Events
Grand Opening
April 6, 2010
Governor Schwarzenegger Cuts Ribbon at Calisolar’s Sunnyvale Manufacturing Facility Grand Opening
California Governor Arnold Schwarzengger addresses Calisolar employees and invited guests.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger graciously accepted an invitation from Calisolar to cut the ribbon at the company’s grand opening of a new cell manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale on Tuesday, April 6, 2010.
Governor Schwarzenegger joined Calisolar CEO Roy Johnson and Calisolar Founder Dr. Kamel Ounadjela in touring the facilities and addressed a crowd of Calisolar employees and invited guests. They were joined by Melinda Hamilton, Mayor of Sunnyvale; Mike Mielke, Director of Environment of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Liz Kniss, Santa Clara County Supervisor; Victoria Bradshaw, California Secretary of Labor and Workforce; and Don Eagleston, President/CEO of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce Development Agency.
The Governor and Mayor emphasized the importance of companies like Calisolar to the future of our economy and environment, saying that Calisolar “is a perfect example that you can put the two together, the economy and the environment, and protect both.” Mr. Schwarzenegger was
so impressed with Calisolar that he concluded his remarks with his famous promise, “I’ll be back.”
The Governor cuts Calisolar cell “ribbon”
Calisolar CEO Roy Johnson emphasized the need for a level playing field in order to compete globally and said he believed Calisolar “can be one of the low-cost producers of solar in the world.” He also noted that despite the belief that Silicon Valley is too expensive to support manufacturing, companies “are continuing to prove that if you’re smart about the way you work and the way you develop technology, you can take advantage of the very capable workforce in Silicon Valley and be competitive on a worldwide scale.”
The Governor, the Mayor, Mr. Johnson and Calisolar Founder, President and COO Dr. Ounadjela then gathered behind a ribbon made from Calisolar cells, which was strung between two solar modules manufactured by a customer using Calisolar cells. The Governor cut the ribbon, officially opening the factory.