Strictly Business

From Business Today:

GEICO's service center in Amherst is growing steadily toward its goal of 2,500 employees. The company is looking to hire 300 more people due to increased business in New England. The service center in the Crosspoint Business Park was built in 2005, and has been a jewel in GEICO's array of centers across the nation. It's an example of the region's transformation from a manufacturing center to a back-office mecca. Companies like the region's work ethic and lower costs.

A proud name in Buffalo's industrial heritage is fading away as part of a corporate makeover. Williams Advanced Materials, the latest incarnation of Williams Gold Refining, is being renamed Materion. The Ohio-based parent company Brush Engineered Materials is adopting the new name for itself and all its subsidiaries. The factory on the corner of Main Street and Hertle Avenue in Buffalo will get some new signs. The WIlliams name dates back to the local company's founding in 1907.

Clothing shoppers at the Walden Galleria will have a couple of new stores to peruse soon. The popular clothing store H&M is opening a store at the mall this spring, and Anthropologie, another clothing and accessory store is expected to open a store in the spring.

Who is getting hired, promoted and honored?