Insurance giant State Farm confirmed on Wednesday the company is expanding its operations in three U.S. cities, including Atlanta.
State Farm, among the more active recent players in metro Atlanta corporate real estate, has been quietly scouting metro Atlanta for large chunks of office space, raising questions whether it could move more new jobs to the metro area, relocate jobs from other cities here or potentially move workers from its massive campus in Johns Creek to other metro Atlanta offices.
The statement continued to leave open the possibility State Farm could adjust its use of or move from its Johns Creek campus, currently home to about 2,000 employees.
“Today, we are continuing to use our Johns Creek facility to support our work and serve customers. Our review is ongoing,” the company said.
In a statement in response to questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, State Farm offered few specifics. But the company denied persistent questions in several U.S. markets that it is relocating its headquarters, saying Bloomington, Ill., will remain its home.
But the company said it is reviewing its facilities to make sure employees are where they can best serve customers, and that “customers’ expectations continue to evolve and we need to adapt as those expectations change.”
State Farm said it is expanding its “established” presences in Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix, cities where real estate observers have said State Farm could bulk up its regional hubs.
The company did not release any information about jobs that might accompany such expansions, whether they would be new jobs or relocated positions.
“Decisions will be made over time – some happening sooner – others years later,” State Farm said in a statement.
State Farm spokesman Justin Tomczak said the company could not provide any additional information.
State Farm last year leased two buildings near Perimeter Mall for a customer care center and announced it would hire 500 new employees. In recent weeks, the company leased several floors in a 10-story office tower on Hammond Drive near Perimeter Mall and the Dunwoody MARTA station, in a move that could accommodate hundreds of staffers.
Real estate professionals have said the company is scouting for at least 200,000 additional square feet of space in the Central Perimeter area, enough room for hundreds of additional workers, and that such moves could be precursors to a new campus.
Real estate insiders have said the company could shift its Johns Creek regional hub to the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs area, or perhaps elsewhere.
In the Dallas and north Texas area, the company has reportedly leased about 2.5 million square feet of new space in recent months.
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