UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--14 August 2008-- GE and NBC Universal today welcomed the ten governors of those states along the U.S.-Mexico border to Universal Studios Hollywood, site of the 26th Annual Border Governors Conference.
This year's gathering, chaired by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is focused on building 'green economies' that can drive growth for both the U.S. and Mexico. GE is a partner and major sponsor of the annual cross-border event, which will include an expansive green technology exposition, which will be open to the public on August 14-15.
In a program letter welcoming the governors and delegates to Universal Studios Hollywood, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt recognized the power and potential when the U.S. and Mexico join hands:
"Individually, your ten states represent powerful economies. Yet it is when the states reach across borders that a greater force is unlocked, and commerce and trade emerge on a remarkable scale."
The Border Governors represent the ten Border States of Arizona, Baja California, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, New Mexico, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas. Government officials from each state work collaboratively on those cross-border issues of pressing importance; in 2008, energy and environment stand at or near the top of this list. Other policy areas to be discussed for official recommendation include agriculture, border crossings and logistics, health, border security, science and technology, economic development, tourism, education, water, wildlife, and emergency response.
GE's ecomagination business strategy focuses the Company's cleaner technology and investments against the challenges of energy, environment and the need for clean water. In 2007, GE saw ecomagination revenues of $14 billion.
Immelt concluded his salutation to attendees by addressing the integral relationship between business and the border states:
"With valuable businesses and 30,000 employees working across every one of your states, GE is proud to partner in this dynamic, clean technology evolution," Immelt noted. "And GE remains committed to working with you to grow high technology businesses in your states, to protect free and fair trade between us, to ensure our shared security and citizens' access to clean energy and water, and to create and grow the high technology jobs your constituents aspire to -- and deserve."
For more on GE's cleaner technology and investment strategy, please visit www.ecomagination.com. For more on the Border Governors Conference, please visit http://www.bordergovernors.ca.gov' target='_blank'>www.bordergovernors.ca.gov. The Green Tech Exposition will be open to the public at no charge and pre-registration is not required. For details, please visit http://www.green-technology.org/expo' target='_blank'>www.green-technology.org/expo.
About GE
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.