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Office of Gov. Mike Rounds
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-3212
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 11, 2005
CONTACT: Mark Johnston, 773-3212, Cristy Williams (678) 518-2596 cristy.williams@ge.com or Mary Beth Schwartz (651) 286-5386 marybeth.schwartz@ge.com
GE Consumer Finance to host Grand Opening Celebration
Governor Rounds, GE Leaders to Attend
RAPID CITY, S.D. – GE Consumer Finance will host a grand opening celebration at its new 75,815 sq. ft. facility at 900 Concourse Drive in the Rushmore Business Park here on Wednesday, July 13.
The company moved its growing call center operations from its old facility at 1400 Turbine Drive to the new building, which can accommodate up to 600 employees and has extensive space for training and meetings.
Dignitaries attending the ceremonies include South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds, as well as Mark W. Begor, president and CEO of GE Consumer Finance, Americas, and Glenn Marino, president and CEO of GE’s Retail Sales Finance group. Festivities begin with a rope-cutting ceremony at noon.
“We are proud to be part of this community and grateful for what it has given us – a great place to work and great people to support our growth,” Begor said. “As a service business, we are only as strong as our people, and South Dakota and Rapid City have been a great place for us. We’re looking forward to the grand opening ceremonies and invite the community to join us in celebrating continued economic expansion.”
Begor said GE Consumer Finance has added more than 125 new employees during the past year, and expects to hire at least 25 more by year-end.
“The relocation to a larger facility will allow the company to increase employment opportunities in the Rapid City area,” the Governor said. GE Consumer Finance currently employs more than 350 people in the Rapid City area. “The new facility will allow them to accommodate up to 600 employees,” Gov. Rounds said.
Governor Rounds noted that the move to a larger facility clearly demonstrates the company’s commitment to Rapid City and to South Dakota. “We look forward to our continued partnership with GE Consumer Finance and are proud to have them as a corporate citizen,” he added.
Bob DeMersseman, president, Rapid City Area Economic Development Partnership, agrees. “We consider it a compliment that GE has made the decision to undertake this significant expansion in Rapid City. It's a tribute to the community as a whole and our work force in particular. GE has been a great corporate resident and we hope this is a first of many expansions,” he said.
The Rapid City office supports two GE business units, primarily the Retail Sales Finance unit of GE Consumer Finance and GE Money Home Loans.
About GE Consumer Finance,
Retail Sales Finance and GE Money Home Loans
With $150 billion in assets, GE Consumer Finance, a unit of General Electric Company, is a leading provider of credit services to consumers, retailers and auto dealers in 47 countries around the world. GE Consumer Finance, based in Stamford, Conn. (USA), offers a range of financial products, including private label credit cards, personal loans, bank cards, auto loans and leases, mortgages, corporate travel and purchasing cards, debt consolidation and home equity loans and credit insurance. More information can be found online at www.geconsumerfinance.com.
Retail Sales Finance, based in Kettering, Ohio, is part of GE Consumer Finance and provides private label credit card programs, marketing, installment lending and financial services for national and regional retailers in key industries: home improvement, outdoor equipment, powersports, automotive/recreational vehicles, consumer electronics and appliances, furniture, floor covering, jewelry and health care.
GE Money Home Loans is one of the new consumer brands of GE Consumer Finance, which provides financial services solutions for many of the world’s top retailers and their customers.
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work – a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, 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 www.ge.com.
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