After several years at a large design firm in Cleveland, Shawn Beatty, BS ’05, MA ’05, from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, had the opportunity to work with the firm’s biggest client: Progressive Insurance® based in Mayfield, Ohio.
For 10 years Beatty, whose degrees are in visual communication design, helped design a digital version of Progressive’s annual report, featuring The Progressive Art Collection as part of the story.
Each year the company acquires approximately 200 artworks from diverse artists that provoke dialogue and debate. Over the decades, the world-class art collection has grown to encompass more than 10,000 contemporary artworks—including sculptures, paintings, photography and new media—that are installed in Progressive’s offices throughout the country.
“I fell in love with Progressive as a company back then. And it is just as great from the inside as it is from the outside.”
Shawn Beatty, BS ’05, MA ’05, associate manager, digital development
Designing the company’s annual report was his favorite project, Beatty says. “I fell in love with Progressive as a company back then.” So a few years later, after working for another firm, when a position became available at Progressive, he jumped at the chance to join the company.
“And it is just as great from the inside as it is from the outside,” says Beatty, who is happy in his current role as associate manager, digital front-end development.
Flashes take care of business
Beatty’s tenure at Progressive Insurance makes him one of more than 700 91ֿ graduates who now work at the company. Their roles include computer systems engineers, accountants, media buyers, senior recruiters and user research analysts. Progressive, No. 99 on the Fortune 500, employs nearly 42,000 people worldwide.
Gabe De León, recruiting manager at Progressive, says the company values its 91ֿ hires. “With help from the university’s career services, faculty and staff, we’ve had tremendous success bringing in students within our IT (Information Technology), analyst and accounting groups for both internships and entry-level roles,” De León says. “91ֿ alumni are typically well-prepared and can come in and immediately contribute to Progressive’s goals.”
Progressive recruits at 91ֿ frequently
Progressive Insurance has consistently recruited at 91ֿ, visiting the Kent Campus for several career fair events each year since 2018, according to Kristin Williams, director of Career Services at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The events have included campus-wide career fairs as well as industry-specific events such as the IS/IT Career Expo, the Management and Tech Fair, and Meet the Accountants Night.
“They have diverse hiring needs, and we have students with a broad range of skills and backgrounds for which there is a strong match,” Williams says. “Further, many of our students know Progressive, as they are a familiar ‘brand’ in Northeast Ohio and beyond. And with so many alumni working there, this creates an affinity for hiring more Flashes.”
It’s the culture and the people
Sarah MacPherson, BA ’19, MS ’21, from Newbury, Ohio, did an internship at Progressive before beginning a full-time job there in 2022 as a usability analyst associate. She earned a bachelor’s degree in digital sciences in 2019 and a master’s degree in user experience design in 2021. Her job duties include a variety of research activities to gauge user experience and to improve Progressive’s user platform.
MacPherson applied for an internship at Progressive during the peak of the pandemic in summer 2020. Progressive was hiring when many other companies either weren’t hiring or were laying off employees.
“There is room to make mistakes and grow from them. I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
Sarah MacPherson, BA ‘19, MS ‘21, usability analyst associate
“This showed me the security of the company and how much they care for their employees,” MacPherson says. “There is room to make mistakes and grow from them. Not every company can say the same. I've really enjoyed my time here.”
—April McClellan-Copeland