STEM City USA Green Summit: General Motor’s One on One & Panel Discussion

It's time to welcome our first speaker. Joining us for a special one-on-one conversation is Gerald Johnson. Mr. Johnson is the Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability at General Motors. He received the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Award for recognizing his advancements in GM's diversity, including programs and COVID-19 responses. We are thrilled to have him joining us today. We will discuss General Motors' forward-looking initiatives and commitment to a cleaner future. We'll also hear about Factory Zero, GM's first fully dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant, and we will learn about GM's plans to impact the planet's climate with electric vehicles. Here to speak with Mr. Gerald Johnson is Ryan Kennedy, editor of US Engineer and IT magazine. If you have any questions for either Gerald or Ryan, there will be a QR code on the screen. Scan it to submit your questions at any time during the conversation.

Sterling, thank you for that. I really appreciate it. We have such an exciting conversation planned for you guys today. You know, our boss, Dr. Tyrone Taborn, pitched this idea of putting together an energy summit, and the first thing that came to my mind was General Motors and Mr. Gerald Johnson. But those of you who don't know, Mr. Johnson won the Black Engineer of the Year Award back in 2001, and I know that was right when GM really started talking about their energy initiatives and their plans for Factory Zero and the plans to go all electric. So when that opportunity came, I reached out, and I'm really grateful to have Mr. Johnson here. So I'm excited to get into the conversation. Hey, Mr. Johnson, how are you doing?

So, Mr. Johnson, I know, like I said, back in 2001, you won the Black Engineer Award, and this is really when you guys started to really talk about your plans for the future. And since then, you guys have made a lot of revolutionary innovations. So I want to get right into it and talk about your Zero Zero Zero initiative. Can you tell us about this and how GM came to this idea?

Yes, sir. That sounds very exciting. I really want to kind of dig into the innovations and talk about those cool things. But when you talk about changing and having these plans, that is such a dramatic shift from what we know the auto industry to be. So that had to be a shift in thought, a shift in mind. When did GM know that you guys had to be the leaders? When did you know that you wanted to make this focus, and why was that so important to General Motors?

All this sounds amazing. I'm a fan of everything that you guys are doing over there. I've picked up, when you did your speeches at CES, you really talked about the Hamtramck plant, and I hope I said that right. It's kind of a funny spelled word. Anyway, I really just want to start talking about Factory Zero and the milestone innovations that you guys are making. I know you guys have sustainable manufacturing, you have innovative technology. So I really want to ask you: how is Factory Zero helping you achieve that Zero Zero Zero mission that you were talking about?

Yes, sir. One of the things that, when you read about Factory Zero, you talk about sustainable manufacturing and working with the community. So I was learning about the ESG pledge. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Mr. Johnson, I want to take a little bit of a pivot in the conversation. We've talked about a lot of change in process. Typically, when there's a large shift in industrial revolution, there are certain demographics, certain communities who are left out, if you will, or kind of an afterthought. So one thing that I want to ask you is: as a founding member of GM's Inclusive Advisory Board, what is the purpose of this, and really, how are we making sure demographics and communities are a part of this shift?

Yes, sir. And I understand that GM has dedicated about $50 million for climate equity, really putting your money where your mouth is, so to speak. Can you tell us a little bit about the climate equity plan and how you're committed to bridging that gap and closing that equity gap?

Mr. Johnson, that was my final question that I have for you. So before I cut you loose, because I know you're very busy and you probably have a bunch of other things to do, is there anything final, any last words you want to leave the audience with? Because you guys are doing some amazing things. I'm just looking forward to seeing what the future holds for GM.

Thank you for joining me. Thank you for having this conversation with me. We hope to see you soon, maybe at Women of Color or BEYA in the future. Mr. Johnson, I know you said you brought back up, so we're going to take a quick break and then continue the conversation with the rest of the team.

