GE’s Trotter to receive NEMA Falk Award
Lloyd G. Trotter, GE vice president of GE Industrial, is the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Bernard T. Falk Award, recognizing his many contributions to the electroindustry and to NEMA while serving on its Board of Governors.
NEMA Chairman Tim Powers, who will present the award to Trotter at the 80th Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., in November, says, “The support that Lloyd has given to NEMA over the years has been remarkable. He has been a highly visible champion of NEMA’s mission. He deeply understood the importance of standardization and NEMA’s role in the globalized marketplace. He has brought vision as well as tactical expertise to the NEMA board and served with distinction as chairman of the board in a critical time in the association’s history.”
“GE’s employment model, as everyone knows,” says NEMA President Evan Gaddis, “breeds best of class executives. Lloyd Trotter is a perfect example. We at NEMA were fortunate to have him bring his leadership qualities and knowledge of the industry to the NEMA Board of Governors for such an extended period of time.”
Trotter served on the board for 13 years and chaired it for one year. Former NEMA President Malcolm O’Hagan, whose term in office roughly paralleled Trotter’s term on the board, may have the best insight on Trotter’s influence on the industry and the association. “Lloyd has always been very supportive of NEMA,” says O’Hagan. As a head of a GE business, his time was more than fully committed, but he was always there when we needed him. All we had to do was ask.”
O’Hagan also said that Trotter understood standards better than most in his position. “His experience at GE and the wide range of products he oversaw throughout his career gave him fundamental knowledge about the value of standards and their importance in the marketplace. GE was one of the first advocates for NEMA involvement in international standardization and the work of the International Electrotechnical Commission.”
Indeed, part of Trotter’s legacy at NEMA will be his leadership in establishing NEMA’s international presence. “Although GE already had an established itself overseas,” says O’Hagan, “Lloyd believed that GE would be well served to have the industry’s trade association established there too. He fully understood the value of the NEMA collective, that NEMA members speaking as one might be able to get things done that even companies as large as GE couldn’t do on their own. By the same token, he was a great supporter of the NEMA government relations program because it, too, could get some things done better than an individual or a group of individuals acting alone.”
Typical of Trotter’s view of NEMA were remarks he made as he stepped down from chairing the NEMA Board of Governors in 2004. “NEMA’s role in the coming years will be vital,” he said, “Of prime importance will be doing whatever it takes to establish a level playing field in the world marketplace, helping NEMA members make the right contacts with officials in China, for instance, or influencing national or regional policy making, protecting intellectual property rights, and resolving conflicts in the marketplace. NEMA is uniquely position to get our industry where it needs to go in the coming years.”
People who know Trotter say he is a “big picture” thinker who acquired his depth and breadth of knowledge through decades of working at GE’s various businesses. A former NEMA board chairman, Randy Carson of Eaton Corporation, says, “Lloyd was one person to whom everyone looked for perspective on important issues. When he had something to say, it was usually timely and right on point. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that Lloyd was front and center in every important decision the NEMA Board of Governors made while he served.”
He began his career in 1970 as a field service engineer with GE Lighting. He went on to work at GE Gas Turbine, Appliances, and Electrical Distribution & Control businesses, eventually becoming president and chief executive officer of the latter in 1992.
Trotter was recently named a GE vice chairman and head of GE Industrial. With the company for 36 years, he served as GE executive vice president of operations the previous year, reporting directly to GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt. Upon announcing that Trotter would head GE Industrial, Immelt said, “Lloyd Trotter is a seasoned GE veteran who knows our Industrial business inside and out. He will be a great leader for a talented team of experienced executives as we work to refocus the portfolio, expand margins, and create growth opportunities.” GE Industrial is a $35 billion business segment, including GE Plastics, Advanced Materials, Consumer and Industrial, Inspection Technologies, Security, Sensing, GE Fanuc Automation, and Equipment Services.
Trotter is not only a good businessman, but a good citizen as well. He is a founding member of the GE’s African American Forum, which provides scholarships to deserving applicants. The program is funded by GE employees, with matching contributions provided by the GE Foundation. Trotter represents GE for America’s Promise, an organization whose aim is to increase volunteerism in support of youth. It was founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Trotter is also on the boards of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and the GE Foundation.
Trotter is regularly recognized for his commitment to education, volunteerism, and mentoring. In an address to NEMA staff shortly after becoming the NEMA Chairman of the Board, he noted that “GE’s and America’s future is pinned to our educational systems. Our competitiveness will depend upon the educational levels of our workers. The deterioration of schools, particularly in urban areas, and a de-emphasis on science and math must be reversed if we are going to remain at the highest competitive levels.”
