A123: The Company They Keep

Had a chance to attend a conference put on by GE last week that centered around their Ecomagination campaign/business initiative. The centerpiece of the event was a press event hosted by GE CEO Jeff Immelt. Jeff was joined on stage by leaders from other companies that are in the process of "greening" their businesses to various degrees. The panel of 10 included Lewis Gillies of BP, Charles Zimmerman of WalMart, and Jim Young of Union Pacific.

Oh, and David Vieau of battery maker A123 Systems.

While Vieau didn't make any dramatic announcements during the event, his presence was notable in that he was positioned as the de-facto leader in the advance vehicle technology sector. Additionally, his ability to network with other business leaders at events like this will only solidify A123 positioning in the market. Other battery makers (Altairnano, Lithium Tech Corp, etc.) will be struggling to keep pace with A123 business capabilities, even is they have superior technology.