Engineering Co-op

GE Appliances' Blue Wave puts employee innovation to work for communities across America. More than 1,000 employees will take part in 40+ volunteer projects nationwide, bringing their skills and a zero-distance approach to community challenges LOUISVILLE, Ky., - Oct. 9, 2026 - More than 1,000 GE Appliances, a Haier company employees are rolling up their sleeves today for the company's 5th annual Blue Wave, supporting more than 40 community service projects across the country and advancing year-round partnerships with nonprofit organizations in the communities where employees live and work. The projects will address needs ranging from food access and education to disaster preparedness, accessibility and stronger neighborhoods. GE Appliances employees are using the skills they bring to work every day to help community partners uniquely solve real problems. From developing a new digital tool to help the American Red Cross reach more families with lifesaving smoke alarms, to creating a hands-on manufacturing learning experience with Catholic Charities of Louisville, to advancing accessibility with the American Printing House, GE Appliances employees are co-creating lasting solutions to help area nonprofits. "Zero distance is about getting close to people, listening to what they need and then working together to find a better way," said Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances. "Our employees are problem solvers. When they bring that same creativity, expertise and energy to our community partners, we can do more than complete a project for a day. We can help create solutions that have the potential to make a lasting difference." This year's Blue Wave deepens work with GE Appliances' long-standing community partnerships in STEM education and workforce pathways, food access, housing security and disaster response. GE Appliances is combining corporate resources with employee expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and skills-based volunteerism to co-create solutions with community partners. Blue Wave began in 2021 and has grown into GE Appliances' company-wide commitment to year-round volunteerism. "Blue Wave has never been about showing up for one day, checking a box and moving on," said Katina Whitlock, senior director of People, Culture and Community Engagement at GE Appliances and executive director of the Good Things, For Life Foundation. "Our strongest partnerships are built year-round. Our nonprofit partners know their communities, and our employees bring incredibly diverse skills in engineering, technology, manufacturing, design, logistics and problem-solving. When we put those capabilities together, we can create solutions that are practical, sustainable and sometimes scalable far beyond one community." Finding a Better Way to "Sound the Alarm" * One of this year's most innovative Louisville projects extends GE Appliances' long relationship with the American Red Cross Louisville Area Chapter and its Sound the Alarm initiative. * Through the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, volunteers visit homes to install free smoke alarms and help families prevent devastation from fires. * Marcia Brey, vice president of Logistics for GE Appliances and a longtime Red Cross volunteer and board leader, saw an opportunity to make the process even more effective. Door-to-door outreach can mean volunteers arrive when residents are not home or are not prepared for an installation. Applying GE Appliances' philosophy that there is always a better way, Brey developed a digital scheduling application using new AI-enabled tools. The new tool allows residents to request assistance and be connected with available Red Cross volunteers who can install and update home fire alarms. * The new application is being piloted in Louisville, with the goal of creating a model that can be scaled to other communities. Bringing Manufacturing Skills into the Community * GE Appliances is also expanding its longstanding relationship with Catholic Charities of Louisville to develop a mock assembly line experience designed to introduce participants to modern manufacturing as a potential career path. * The project will be led by GE Appliances Latin Roots Employee Resource Group and Manufacturing Ambassadors from Appliance Park, who will use their firsthand experience building appliances to expose more people to manufacturing - a key industry driving the Louisville economy. Designing for Greater Accessibility at The Dot Experience * Employees from GE Appliances' industrial design operation (IDO), marketing and other team will also support The Dot Experience at the American Printing House, a new Louisville museum designed from the ground up around inclusion and accessibility. * For Blue Wave, GE Appliances' IDO employees will help prepare appliance displays highlighting accessible design and connected technology, including the company's Access Kit, developed in collaboration with the American Printing House. * Introduced in 2024, the Access Kit includes more than 400 tactile stickers representing 80 of the most common appliance settings. The stickers can be placed over appliance controls, allowing buttons, knobs and functions to be identified by touch. * The Blue Wave project continues that collaboration and will also highlight adaptable, connected appliance technologies, bringing the specialized skills of GE Appliances designers and operations employees to a partner that shares the company's focus on creating experiences that allow independence for all. About GE Appliances, a Haier company At GE Appliances, a Haier company, GE Appliances come together to make good things, for life. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, GE Appliances is a leading U.S. manufacturer of home appliances with 15,500 team members nationwide. Its products can be found in half of all U.S. homes, and GE Appliances is proud to be rated America's #1 Appliance Company.[1] GE Appliances manufacture and sell products under the Monogram(TM), Café(TM), GE Profile(TM), GE(R), Haier(TM) and Hotpoint(TM) brands. Its operations support 98,000 additional American jobs, and as America's Most Invested Appliance Company, GE Appliances has committed an industry-leading $6.5 billion to U.S. manufacturing since 2016 alone. GE Appliances is deeply committed to the communities where GE Appliances live and work, passionate about getting closer to its product users to understand their needs and driven by the belief that there's always a better way. To learn more about its company, brands, career opportunities and impact, visit geappliancesco.com or connect with GE Appliances on LinkedIn. [1. OpenBrand Consumer Tracking Survey, Q1 - Q4 2024, Based on Volume of Total Majors/MO/RAC - Retail Unit] Media Contacts: Julie Wood, GE Appliances, a Haier company Useful links. Stay connected. Receive news in your inbox

