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The president and his top advisers have kept an open door for CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, keeping almost 1,000 appointments with them, a Reuters review of White House records shows. Of the hundreds of appointments listed, Obama himself was present at about half, ranging from intimate Oval Office gatherings to lavish state dinners. Obama is the first U.S. president to make White House visitor logs public."That number is the tip of the iceberg," said Valerie Jarrett, Obama's longest-serving senior adviser who runs his Office of Public Engagement. The president and his aides also regularly meet with representatives from the rest of the Fortune 500, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses, both in Washington and around the country, she said. The Reuters review included only the Fortune 100 list of largest companies, and was limited to White House meetings.Following tensions between the White House and business during the financial crisis, a turning point in the relationship came after the debt ceiling impasse in 2011 and the subsequent "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts in 2012, Jarrett said. Business leaders were alarmed that Congress seemed ready to blow through fiscal deadlines in spite of the effect on stock markets and the U.S. credit rating, and partnered with the White House to urge an end to the drama.Since then, CEOs and the White House have become allies in advocating for immigration reform, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and reauthorization for the Export-Import Bank.View galleryFile photo of U.S. President Obama meeting with Council …U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during his meeting with the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness a …"I do take a fair amount of grief from Republican colleagues who think that I've just like totally lost my mind," said Honeywell International Inc's David Cote, 63, the most frequent CEO visitor to Obama's White House, having turned up more than 50 times.Cote was part of a high-profile commission on the nation's debt in 2010 and serves on another advisory panel on technology and manufacturing. He said he thinks CEOs should not delegate their responsibility to help politicians understand business. "You've got to be able to talk about this stuff and have both sides understand the needs of the other," he said.Cote, a life-long Republican, said he doesn't always agree with Obama but enjoys talking with him, calling him "a very smart guy" who doesn't get enough credit for his work on the economy. For Obama and his advisers, spending time with CEOs means gaining valuable insights, while gaining support for various policies. For CEOs, White House encounters may produce tangible business benefits, not to mention providing an opportunity to hobnob with the most powerful man in the world.
