Some ASI jobs move downtown to Assurant

By Jeremy Fugleberg, Journal staff | Tuesday, September 16, 2008

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It’s a big purchase, but it should be a short move for 28 local workers.

Assurant, an insurance firm with an office in Rapid City, has acquired General Electric’s Warranty Management Group, which handles extended warranties and service contracts on GE appliances.

Employees at the Rapid City office of ASI, a wholly owned subsidiary of GE, field phone calls about those contracts and service plans.

The acquisition means 28 ASI employees will move from their office in the Rushmore Business Park to the Assurant building in downtown Rapid City by the end of the year, confirmed an Assurant spokesman.

Assurant employees in Rapid City deal mostly deal with funeral insurance, or what is known as pre-need insurance.

The relocated employees will continue to take calls regarding GE appliances. Despite the different products, a company spokesman said moving the chunk of ASI’s business was a good idea.

“It’s part of the Assurant Solutions business and a logical location to relocate these folks,” said James Sykes, director of external communications for Assurant Solutions, a unit of Assurant which focuses on specialty insurance and extended service contracts.

As part of the purchase, Assurant signed a 10-year contract to market extended warranties and service contracts on GE appliances in the US. The move means Assurant fully oversees GE’s extended warranty business.

The acquisition follows an alliance between Assurant Solutions and GE in 2003 in which Assurant offered extended warranties and service contracts through retail stores and directly to those who purchased GE appliances.

Assurant offers extended service plans through 10,000 stores, according to the statement that announced the acquisition. GE factory service technicians will continue to provide the in-home service sold as part of the extended warranties.

The Rapid City office is one of 25 cities and 13 countries in which Assurant does business. GE is a giant manufacturer of appliances and industrial equipment, with operations in more than 100 countries.

Contact Jeremy Fugleberg at 394-8421 or jeremy.fugleberg@rapidcityjournal.com