Health-care benefits giant Aetna is moving its 150 employees out of One Riverfront Plaza.
The company will consolidate its customer service and sales employees by moving the Westbrook workers to the Running Hill Road location in South Portland, a spokeswoman for Aetna said Wednesday.
With no loss of jobs, the Running Hill Road facility will eventually house about 320 employees. The move will occur in phases during the first quarter of the year.
Erik Carson, Westbrook director of Economic and Community Development, said Wednesday that Aetna had not contacted him about the departure of the city-based employees.
“I’m surprised by the news,” he said. “I wish I had a chance to discuss the opportunity with the business. Although I understand the need to consolidate locations.”
Wendy Morphew, the Aetna spokeswoman, said the move would reduce administrative costs for the company. Aetna chose the Running Hill Road location because it was larger than the One Riverfront Plaza space and could accommodate the 320 employees. She said Aetna had found Westbrook a pleasant place for the business.
“Westbrook has been a wonderful location both in terms of business advantages and as a pleasant place to work,” said Morphew. “We are greatly appreciative of the talent and commitment of the Westbrook employees. They have been a great resource to draw upon, and we look forward to welcoming them to Aetna’s offices on Running Hill Road in South Portland. We hope they find it an equally enjoyable place to work.”
Carson said he would now work with the owners of One Riverfront Plaza, New Jersey-based Roebling Investment Co., to fill the vacancy in the building.
Last spring, Aetna became a presence in Westbrook through a $160-million purchase of a portion of Florida-based Broadspire Services, a disability claim management company with 100 employees located at One Riverfront Plaza.
At the time of the purchase, Aetna spokesman Fred Laberge said he didn’t foresee the Westbrook employees moving, although he said it was still too early to tell what would happen in the long run.
Morphew said the transition of the employees would take place in phases over the first quarter of this year.
Based in Hartford, Conn., Aetna is one of the nation’s leaders in health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability, and long-term care insurance and employee benefits. It has more than 30,000 employees.
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