At General Motors, we envision a world that is zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. Emissions aren't only made by passenger vehicles, and that's why we're implementing our Hydrotec fuel cell technology into these hard-to-decarbonize applications that touch people's lives every day. A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical device. It takes hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air and combines those two elements to create electricity and water. GM Hydrotec has a land, sea, air strategy in implementing its Hydrotec fuel cell technologies in these heavier-duty applications. It is critical to find like-minded partners to really kick-start this new technology: Navistar with Class 8 trucks, Liebherr with auxiliary power for planes, and Wabtec for locomotive and transit rail. Hydrotec fuel cells have several competitive advantages. Fuel cells can refuel really quickly, which is an advantage for trucks that require a lot of high uptime. The hydrogen infrastructure supporting fuel cells can be shared and centralized in hubs. Finally, there's not a compromise on payload or performance. GM Hydrotec is on the cusp of commercializing fuel cells. What excites me about working at General Motors is I get to work on this one technology that I'm really passionate about, and that's fuel cell technology and electrification in general.

Welcome back. We are in the middle of the GM panel session here at the Stem City Green Summit. Before we jump into the conversation with the rest of the GM team, I do want to remind you that this is interactive. We're in the metaverse. So if you want to ask a question, if you want to get a shout out or anything like that, drop a line in the comment if you're in the metaverse. There's a chat button where you can talk with all the people who are watching us right now. There's also a QR code that you should see in the top corner. If you are not on your phone watching the computer, you scan that code, you can send us questions, and if there's time at the end, we can address them. But first up, you just saw a commercial about the Ultium, and we have Grace Griffin here, who is GM's plant director. Grace, how are you doing this morning?

Hi, nice to meet you. Good morning.

Nice to meet you as well. Grace, why don't you introduce yourself and kind of tell us what your role is at GM?

Yeah, so I'm currently the plant director for our third Ultium battery site, which I'll get into in a moment to explain what that technology is. I've been in manufacturing for 23 years in various roles in engineering as well as my most recent role within our sustainability group. So I'm excited to be here to share what we call our Ultium journey.

Grace, before we jump into our conversation, you actually are a Women of Color Technology All-Star. Am I correct?

Yes, yes. I was honored, I think in 2020. Very exciting. I was telling you earlier that I believe that was the first time the conference was conducted virtually in the metaverse, and just very impressed with what the team put together. And really appreciative of interacting with all the wonderful other recipients as well as what the organization brings to highlight the importance of women of color in STEM fields.

Yes, well, we're grateful to have you. So let's really get into the conversation. We just saw the commercial about the Ultium sales, and we talked about the Ultium batteries. Can you kind of give us more details: what is it and how is it helping GM accomplish those missions that we just talked about with Mr. Johnson?

Yeah, so Gerald explained that Ultium itself is a flexible vehicle platform, and it's going to allow us to create production of vehicles across many types, right from a small car to a large SUV to a truck, right as our beautiful Hummer truck that we're producing at Factory Zero. But the core of that is a battery cell. And so Ultium Cells, which is the company that I will be working with to make cells that will provide battery packs that provide the platform for the Ultium platform that will go into our vehicles, is a joint venture that we are entering into with LG Energy Solutions. And so LG brings to the table expertise in terms of the technology, and General Motors brings to the table expertise in terms of manufacturing and our people systems and our safety systems. And so the joint venture that we have actually will allow for us to produce batteries that are going to make EVs more affordable. As Gerald mentioned, we want to have 'Everybody In' for every driver. We have four sites. So our first site is in Ohio, in Warren, Ohio, and our second site currently is in actual production of cells. Our second site is about 60% in terms of production ready in terms of construction; that's Spring Hill. The third site will be the Lansing site, which will be my site in Lansing, Michigan. And we have yet another facility that we haven't announced the location that will give us totaling around 180 gigawatt hours of capacity. So you might ask, well, what does that mean? So for the three facilities that we actually have locations for, if you were to imagine 125 kilowatt hour batteries for each vehicle, we would save and reduce enough gallon of gasoline... for 100... 480 million gallons per year.

I'm glad you explained that because when I hear 'gigawatts in capacity,' I'm going to tell you how much of a nerd I am. I start thinking about Back to the Future. It's so funny how technology follows cultural trends because that's probably the first time that any of us started thinking about autonomous and some of the things that are norm in society now.

Yeah, yeah. And pop culture is a huge driver of innovation. When you look at sci-fi and you look at some of the old movies and you see them with tablets and you see them with cell phones and different things like that. So it's always a good driver of innovation.