More than 50 years of service: Earl Jones' legacy extends across GE Appliances and Louisville. Sep 29th 2026 GE Appliances Communications Earl Jones Receives 2026 Olmsted Stewardship Award After more than 50 years with GE and GE Appliances, Deputy General Counsel Earl Jones is preparing to retire with another part of his legacy receiving national recognition. On Sept. 25, the Olmsted Network honored Earl with its 2026 Olmsted Stewardship Award, recognizing nearly three decades of leadership and service to the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Earl has served as a Conservancy trustee since 1997, including as board chair from 2016 to 2018, and currently serves as board secretary. The award recognizes sustained stewardship of landscapes associated with Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted firm. Earl was honored during the Olmsted Network's annual conference in Portland, Oregon, alongside park advocates and leaders from across the country. Nearly three decades protecting Louisville's parks. Earl joined the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy board in 1997 and has remained deeply involved ever since. Over nearly three decades, he has helped guide the organization through major capital investments, leadership transitions and continuing efforts to preserve and improve Louisville's historic Olmsted park system. That system includes 17 parks and six parkways designed as an interconnected network linking parks and neighborhoods across Louisville. For Earl, that work has always been about more than preserving beautiful spaces. It is also about who gets to enjoy them. When the Conservancy honored him with its Frederick Law Olmsted Award in 2019, Earl pointed to Olmsted's belief that access to beautiful public parks should not depend on income and described helping advance that vision as one of the great pleasures of his life. More than 50 years with GE and GE Appliances. For more than half a century, Earl has worked across GE and what is now GE Appliances, a Haier company, building a career spanning law, public policy and government relations. As deputy general counsel and longtime head of government relations, Earl has helped the company navigate regulatory and legislative issues and build relationships with policymakers at the local, state and federal levels. He has also helped secure significant public incentives in partnership with state and local governments across GE Appliances plant communities, supporting investments in U.S. manufacturing and the communities where the company operates. A lasting commitment to Louisville. Earl's civic involvement extends beyond the Conservancy. He also served as a director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority and has long been active in Louisville's cycling community, including many years as president of the Louisville Bicycle Club. His connection to Louisville's parks, however, has been particularly enduring. When the Conservancy presented Earl with its first Frederick Law Olmsted Award in 2019, then-President and CEO Layla George credited his leadership with helping guide the organization through major investments and important transitions. From GE Appliances to Louisville's Olmsted parks, Earl's career has been defined by something increasingly rare: a commitment measured not in years, but in decades.

GE Appliances President and CEO Kevin Nolan named to Thinkers50 Leaders50 2026. LOUISVILLE, Ky. - September 14, 2026 - GE Appliances, a Haier company, President and CEO Kevin Nolan has been named to the 2026 Thinkers50 Leaders50, a biennial list recognizing 50 exceptional leaders from organizations around the world. Unlike rankings based on company size, revenue or media profile, Leaders50 draws its nominations experts, scholars and authors who study leadership and help define contemporary management thinking. The 2026 list includes Nolan alongside trailblazers such as Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, NVIDIA President and CEO Jensen Huang, General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, and many other leaders making an impact across industries. Thinkers50 evaluates leaders based on their organizational impact, economic contribution and social purpose, as well as leadership style, development of others, adaptability and long-term vision. Nolan, a career engineer with more than 35 years at GE and GE Appliances, has helped lead a major transformation of the company and its approach to innovation, manufacturing and serving consumers. A longtime advocate for putting ideas into action, Nolan conceived and co-founded FirstBuild in 2014, creating an open co-creation community and microfactory that changed how GE Appliances develops new products. In 2023, he opened CoCREATE in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, combining manufacturing, design, education and community collaboration under one roof. His leadership has also helped drive a significant expansion of GE Appliances' U.S. manufacturing operations. Since 2016, the company has committed more than $6.5 billion to its U.S. operations, including a five-year, $3 billion investment plan announced in 2025 to expand manufacturing, modernize plants and bring more production to the United States. "The challenges facing the world, organizations, and individuals are enormous," said Des Dearlove, co-founder of Thinkers50. "Leaders50 shines a light on remarkable leaders who are making a real impact in the world." The 2026 Leaders50 will be honored at the Thinkers50 London Summit later this year. About GE Appliances At GE Appliances, a Haier company, GE Appliances co come together to make good things, for life. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, GE Appliances co is a leading U.S. manufacturer of home appliances with 15,500 team members nationwide. Its products can be found in half of all U.S. homes, and GE Appliances co is proud to be rated America's #1 Appliance Company. GE Appliances co manufacture and sell products under the Monogram(TM), Café(TM), GE Profile(TM), GE(R), Haier(TM) and Hotpoint(TM) brands. Its operations support 98,000 additional American jobs, and as America's Most Invested Appliance Company, GE Appliances co has committed an industry-leading $6.5 billion to U.S. manufacturing since 2016 alone. GE Appliances co is deeply committed to the communities where GE Appliances co live and work, passionate about getting closer to its product users to understand their needs and driven by the belief that there's always a better way. Useful links. Stay connected. Receive news in your inbox