Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence

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I'm Reuben Jeffery, Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs at the Department of State, and I am pleased to announce the 2007 finalists for the Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence, which we call the ACE.

The Secretary of State has awarded the ACE since 1999 to companies large and small in recognition of outstanding contributions to the communities in which they do business. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce this year's ACE awards on November 6th.

The ACE finalists are businesses that recognize the critical role our companies play globally in advancing good corporate citizenship, innovation and democratic principles.

This year, 9 U.S. companies operating abroad were chosen as finalists from the record 62 nominations submitted by U.S. Ambassadors around the world. Each of these companies has shown leadership in what we call the diplomacy of deeds - doing good work that promotes opportunity and prosperity.

We at the Department of State are committed to working with U.S. businesses to further best practices worldwide, and we salute the contributions of all the nominees in promoting goodwill internationally.

The 9 finalists for the 2007 ACE are:

• CalEnergy in the Philippines
• Citibank in Indonesia
• Coca-Cola in China
• General Electric in Indonesia
• General Motors in South Africa
• Merck in Nicaragua
• Microsoft in Vietnam
• Ruralfone in Brazil
• Transnational Automotive Group in Cameroon

Congratulations to all the finalists. Your work draws attention to the best qualities that the U.S. embodies overseas - compassion, innovation, leadership and commitment to working with others to build a better and more hopeful future.

We are particularly pleased that this year's finalists hail from all over the world: East Asia, Africa and Latin America. The selection of these companies demonstrates the U.S. business community plays an integral role in promoting economic engagement with the rest of the world.

As the President has stated: "The United States has a longstanding commitment to open economies that empower individuals, generate economic opportunity and prosperity for all, and provide the foundation for a free society. . . . A free and open international investment regime is vital for a stable and growing economy, both here at home and throughout the world."

The ACE finalists embody this spirit, and we salute them for their outstanding contributions. We are looking forward to Secretary Rice's announcement of the winners at a ceremony on November 8 here at the State Department.

Please continue to visit this site as we announce the ACE winners and report on other economic work here at the State Department.

Thank you.