You were just talking about this innovative Ultium battery. So what are some of the technologies that you've applied to the process for the batteries, and how are they sustainable factors that we should be excited about?

I think one thing that I'm most excited about is the manufacturing environment itself. It's a high degree of automation. We have very limited manual handling. When you walk into the facility, it's not cyclic work. So for our employees, it's a completely clean room environment. So think of being in a technology field with electronics, like a computer environment. In addition to that, we have automatic pick and place, we have AGVs, so it's a highly automated environment. In addition to that, Gerald alluded to it in terms of our best practices for construction. We are enabling the facility to be constructed with insulated panels to prevent... sustainability and energy and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. So the building walls are insulated, the exterior of the building is completely white. All of that helps our greenhouse gas effects. And then in addition to that, it's utilizing, as he mentioned, renewable energy. So for instance, in our Ohio facility, we're using wind farm energy in order to provide sustainable energy to the facility in order to run the production processes. I would say the other thing that I'm very proud of is that we're working to hire a very diverse population within the workforce. So we're looking to areas of the community where our goal is not to re-employ individuals that are already within the workforce. We're looking to areas and communities that are underrepresented and new entry into the workforce. So we have the ability to hire people directly out of high school, we have the ability to go to places where people are re-entering society, maybe after having some experiences in life that may put them on the margins of society. And then, in addition to that, they get to come into this multicultural environment with this diverse workforce because of our partnership with LG, and really just gain a wealth of experience in this new highly technological manufacturing environment.

Grace, all of this sounds exciting. Like I said, I'm a big fan. I'm always following GM. So Grace, I want to thank you, because that's all the questions that I have. But I do know, like Mr. Johnson said, he brought back up and you guys came in full force. So I want to thank you for your time, and I'm going to bring up Miss Jessica James.

Hi, Ray. Hello.

Miss James, how are you doing today?

I'm doing well. Thanks for having me.

Well, thanks for being here, Miss James. What is your role at GM?

Sure. So I'm the senior manager of GM's Climate Equity Fund as well as our disaster relief efforts. So this is the philanthropic fund that Gerald mentioned, focused on funding those outside nonprofit organizations that are working at the intersection of climate change, equity, and really innovative programs to bring everybody in.

That's awesome. I know Mr. Johnson covered it, and we talked a little bit about it, but can you give us some more detail about the equity fund and really how you plan to use it in the communities and really who this is targeted for?

Sure. So the Climate Equity Fund, like Gerald mentioned, I'll just reinforce, is really about saying: where are these organizations across the country that are working in communities to advance programs that help those people deal with the consequences of climate change and be prepared for the opportunities that the transition to a more sustainable future will present? And so we look for, again, nonprofit organizations that are working with communities. And I think the best way to talk about it is really to share some examples. So the Climate Equity Fund has three focus areas. The first is sustainable jobs, and that's really looking for adults with barriers to employment or adults that are facing a forced transition in the workforce and helping them gain the skills, certifications, and qualifications for a job in the clean energy sector. The second focus area is sustainable transportation, so that's funding organizations at the community level that are providing increased access to electric vehicles, EV infrastructure, maybe micro-mobility solutions, or even public transportation, anything that really reduces the footprint of transportation. And then finally, this pillar of community climate action, which is supporting grassroots community-based organizations that are working to mitigate climate change, help communities adapt or build resilience. And so those are the three things that we look for in organizations that we fund. Just one good example that I think highlights the sustainable transportation category is an organization called Our Car. They're based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. And they worked with the city of Saint Paul to bring in an EV car share program to residents in the city of Saint Paul. They had funding to do this from multiple sources, but GM and the Climate Equity Fund was able to come in with additional dollars to help them reach deeper into the community as they were developing this car share program. So for example, there's a woman in downtown Saint Paul who is the president of a local neighborhood association. And so they were able to bring her and several other residents into the conversation in the planning phase and come up with some innovative ways to make this electric vehicle car share program more accessible for the community, and especially more accessible for the people in the community who stood to benefit the most from a car share program. So one of the features they were able to bring in was changing some of the locations of where the vehicles and the charging stations will sit to make sure it reached beyond that central downtown location and actually got into the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. And then second, they were able to work with the city of Saint Paul, the nonprofit, and other groups to come up with an innovative way for customers to pay. So for example, if a customer who wants to sign up for this car share program is on government assistance and is considered low income, they would qualify to pay a much lower rate or even to pay nothing to use the EV car. Maybe that's to get to a doctor's appointment, maybe it's to get to work or to an interview. And so that was a really innovative way to come up with a model that really brought in equity to an innovative high-tech program like an electric vehicle car share. They also worked on things like making sure those without a regular bank account or a smartphone could actually walk into a city office and pre-pay and pick up keys in that kind of way. So that's just a really good example of when you're able to bring in additional philanthropic funding, you can really reach into communities and reach a hand out to those that stand to benefit the most from these types of programs.

