FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/14/2007

GEICO Chief Urges BC Grads To `Protect Integrity'

BRIDGEWATER, Va. — As Bridgewater College's graduating seniors and their families celebrated on the campus Sunday, the chairman, president and CEO of GEICO O.M. "Tony" Nicely urged the 298 graduates to "protect your integrity and reputation."

Nicely, a former Bridgewater College student who worked his way up through the ranks of GEICO to occupy the top spot in 1993, centered his remarks on the importance of ethics, integrity and a good reputation in both private and professional life.

"Your integrity and reputation are your most valuable assets," Nicely said. "We can afford to lose money on honest mistakes, but we simply cannot afford to lose one scintilla of our reputations." He added that moral and ethical behavior does not guarantee success, but that "it forms a strong foundation for any successful endeavor."

"I think that's a good starting point when it comes to ethics, because personal relationships form the basis of success in whatever we choose to do in life," he said.

Nicely went on to list six principles for success through ethical behavior:

· Protect your integrity and never do anything to cause someone to question it.

· Always be willing to work harder than anyone else.

· Try never to allow someone else to expect more from you than you expect from yourself.

· Be a team player, as others will ultimately determine your success.

· Be your own best critic.

· Be lucky Prepare well so that if opportunity arrives, you are ready to take advantage of it.

He wrapped up his commencement address by telling the graduates that ethics is not the same as "whatever society expects." Ethics, he said, is standing up for what is right.

Bridgewater College, a private, four-year liberal arts college, enrolls more than 1,500 students. Founded in 1880 and located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, it was the state's first private, coeducational senior college.

#####