Maryland Auto Insurance Fund Plans For Move To Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Businesses leaving Baltimore have made news in the past.
Alex Demetrick reports, in a pleasant twist, a business is moving into the city, bringing hundreds of jobs with it.
There's new growth at a longtime landmark in Baltimore.
"Baltimore is glad to welcome MAIF to the city," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
The Maryland Auto Insurance Fund, or MAIF, will move into new offices to be built on top of the Phillips Seafood Company on Fort Avenue.
The agency, created by the state legislature, insures drivers who can't afford private auto insurance.
Two hundred and forty people do that work in Annapolis but will move to Baltimore because the current headquarters is in need of some downsizing.
"Our present location is no longer suitable for us. It's an 110,000 square foot building, and we're occupying only about a third of it," said MAIF Executive Director Kent Krabbe.
The new headquarters will be 60,000 square feet and Annapolis's loss is a gain for Baltimore.
"I would like this to be a trend of businesses that are choosing to locate in Baltimore City," Rawlings-Blake said.
The move will mean a longer commute for some of those 240 workers, but not all.
"Some commutes will be a little longer, some will be a little shorter. A majority of our employees live between Annapolis and Baltimore, and they're really excited about coming here," Krabbe said.
The move is expected to be completed by fall 2015.
MAIF currently insures 38,000 Marylanders, 10 percent of them in Baltimore City.
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