Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madame Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend a company that has made Columbus, GA, the Second Congressional District of Georgia and the United States proud. Aflac, Inc., a company that epitomizes corporate citizenship and responsibility towards its employees, recently was named by Forbes magazine to their Platinum 400 List of America’s Best Big Companies.
To create the list, Forbes looked at more than 1,000 publicly traded companies with at least $1 billion in revenue, and chose 400 based on metrics, earnings forecasts, corporate governance ratings, and other public company information. Of course, Forbes selected these companies not just for their financial performance, but also for their leadership, innovation, and execution.
Founded in downtown Columbus, GA, in 1955 by brothers John, Paul and Bill Amos, the American Family Life Insurance Company ended its first year with 6,426 policyholders and $388,000 in assets. Today, Aflac has over $56 billion in assets and insures 40 million people worldwide. Additionally, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States.
As it has gained respect around the world, Aflac has been an asset to my district, providing 3800 employees in our area with good jobs and a positive work environment. In addition to this year’s award from Forbes, Aflac has received many others, including being named among Fortune magazine’s “Best Places to Work” for nine years running, as one of the “Best Companies for Diversity” by Black Enterprise magazine, and among the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” by Working Mother magazine.
Aflac also makes significant contributions to the community, including a gift of nearly $34 million to the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children’s HealthCare in Atlanta.
Indeed, I am proud to have this company in my district. Please join me in congratulating Aflac and its 69,000 U.S.-based agents on receiving this award.