Adding the struggling New Orleans public transit system to its client list will barely cause a ripple at Veolia Environnement, the multinational, French conglomerate that reported $50 billion in revenue last year.

In fact, executives acknowledge their latest venture in Louisiana might have more prospect of peril than profit.

But the chief executive officer for the global giant with business interests in water, waste management, energy and transportation says it's a challenge that, if surmounted, could burnish his company's image as it seeks work in other urban areas grappling with transit issues.

"Of course it's a risk," said Henri Proglio, who since 2003 has headed a corporate empire with more than 335,000 employees, including 30,000 in the United States. "And just because it is a risk, it is worth doing it."

Proglio traveled to New Orleans from Paris recently to witness what his local team hoped would be an end to negotiations on a 10-year contract between Veolia and the Regional Transit Authority. Because three RTA board members were absent, the vote was postponed until today, when commissioners will be asked to authorize agency lawyers to hammer out a five-year deal that includes a five-year renewal option with Veolia.

As he toured the city, RTA facilities and New Orleans wastewater treatment plants run by his company last week, Proglio said that although he must always look out for stockholders, the bottom line is not always the determining factor in taking on a new business enterprise.