Progressive Puts Down Even Deeper Roots in Tampa as It Celebrates 70th Anniversary by Planting...

Country's Third Largest Auto Insurer Teams Up with the Arbor Day Foundation to Plant More Than 400 Large Trees in Urban Parks Across the Country, Including 70 in Tampa's Cypress Point Park

TAMPA, Fla. -- Most days you'll find them on the phones helping customers with car

insurance, but over the next few months, some of Progressive's best and brightest call center employees will perform a different kind of service: planting trees in the communities where they live and work. The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, the third largest car insurance group in the country and fourth largest in Florida is celebrating its 70th year in business by planting 70 large trees in each of its six call center cities. Progressive is teaming up with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant the 420 large trees.

"Our '70 Years, 70 Trees' events are about putting down even deeper roots in the communities where a lot of Progressive people live, including here in Tampa," said Kydi Morris, director of Progressive's Tampa call center. "Planting trees is a way for us to give back to the customers and communities that helped us achieve this significant milestone in our history."

Over the next three months, Progressive volunteers will plant 70 large trees between six and 15 feet tall in six communities including Cleveland, Tampa, Austin, Colorado Springs, Phoenix and Sacramento. Progressive and the Arbor Day Foundation consulted with local park officials in each location to identify the parks most in need of additional trees. The tree species being planted in Cypress Point Park on November 14 include Live Oak, Longleaf Pine, Southern Magnolia and Pignut Hickory.

"We're committed to creating greener, healthier and more livable communities by planting and nurturing trees, so we were delighted when Progressive reached out to us to ask how they could help," said John Rosenow, Arbor Day Foundation chief executive. "Their support will make a real difference in this park."

Progressive has also worked with the Arbor Day Foundation to establish a program in which Progressive plants one sapling tree in a U.S. forest for every online customer who chooses to use less paper by paying their bills electronically. Since the program began rolling out earlier this year, 10,000 trees have been planted.