GE Appliances, a Haier company, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Edison Engineering Development Program, a prestigious three-year talent development program where participants also earn a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Louisville’s J.B.Speed School of Engineering fully paid for by the company. Since its establishment in Louisville at the company’s global headquarters in 1975, the program has attracted engineering talent from across the country. The combination of hands-on industry experience with advanced education has created a pipeline of technical and leadership talent that continues to fuel the company’s innovation engine and patent portfolio.

According to a report in Axios, 'Northwest Arkansas, Louisville and New Orleans are emerging as America’s new innovation hotspots, as measured by the change in the number of utility patents granted over time per 100,000 residents.' The outlet based its findings on National Science Foundation data, which shows Louisville’s patent growth surged 105% between 2012 and 2022. GE Appliances has doubled the size of its patent portfolio in the last five years as it has continued to invest in new products and technology. By the end of 2029, GE Appliances will have invested $6.5 billion in its U.S. manufacturing and distribution operations since 2016.

“The Edison Engineering program is a testament to GE Appliances’ ongoing commitment to Louisville and Kentucky,” says Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances and an Edison alum. “We develop our people and recruit top talent from the best universities in the U.S., and it’s paying off by putting Kentucky on the map for innovation. Engineering talent like we’ve built at GE Appliances is key to Kentucky’s future and to the manufacturing renaissance in America.”

“In an era when many companies are scaling back training initiatives or relocating operations, GE Appliances remains a steadfast champion of talent and community development—investing in both the future of the workforce and the economic vitality of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

The Edison Engineering Development Program is one of seven corporate talent development programs at GE Appliances.

Edison Engineering Development Program facts:

• There are more than 100 Edisons in the program each year.
• More than 220 engineering co-op roles annually are the pipeline for the Edison program.
• Edison has had an ~80% graduate retention rate since 2018.
• Edison participants are from 57 of the country’s top engineering schools since 2019.
• One-third of Edisons are from Kentucky Universities and the other two-thirds are from top engineering schools around the country.
• Graduates of the Edison program can be found in numerous executive and technical leadership roles in the company.
• GE Appliances has 1,600 engineers in Louisville.
• To learn more about the Edison program, go to www.careers.geappliances.com.  

GE Appliances’ Patent Portfolio

• In 2024, GE Appliances filed the most patents in its history.
• More than 1,000 GE Appliances engineers have filed at least one approved patent.
• Several engineers have more than 50 approved patents with the company’s top patent-filing engineer having 119 patents to his credit.
• From the start of their careers and learning experiences at GE Appliances, co-ops file patents as part of company design challenges.

About GE Appliances, a Haier company

At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make good things, for life. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, we are a leading U.S. manufacturer of home appliances with 15,500 team members nationwide. GE Appliances, found in half of all U.S. homes, is proud to be rated America’s #1 Appliance Company¹, trusted by millions of families nationwide. We manufacture and sell products under the Monogram™, Café™, GE Profile™, GE®, Haier™, and Hotpoint™ brands. Our operations support nearly 98,000 additional American jobs and represent an investment of more than $3.5 billion since 2016. We are deeply committed to the communities where we live and work, passionate about getting closer to our product users to understand their needs and driven by the belief that there’s always a better way.

To learn more about our company, brands, career opportunities, and impact, visit geappliancesco.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

###

Media Contacts:

Julie Wood, GE Appliances, a Haier company

(502) 741-1557 or julie_Wood@geappliances.com

Kevin Trager, Office of Mayor Craig Greenberg
(502) 751-0358 or Kevin.trager@louisvilleky.gov