Yes, ma'am. Reaching back and bringing everybody with you... it's no fun if you get there by yourself.

Exactly, exactly.

Well, Miss James, it's like you were reading my mind because I had these questions that were popping into my head, and you were just rolling through. So is there anything else that you want to add, anything that we didn't touch on when we talk about the climate equity and your mission in that area?

I would just go back to something that Gerald shared, which is that in addition to the Climate Equity Fund, $50 million toward that work, the company is investing $37 billion with a 'b' into decarbonizing and addressing our own business. And that is so important. It's the biggest piece of the work we stand to do as a company. And so this fund again is really stepping back and saying: if we want a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, and we also want to be the most inclusive company in the world, this is a great way for us to reach into communities and work at the intersection of those two goals. So you can learn more about the Climate Equity Fund at gm.com and go to the community section, and you can read more about the fund and the opportunities for non-profits. So if you volunteer or work with a local non-profit in your area working on anything I mentioned, I encourage you to go to our website or reach out to me directly and learn more. So thanks again for the time today.

Well, thank you, and I really appreciate your time as well, Jessica. You guys have a great team that's here. We have one more GM speaker that we're going to talk to today, and that's Miss Tamberlin Golden. Good morning.

Alright, good morning.

So, Tammy... excuse me, Tamara, do you prefer if I use Tammy?

That's great.

And so you actually are a Women of Color awardee as well. Was it not Women of Color? You were a BEYA awardee? Can you tell me what that award means to you, and then I also want to know what your role is at GM?

Awesome. So receiving that BEYA award was very meaningful for me because I live a life through really focusing on this quote that I live by, and that's Martin Luther King's: that it's not about how long you live but how you live. So looking to have an impact and to serve to better populations of people that were aligned clearly was my purpose. It also aligns with the current role that I'm serving in, and that's the Executive Director for Workforce Strategy in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. And my team is reimagining the future of work, our talent pathways, and our talent pipeline, and even how we lead, to create a more inclusive culture. And I've had more than 30 years at General Motors with depth of experience in manufacturing and engineering of high-performance vehicles. Prior to that, I led two of our facilities: the Warren Transmission and Flint Engine operations, which I believe uniquely positions me for the current role that I'm in, leading the workforce strategy.

That's awesome. 30 years. Congratulations. It's such a wonderful opportunity to stay with the company for so long and really make an impact. But let's dig in a little bit. When we're talking about workforce strategy, what are some of the biggest needs that you address at GM in creating this sustainable workforce that we've been talking about all morning?

Awesome. So as Gerald discussed, we are committed to zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, and he painted that beautiful picture of what the future looks like. So as we accelerate into our all-electric future, talent is our greatest need and one of our single most important priorities. And we are looking to attract, develop, retain, and engage the best talent in the world, and we know that that comes from all backgrounds. So when you look at the work that we're doing, we're looking to build a more diverse and equitable workforce by widening the aperture in terms of how we procure that workforce and tapping into populations of people from all backgrounds. So again, the inclusive team to deliver on this mission... we are really looking to connect people and communities to what matters. And if you look at our facilities, our facilities are really complex areas just filled with opportunity for people to thrive in. So looking at people being able to join the team and join us on our all-electric path is pretty exciting.

Yes, ma'am. So I was reading that GM is one of the 110 companies focused on reviewing job descriptions to focus on skill versus pedigree, and the goal is to promote one million Black individuals without four-year degrees. How is that working for GM? Can you talk about that a little bit?

