US Business Response to Floods
TRS CEO Kim Kerry
Los Angeles, CA: In this time of need, US companies are pitching in to help the people of Pakistan and are responding to the disaster relief efforts with corporate aid pledges, including cash, in-kind contributions, employee-matching campaigns, and customer engagement.
A company that is contributing to the relief efforts for the Pakistan flood victims is ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS). In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Link, TRS CEO Kim Kerry reiterated the commitment of his company and that of the mainstream America to continue to support the flood relief operations.
Raytheon has been engaged with Pakistan for almost 20 years and has provided valuable services to the country in the field of air defense solutions. In his brief remarks, CEO Kerry recalled his ties with the people of Pakistan. He travels several times to the country, knows many families intimately, and is full of praise for the “very rich culture” of Pakistan. He has lived for five years in the region and feels a strong kinship with the people, especially in this hour of distress, when floods have caused havoc and ravaged a sizable area of the country. He appeared determined to be a part of the rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Besides Raytheon, US companies that are responding to the disaster relief effort for Pakistan flood victims include: 3M, Abbott, Agility Logistics, Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, BASF, Bayer, BHP Billiton Petroleum, BMO Financial Group, BMO Financial Group, BMW Group, Boeing, BP, Cargill, Caterpillar, Chevron, Cisco, Citi, Coca-Cola, Cummins Inc., DHL, The Dow Chemical Co. , DTAC Thailand, DuPont, DynCorp International, EMC, Equate Petrochemical, Expedia, Inc., ExxonMobil, GE, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, Hewlett Packard, James Hardie, Harris Financial Corporation, Honda Motor Co., ICI Pakistan, Infineon Technologies, ITT Corporation, JCB, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, KAPCO, Kraft Foods, Levi Strauss, LG Electronics, Medtronic, Microsoft, MoneyGram International, Monsanto, Motorola, NetSol Technologies, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Orascom Telecom, Pakistan Telecommunication Company LTD, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Primatics Financial, Procter & Gamble, Rogers Communications, Royal Bank of Canada, Royal Dutch Shell, Henry Schein, Inc., SAP, Sheraton, Siemens, Staples, Inc., Tethyan Copper Company, Toshiba Group, Toyota, Tpad, UPS, Unilever, Verizon, Visa, Western Union, and Wal-Mart.
The US Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and the US-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) are coordinating closely with businesses and partner organizations on the private sector response to the flood crisis. “As the magnitude of this super flood is becoming apparent, the business community is gearing up to see how we can help the country cope with the immediate crisis and accelerate the recovery process,” said Stephen Jordan, executive director of the Chamber’s BCLC.
“Our members are saddened by the enormous devastation caused by the disaster,” said Esperanza Jelalian, executive director of the Chamber’s USPBC. “The Council’s membership has stepped forward during this critical time. We are working with the appropriate authorities to help those affected by the floods in a timely manner.”
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