supporters of the arts
Read the quotes below from business leaders who find great value in supporting the arts.
"BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has been a long time leading supporter of arts organizations of all sizes, recognizing that a culturally rich community improves the quality of life, promotes economic development, can be a major factor in attracting new industry to the area, and helps attract and retain professionals in our state."
David S. Pankau
President and CEO
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
"Con Edison's longstanding support for arts and cultural organizations includes a special focus on education programs for children, to help build a foundation for a deeper, life-long appreciation of the arts. We also support public arts programs so residents and visitors alike can enjoy New York's rich culture and diverse talents."
Kevin Burke
Chairman, President and CEO
Con Edison
"ConocoPhillips believes in nurturing the human spirit, as well as the mind and body. For more than a century, we have championed the arts to help improve quality of life, enhance education and enrich the culture of our home communities – all as part of our commitment to corporate citizenship."
Jim Mulva
Chairman and CEO
ConocoPhillips
"Arts organizations play an important role in our communities. The arts inspire innovation, promote creativity and foster collaboration – all qualities that are also important in business. We support the arts through our volunteerism, our patronage and our contributions. In return the arts enhance our lives and those of our neighbors, making Oklahoma City an even better place to live, work and do business."
John Richels
President and CEO
Devon Energy
"Halifax EMC believes that the arts provide ways for individuals to express their artistic talents whether through acting, singing, painting, handiwork, or craftsmanship. Halifax EMC understands that the arts change communities and increase the quality of life for both their employees and members."
Charles H. Guerry
PE, Executive Vice President & General Manager
Halifax EMC
"I believe art makes the community. Through art we discover beauty in the most unlikely things and places, delighting in the shared wonder of accidental discoveries. M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers is dedicated to building the community by encouraging us to explore, to find together what makes our lives exciting and our culture unique."
Mark Ginsberg
President
M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers & Objects of Art
"Northeast Utilities and its companies embrace the important role played by the arts in energizing the social, economic and educational fabric of our communities. That's why NU has a long history of supporting regional organizations which make the arts and culture more accessible to broader audiences. "
Charles W. Shivery
Chairman, President & CEO
Northeast Utilities
"It was engineering expertise and creative thinking that led our founders to construct the country’s first long distance transmission line in 1889. That same spirit of innovation drives us today to find renewable forms of energy to benefit our customers and the environment. To navigate this complex energy business, our workforce of engineers, scientists, skilled tradespeople and others must go beyond the basic tools of their trades and use imagination, collaboration and problem solving skills. Integrating the arts into the educational system has been proven to develop these skills and enhance critical thinking. That’s why Portland General Electric and our foundation invest in the arts, with a special emphasis on arts education."
James J. Piro
President & CEO
Portland General Electric
"Strata-G’s involvement in and support of the arts is vital to our company culture, and has been since the agency began in 1978. We strongly believe in the power of the arts to inspire our employees - not just in their creative abilities, but to nurture our larger, collective role in enhancing the cultural opportunities available throughout the region."
Jeff Eberlein
Managing Partner
Strata-G Communications
"Darden is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work. One of the many ways we do that is through our support of the Arts. The sharing of artistic talent and heritage promotes cultural diversity and enhances the American story, serving as an inspiration for current and future generations."
Clarence Otis, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
"Along with profitability and operational excellence, corporate responsibility is an essential priority at UTC. As our statement of values says, 'Successful businesses improve the human condition. We maintain the highest ethical, environmental and safety standards everywhere, and we encourage and celebrate our employees' active roles in their communities.'"
Louis R. Chênevert
Chairman & CEO
United Technologies Corporation
"The arts serve as a unifying force in a community and expand the collective horizons and aspirations of its populace. Excellence in the arts attracts and retains a thoughtful, creative and motivated talent pool for employers in the community."
Joseph C. Dilg
Managing Partner
Vinson & Elkins L. L. P.
"In our increasingly mechanized and computerized world, the arts afford a measure of consolation and reassurance to our individuality, a measure of beauty and human emotion that can reach and move most men. They are indispensable to the achievement of our great underlying concern for the individual, for the fullest development of the potential hidden in every human being."
David Rockefeller
Former President and Chairman
The Chase Manhattan Bank
Founder, Business Committee for the Arts, Inc.