe Public School Foundation, and the Mayor’s Christmas Tree fund just to name a few. Farmers was recently recognized by the Olathe Chamber of Commerce as the Corporate Citizen of the Year for 2008.

Farmers Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers® is the nation’s third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Property and casualty products are underwritten and issued by the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which Farmers Group, Inc. manages but does not own. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Farmers provides homeowners, auto, business, specialty products, life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households.