So it's really exciting. OneTen was founded by Ginni Rometty, a former CEO of IBM, and Ken Frazier from Merck. And we are also one of the OneTen founding companies. And when we set out on this mission, it was really to ensure that we can really reframe the talent strategy and how we approach talent. So we are a company that will always value degrees and education. What we want to do though is ensure that we have a focus on skills as our priority, so that we ensure that we can identify the skills required of a role and not necessarily over-credential a role by considering degree first. So we're in the process of building a skills-first ecosystem here at General Motors, and we work with the OneTen coalition of companies, which includes over 60 companies who have come together on this mission to reframe that talent strategy to expand opportunity for individuals to find suitable pathways to employment and robust opportunities not just for employment but for future career growth and development. Because when you think about it, as you enter a company like General Motors, you have the opportunity to really set your aspirations and achieve those aspirations, and we have a number of benefits that allow you to do that as well. So one of the first steps in the process is really looking at the roles across the company, and when you look at a four-year degree, we want to make sure that it's not the only acceptable indicator of someone's ability to do the job. So we're committed to the skills-first promotional hiring work so that we ensure that the future of work of the workforce is very diverse and that all backgrounds are welcome and that we're looking at what skills are required for persons to succeed in a job. So pretty exciting work. We've done this work, but we're really seeking to enhance and really create some depth by continuing the work of the coalition with OneTen as well as with the Business Roundtable. Mary Barra also chairs the Business Roundtable, which has a similar mission with a focus on from a multicultural perspective. But again, it's the right strategy at the right time when you talk about talent.

Real quick before I go into my next question: say I'm an individual who's looking to take advantage, what ways can I try to apply or join GM? Is there a place on the website or any place that you can direct me to?

Absolutely. So careers.gm.com is your first stop. We ask that you start there, and it will open up different avenues for you to join whether it's starting with our TRACK program, our intern program, and again exploring all the different careers that are offered here at General Motors.

Earlier when we were talking with Mr. Johnson, he is obviously a founding member of the Inclusion Advisory Board. He talked about it and highlighted it. Is there anything that you can add to what he was talking about and how GM is undertaking becoming the most inclusive company? Anything that you know we can elaborate on?

Yeah, so it's pretty exciting that Mary set a bold vision that we would become the most inclusive company. And in doing that, she stood up the IAB, and the IAB, like Gerald talked about, is comprehensive of not only internal GM leaders but also external leaders. So we get the external voice into the plans and the thought process we're putting behind this DEI journey. What I will tell you is that Mary has also supported us reimagining DEI and what it looks like for the company. And with that, we've been able to really tap into our leaders and how we develop our DEI maturity, ensuring that leaders understand that they create that climate that inspires the culture as well. The work we're doing is really weaving DEI into the fabric of the organization because the one thing we cannot do is pursue DEI as an initiative because it will not be sustainable. It has to be woven into the processes, the business strategy, so that it is here long after all of us leave. And so it's pretty exciting work. I think that General Motors and our CEO has stood behind that vision of becoming the most inclusive company, and we will continue to create impactful experiences and positive moments for the entire workforce, and we'll also continue to connect our internal workforce to our external communities and make sure we're having that impact there as well.

Well, Tammy, that's all I have for you. I'm going to get you off the hot seat. So thank you. Is there anything that I didn't cover, anything that you want to add or any final thoughts to leave the audience with?

I'll just leave you with that we appreciate this time to share all that you've heard from General Motors, and hopefully you're leaving with the fact that we're very committed to our all-electric future as well as reshaping what the company looks like from a diversity, equity, and inclusion perspective. And again, thank you for the time today.

And thank you, Tammy. Alright, everyone, thank you. That concludes the end of this session. I really want to thank Gerald Johnson, Tammy Golden, Grace Griffin, and Jessica James. This has been a really cool segment. It was a really cool kickoff to the Stem City Green Summit. Our next session starts at 11:30. We look forward to seeing you. Continue to communicate with each other inside the Stem City universe in the chat section, and be sure, if there's time, if the speakers have time, they'll be in the breakout sessions. So there's a link that will be provided in the Stem City metaverse. Just click the button that says Breakout, and we'll see you here back at 11:30.