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Progressive's People Get Chance To See If They're The Next Picasso

Traveling employee art show kicks off in Mayfield Village, Progressive's creative culture leads to industry innovation

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio - June 15, 2004 — You're an artist seeking to express your creativity. And you're working to make auto insurance easier to shop for, buy and own. Sound like incompatible goals? Not at Progressive. The group of auto insurance companies known for being the first to provide consumers comparison rates from competitors and to sell auto insurance real-time over the Internet encourages its people to get in touch with their creative sides.

"We have an award winning art collection designed to foster creativity in handling daily business operations, and our employees asked to take it one step further -- to actually get in on the action and create their own works of art," said Tricia Griffith, chief human resources manager. "This year we announced plans to host a traveling exhibit of their work to extend the show's reach and spotlight their efforts."

The Progressive employee art show was introduced in 1996. This is the fifth biennial exhibit and it's the first time the pieces will travel to other Progressive call center locations, including Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Tampa, Austin and Sacramento. Jeffrey Grove, curator of Contemporary Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Susan Channing, director of the non-profit contemporary art center, SPACES, selected 25 pieces from 135 entries to travel in the show. Their selections were based on artistic intention, composition and quality.

"At Progressive, creativity and business go hand in hand - we promote this in our culture and look for it when hiring. You've heard of type A and type B personalities. Well we're looking for what we call the type P personality," said Griffith. "'Type P' personalities are doers and leaders - they challenge the status quo, take risks and initiative, and thrive in a free-thinking, creative environment. This is what working at Progressive is all about."

In addition to a casual work environment and dress code, amenities and cultural conveniences for Progressive people in Mayfield Village include:

"People are what make Progressive an industry leader," says Griffith. "It's the people who come up with unique and innovative ideas that ultimately lead to the company's success and make Progressive a cut above other companies. We consistently reward this kind of thinking with opportunities that help our people grow both personally and professionally."

Progressive's employee art show will begin in Mayfield Village on June 22 and will begin traveling to the other locations later in the summer.

The Progressive group of insurance companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7, in-person and online service. The companies offer insurance by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, online at progressive.com and through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies in the U.S. Providing stakeholders the information they need to make more informed decisions is a key company strategy. In 1994, Progressive became the first auto insurance company to provide its rates alongside the rates of other companies so consumers could easily compare and decide. In 2001, Progressive became the first Fortune 500 company to report operating results monthly and in August 2003 the Company began reporting earnings per share monthly. The Common Shares of the Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, are publicly traded at NYSE: PGR. More information can be found at progressive.com.

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