A Sandy Springs-based gold-buying operation is opening 13 new stores in Georgia by the end of the year, and changing its name to reflect a more national presence.

Southeast Gold Buyers already has 42 stores in metro Atlanta and 55 in the state. Along with Midwest Gold Buyers, it has nearly 200 stores from Florida to California.

The companies will be changing their names to GoldMax USA, said Ashley Aldridge, human resources director for Southeast Gold Buyers. The Sandy Springs operation will remain, as will the Midwest headquarters in Chicago.

Aldridge said the economic environment has had a lot to do with the success of the company, which opened with one store in March 2009. She expected the new stores would employ more than 30 people, and corporate jobs may be added to support the new stores.

Even as the economy improves, Aldridge said she thinks people will be eager to trade out their valuables for cash. In addition to gold, the company buys silver, platinum and coins. Aldridge said employees test what customers bring in and write checks on the spot.

"It's always going to be a great commodity, for sure," she said. "It's always going to be valuable."

The new Georgia stores will be in Dalton, Dacula, Roswell, Evans, Dunwoody, Locust Grove, Conyers, Lithonia, Douglasville, Marietta, Chamblee, Hiram and Villa Rica.