Governor Perry about cancer research, alternative energy, and manly footwear

When U.S. Ambassador Michael Wood introduced Governor Perry, he said he admired him for being the American dream. Perry was born into a family of tenant farmers in western Texas and is now the governor of the second largest state in the U.S.

 Wood also talked about some of the peculiarities of the Lone Star State. “They speak a little differently in Texas. They believe that ain't is a perfectly acceptable word,” he joked.

 He described how Texas has transformed itself from a state dependent on oil and agriculture to a leader in the fields of cancer research and wind power. “The old Texas [slogan] used to be 'Don't mess with Texas.' Now it's 'Texas, open for business’,” said the Ambassador.

 A former lieutenant governor under George W. Bush, Governor Perry took the reins in 2000 when Bush became president.

Perry quipped that he was wearing “the appropriate manly footwear” and showed the audience his cowboy boots. He discussed how Texas has changed its image since the oil crisis in the late 1980s. Today, Texas is a hub for technology, with close collaboration between universities and the private sector, and sweeping tax and legal reform have made it an attractive place to do business. Texas is currently the state with the most Fortune 500 headquarters. 


                                   
                            Ambassador Michael Wood and Governor Rick Perry

 “We're pretty successful in luring businesses to Texas. The regulatory climate in the state is so complimentary to...making money. We think that's a good thing,” the Governor said.

One of his initiatives has been to promote public-private partnerships by establishing funds in three different areas: railway, cancer research and emerging technologies. The cancer fund will provide USD 3 billion over ten years, and as part of his trip to Stockholm, he visited Karolinska Institutet – Sweden’s largest centre for medical training and research.

 Perry closed his talk with a discussion on the development of wind power as an alternative energy source. He said that as a boy on a farm in Western Texas, he prayed for the wind to stop. Now, he has changed his mind. “Let it blow, Lord!” he said.

Texas is now the number one wind energy producing state in the U.S. “Our goal is to create an environment in the state of Texas where we can not only find the innovative ways to impact our environment in the least harmful way, but also to create energy,” Perry said.

Written exclusively for AmCham by Charlotte West, Battison & Partners


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