PITTSBURGH, Feb. 4, 2011 – President Barack Obama yesterday acknowledged PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) as a leader in the development of high-performance glass and coatings for energy-efficient buildings during a visit to Penn State University that kicked off the U.S. government’s “Better Buildings Initiative.’
In remarks that also recognized the launch of the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy Efficient Buildings, the president said, “PPG Industries is providing walls that reflect sunlight and windows that reflect infrared [energy].” He added that buildings technologies developed as part of GPIC will support job creation in a variety of industries and fields. “Discoveries made on this campus will lead to even more jobs – jobs in engineering; jobs in manufacturing; jobs in construction; jobs in installation; jobs in retail,” he said.
GPIC is one of several innovation hubs the Department of Energy has initiated across the nation as part of the Obama administration’s strategy to “win the future” through new investments in research and development.
Mark Seeton, PPG director of sales, performance glazings, said, “We are pleased to see President Obama and his administration re-emphasize their commitment to energy-efficient buildings, and PPG is proud to be one of five industry partners in the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Hub.”
A $129 million grant awarded to a consortium organized by Penn State University will fund the Energy Innovation Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, a 1,200-acre waterfront business park that includes 80 companies, 7,500 employees and 5.5 million square feet of building space. Because the facility operates its own utility infrastructure, including an independent electric grid, it is considered an ideal site for testing the real-world impact of new energy-related technologies and policies.
Other members of GPIC are Bayer MaterialScience, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeast Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Collegiate Consortium, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, Drexel University, IBM Corp., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Morgan State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, Princeton University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, Turner Construction, United Technologies Corp., University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Wharton Small Business Development Center. To learn more, visit www.navyyard.org.
About PPG
PPG Industries’ vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Founded in 1883, the company serves customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.
