Aflac to double size of workforce in Columbia [The State, Columbia, S.C.]

Sept. 13--Aflac, which bought a Columbia insurer less than a year ago, said today it plans to double the number of area workers over the next three to five years after moving into new offices.

The expansion would give the Columbus, Ga.-based supplemental insurance company known for its duck mascot more than 400 employees in the Columbia area.

Continental American Insurance Co. employed 120 when Aflac bought the company for $100 million in October. The company now has 160 workers.

Also today, Aflac formally announced that it would move 120 of its 160 employees into the fifth floor of the AT&T building at Laurel and Huger streets in January.

Aflac said it has agreed to a seven-year lease in the AT&T building, which will be adorned with an Aflac logo.

Aflac also said it has the first opportunity to lease any additional space in the five-story building. Continental American's two offices on Devine Street will remain open.

"We are delighted that an international, Fortune 500 Company, with a history like Aflac's, chose our city to build its group insurance operations," Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said in a statement. "Aflac's long-term commitment to Columbia ? sends a strong message that Columbia is an attractive city for any business to locate and grow."

The Continental American purchase marked the first time in its 54-year history that Aflac has acquired another insurance company.

Chris Goodall continues to run the company his father founded in 1980 since the sale sold to Aflac. Continental American has kept its original name, though it does so under the Aflac banner

Both companies sell supplemental life and health insurance. But Aflac sells mostly to individuals, while Continental American sells to companies that offer coverage to their employees.

Aflac is a competitor to Colonial Life, one of Columbia's largest private employers.

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