Atlantic Casualty Insurance expands operations

Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. officials celebrated the completion of the company's $13 million expansion at its headquarters in the ParkEast Industrial Park on Commerce Court.

The opening of the 30,000-square-foot expansion at the company site, at 400 Commerce Court, was celebrated with walking tours of the facility for guests that included economic developers, state and local leaders Monday afternoon.

The additional space brings the total footprint for the company's campus to more than 58,00 square feet and includes amenities, such as a new state-of-the-art cafeteria, conference spaces, and more space for equipment to run the company's data center. Along with the new facilities, the improvements also include touchless water fountains and sinks and new energy efficient LED lights.

"We, as a company, feel like having all of these new upgrades and improvements to the facilities here are big incentives to bring people in and work here," said Jeff Steele, Atlantic Casualty Insurance deputy information technology infrastructure director. "The touchless water fountains and sinks are especially good to have with the concerns about the COVID-19 virus still there."

Cameron Yarbrough, Atlantic Casualty Insurance marketing and social media strategist, said the expansion of the company's Wayne County campus is bringing with it more jobs for the county.

"The expansion created 82 new jobs," he said. "Right now, we have 135 employees working at the Goldsboro location. The company plans to add 90 new positions in 2022. Out of the 90 new positions we are wanting to fill, 75 of them are directly for our Goldsboro office."

Yarbrough said the company's expansion was initially aimed at creating 82 new jobs for the company at its Wayne County location. The jobs that the expansion is creating include information technology software technicians, claims adjusters and trainers, Yarbrough said.

He said the average salary for full-time employees with the company is $68,000, while the average salary for recent college graduates is $45,000.

Dozens of people attended Monday afternoon's event, including company officials and Goldsboro and Wayne County government leaders, such as Commissioner Joe Daughtery, Commissioner Wayne Aycock and Mayor David Ham.

"Any opportunity for a good-paying job is important, especially to the city of Goldsboro," Ham said. "It will improve the quality of life for that person and any family he or she may have and, in turn, will also help the economic health of the city because those people are spending money in the city."

Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co.'s expansion started in February 2021 when company officials announced the project. The company secured $500,000 in grant funding from the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority's Industrial Development Fund Utility Accounts to help pay the estimated $12.8 million price tag.

The company also received a $250,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund as well as a $300,000 grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation, and $207,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation to help pay for the construction of a new entrance to the expanded facility.

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing March 14, 2020, on economic incentives totaling $890,000 for the company from the city and county. The incentives were meant to encourage the company to invest at least $11.83 million in personal and real property with the expansion, including the creation of new jobs by Dec. 31, 2025.

Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. is owned by Auto-Owners Insurance Co., which is based in Lansing, Mich.