GE CEO Jeff Immelt just took to the stage here at the Bayfront Convention Center -- in front of a GE Evolution Locomotive -- and began his address by talking about GE's future in Erie.
"We're proud to work here, we're proud of who works here and we're proud of what we make here," Immelt said.
Immelt said Erie was selected this year because the city is a "proof statement" of GE's successes. In 1990, when the shareholder's meeting was last held in Erie, he said, the company's transportation division was much different than it is today.
The company then, sold almost entirely to the U.S. market and trailed their major competitor. Today, Immelt said, one-third of the company's locomotive business is outside of the U.S., the company has a high market-share and the company is two-generations of technology ahead -- referencing the Evolution Hybrid locomotive.
"Erie is a GE success story," he said. "We have invested in this business, we are winning in the marketplace, we are increasing employment and we are giving back to the community."
-- Cody Switzer