Washington, DC "“ More than a dozen CEOs from various industries met last week at the White House for an unprecedented discussion on improving private/public collaboration to strengthen the nation’s system for disaster preparedness and response. The CEOs are members of Business Roundtable’s Partnership for Disaster Response, a task force that coordinates the resources and capabilities of the private sector to enhance and accelerate on-the-ground relief and recovery following major natural disasters. The meeting included the CEOs of The Home Depot, Sprint Nextel, SAP Americas and New York Life Insurance Company, among others.

Frances Fragos Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, hosted the meeting which included several officials from the Department of Homeland Security, including Secretary Michael Chertoff, David Paulison, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Vice Admiral Harvey Johnson, Deputy Director of FEMA, and George Foresman, Undersecretary, Preparedness Directorate. Jack McGuire, Interim President and CEO of the American Red Cross, also attended the meeting.

"This is the first step of many but we are encouraged by the administration’s eagerness to work with the business community to develop a better system for helping communities in need after a crisis," said Bob Nardelli, Chairman, President & CEO, The Home Depot, and Chairman of Partnership for Disaster Response. "During Hurricane Katrina, we saw what companies are capable of providing in terms of financial support but also goods, services and expertise, especially in the logistics area.

"The challenge is tapping the private sector’s know-how and making sure business is a valuable partner in planning and responding to disasters. Today’s meeting demonstrates that we are off to a good start."

Partnership for Disaster Response was first activated immediately following Hurricane Katrina. As soon as Katrina struck, the Partnership began facilitating communications about critical on-the-ground needs and urged member companies to contribute to the relief effort. Business Roundtable member companies responded by contributing more than $360 million in cash and in-kind donations of supplies, equipment and services to immediate relief efforts. For more information, please visit www.respondtodisaster.org.

In the meeting the federal government and private sector representatives identified several areas for better collaboration including: the identification of needs for private sector resources, increased private sector representation in state emergency management operations, and collaboration on improved communication, technology, and supply chain logistics.

The companies represented at the meeting include: Aetna Inc., ArvinMeritor, Inc., AutoZone Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, BNSF Railway, CIGNA Corporation, Cummins Inc., McKesson Corporation, Motorola, Inc., New York Life Insurance Company, Office Depot, Inc., SAP Americas, Sprint Nextel, State Farm Insurance Companies, The Home Depot, Inc., The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Unisys.

Business Roundtable (www.businessroundtable.org) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with $4.5 trillion in annual revenues and more than 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and represent over 40 percent of all corporate income taxes paid. Collectively, they returned $112 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy in 2005.

Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are technology innovation leaders, with $90 billion in annual research and development spending "“ nearly half of the total private R&D spending in the U.S.

Business Roundtable

Business Roundtable

Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with more than $5 trillion in annual revenues and nearly 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and pay nearly half of all corporate income taxes paid to the federal government. Annually, they return $133 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy. Business Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are technology innovation leaders, with more than $70 billion in annual research and development spending é¢â‚¬â€œ more than a third of the total private R&D spending in the U.S.

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