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American Express |
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The story of American
Express is a fascinating one, filled with
interesting and sometimes quirky characters who --
through a combination of brains, perseverance and
luck -- shaped the company's development during
the past century and a half.
The express company that
forwarded freight and valuables evolved into a
company that created and sold financial products
like money orders and travelers cheques. Following
an era of international expansion, the company
became an entity perhaps best known for its charge
card. Today, American Express is a global payments
company.
The attributes that today
are the hallmarks of the American Express brand --
trust, integrity, security, quality, customer
service -- all have their roots in this compelling
story. In this history, as well, are the genesis
and development of the company's aspiration to
become the world's most respected service brand.
Our Values
Since its founding in 1850,
American Express has conducted business according
to several guiding principles that over the years
have become inextricably linked with the
company’s brand, products, services and – perhaps
most notably – its people. Generations before the
phrase “company values” entered the corporate
lexicon, American Express employees across the
organization were demonstrating the same core
principles upheld by the company today:
Customer
Commitment
We develop relationships
that make a positive difference in our customers’
lives.
Quality
We provide outstanding
products and unsurpassed service that, together,
deliver premium value to our customers.
Integrity
We uphold the highest
standards of integrity in all of our actions.
Teamwork
We work together, across
boundaries, to meet the needs of our customers
and to help the company win.
Respect for People
We value our people,
encourage their development and reward their
performance.
Good Citizenship
We are good citizens in the
communities in which we live and work.
A Will to Win
We exhibit a strong will to
win in the marketplace and in every aspect of our
business.
Personal
Accountability
We are personally
accountable for delivering on our commitments
Giving Back
In
June 2006, American Express announced the launch
of American Express Partners in Preservation, a
$10 million, five-year commitment to historic
preservation that renews the company's focus on
securing the use of cultural assets for the
future.
The American Express Partners in Preservation
program builds upon the company's decade-long
relationship with the
World Monuments Fund
(WMF) and establishes a partnership with the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. The
new program is dedicated to preserving sites both
in the U.S. and around the world.
American Express' partnership with the National
Trust seeks to increase public awareness of the
importance of historic and environmental
conservation in the United States, preserve
American historic and cultural landmarks and
strengthen local communities through preservation
efforts. The National Trust is a U.S. non-profit
organization dedicated to protecting and restoring
America's historic landmarks and communities. In
the past American Express has supported National
Trust for Historic Preservation initiatives,
including its Save America's Treasures and
Heritage Tourism programs.
American Express Partners in Preservation extends
the company's decade-long relationship with WMF
through a renewed commitment to preservation.
Based in New York, WMF is the foremost private
non-profit organization dedicated to preserving
the world's cultural and architectural heritage.
American Express is the founding sponsor of WMF's
World Monuments Watch program, established in 1995
to call international attention to and ensure the
preservation of cultural heritage sites around the
world threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed
conflict, or natural disaster. The company has
contributed more than $10 million over the past
ten years to help preserve 119 historic sites in
59 countries from the World Monuments Watch List
of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. Going forward,
sites chosen for grants will be chosen both from
the Watch List and from among other projects
identified by WMF as particularly in need of
funding.
Through the American Express Partners in
Preservation program, American Express will
provide $5 million for each partner to advance
their work in saving and restoring sites. American
Express and WMF recently announced that seven
endangered historic sites will receive funding
through the new American Express Partners in
Preservation program in 2006. The sites will
receive a total of $700,000, with an additional
$100,000 earmarked for emergencies. The sites
selected for funding are:
-
Argentina, Buenos Aires, Church of La Merced
-
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista
(National Museum)
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Croatia, Split, Diocletian's Palace
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Mexico, Puebla, Church of San Juan Bautista,
Cuauhtinchan
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Russia, Moscow, Ostankino Estate Museum
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Spain, Segovia, Aqueduct
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Sri Lanka, Historic Galle, Old Dutch Hospital
In late 2006 an additional
13 San Francisco Bay Area
historic sites
were selected to receive American Express Partners
in Preservation grants.
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