NEWS
New Executive Director on Board!
Dankeschön to Patron and
Sustaining Members
The AlabamaGermany Partnership has
selected Tine Hoffmeister as Executive
Director effective August 1. A native of
Denmark, Tine (pronounced Tina) lives in
Pelham. In recent years she has been involved in managing and owning physical
fitness facilities in Pelham, Tuscaloosa
and Connecticut.
Tine is fluent in Danish and English and
has been brushing up on her German.
Her organizational skills are already evident as she acclimates to the
AGP office. Back in Atlanta after three months in Ecuador, former administrative assistant Elvira Bolanos has spent time working with Tine.
Tine majored in Math and Physics at Ordrup College in Denmark and
has a Bachelor's degree in Sales & Marketing from Copenhagen Business School. Tine will work three days
per week for a few months and then assume a full-time role. She will
be an active part of the Aug. 23 Board Meeting in Montgomery.
We are excited to have Tine accept leadership for AGP.
NEWS
Alabama's Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai plants get
busier
Adapted from article by Dawn Kent, al.com
Alabama's three auto plants are ramping up staffing, filling more than
2,500 new jobs tied to the latest surge in global industry demand and
new models planned for state assembly lines. Beyond that, there are
certainly hundreds and potentially thousands of jobs being created at
supplier plants, as those companies try to keep pace with the automakers' growing output levels.
Besides adding jobs and expanding plant capacity, Alabama's auto industry is making key adjustments -- including overtime schedules and
shift changes -- that allow the companies to respond to changing market conditions without investing huge sums of money in new people
and facilities. In that respect, it's also a healthy time for the companies' bottom lines, said Lew Drummond, executive director of the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.
"It should be a more profitable time for all parties involved, because
you're getting greater utilization out of your fixed assets," he said.
U.S. auto demand has been on an upswing since the downturn of 2008
and 2009. And while the state auto industry began to show signs of life
again in 2010, the past year's activity of new job and investment announcements is notable. Consider: Hyundai is adding a third shift at its
Montgomery factory and hiring 877 new workers, while MercedesBenz continues to implement an extra $2.4 billion in projects and
1,400 new hires at its Tuscaloosa County plant in Vance.
Meanwhile, some suppliers have stretched to three shifts a day, six or
seven days a week, to meet the needs of the automakers. It's difficult
to pinpoint the broad impact of new supplier projects and expansions,
since many are not announced publicly.
For the automakers themselves, each approach is different when it
comes to meeting growing market demand. Mercedes is adding a third
shift at its Tuscaloosa County plant, but it's a temporary move as one
of the assembly lines is being idled for a time to prepare for the addition of the C-Class sedan. Employees there also have been working
overtime to match increased demand.
Welcome New AGP Members
Daniel Hypes
German Quote
There are only two ways to establish competitive advantage; do
things better than others or do
them differently.
Es gibt nur zwei Möglichkeiten, um
Wettbewerbsvorteile zu etablieren;
die Dinge besser als andere oder
tun sie anders.
- Karl Albrecht
AGP Member News Ticker
Latest News From BASF
Latest News from Mercedes
Latest News from Rodl Warren Averett
Latest News from Siemens
Latest News from ThyssenKrupp
Stainless USA
Latest News from ThyssenKrupp
Steel USA
German companies:
please send us your news link to
[email protected]
With all the hiring activity in the industry, there's pressure on Alabama's workforce training agencies to supply qualified people to fill
those jobs. Drummond said the pressure on training programs is becoming an issue in states across the Southeast, which has become a
favorite landing spot for foreign automakers looking to expand their
operations over the past 20 years. Automakers are actively crossing
state borders to fill out their work forces, Drummond said. For example, Nissan's Southeastern U.S. factories are recruiting qualified technicians in Alabama, he said.
How many Americans live in
Germany?
"You can't blame Nissan," he said. "However, when they take potential
applicants out of the Alabama arena, that puts a strain on the Alabama
companies."
Wie viele Amerikaner leben in
Deutschland?
Test Your Knowledge
Think you know the answer?
NEWS
Send it to [email protected]
Upcoming Oktoberfest Festivities:
Oompah!
German Word of the Month
The Original Birmingham Oktoberfest at
Das Haus
September 13-15
www.fdsk-dashaus.org
Cullman Oktoberfest
October 6-13
www.cullmanoktoberfest.com
As the mercury rises during the
summer months, folks find themselves
enjoying some downtime in air
conditioned interiors or lounging
alongside pools or breezy shorelines.
Too much of such “lazing about”
however could lead people to brand
you a “Faulpelz.”
HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL’S CORNER
Consul General Görgens says aufwiedersehen
On July 26, Dr. Lutz Görgens and his wife, Ulrike, held a farewell reception at the official residence in Atlanta. The Görgens' tenure in Atlanta
has drawn to a close after six years. They now prepare to leave for Tokyo, Dr. Görgens' next posting with the German Foreign Office, or Auswärtiges Amt.
UPCOMING GACC DATES
German Bierfest
August 25, 2012
Atlanta, GA
Buy your Ticket!
GACC South's Annual Gala
Saturday, November 10, 2012
St. Regis Atlanta
Dr. Görgens began his posting at the Consulate General of Germany in
Atlanta in 2006 as the Deputy Consul General. He then took over as
Consul General the following year. Most of the residents within the
Consulate's jurisdiction for the southeastern US know him affectionately as "Lutz." Alabama has enjoyed a strong and cordial relationship
with Lutz over the years, as he has been a frequent and willing visitor.
As a career diplomat in the German Foreign Service, Lutz is charged
with certain duties and responsibilities. But the level of enthusiasm,
good cheer and sincere interest with which he has carried out his consular tasks has endeared Lutz to many of us, and has greatly contributed to further and foster the very important relationship between Alabama and Germany.
Always eloquent, in full sartorial splendor and with impressive erudition, Lutz has lent his boundless energy, support and presence to
countless events in the cultural, diplomatic, educational and business
arenas. In addition to covering six Southeastern states, Lutz has led the
Consular Corps in Atlanta as its Dean for the last several years.
As we prepare to welcome the new Consul General in the near future,
let us express thanks to Lutz for his friendship and constant support of
Alabama, and wish him well in his next post as head of the Economic
Desk in Tokyo. I urge the members of the AGP and all of the residents
of Alabama with an interest in Germany to pay homage to Lutz's legacy of friendship with Alabama by continuing to foster greater cultural,
educational and commercial ties between us.
Platinum Table (10 seats): $7,500
Gold Table (10 seats): $5,000
Silver Table (10 seats): $4,000
Bronze Table (10 seats): $3,000
Shared Silver Table (5 seats): $2,500
Shared Bronze Table(5 seats): $2,000
For sponsorship benefits, click here.
Following dinner, a live band, dancing
and a silent auction fill out the program.
Questions? Contact us at
[email protected] or
404-586-6810.
Congratulations to Moreson
Conferencing and our Board
member, Mark Jackson, CFO
and Chairman, for being
named Birmingham’s Face
of International Business
TV Tips
There are five German channels
available on DISH by subscription:
Deutsche Welle, MyGermanTV,
MyGermanTV+, ProSiebenSat, 1 Welt
and GermanKinoPlus.
Deutsche Welle is also available on
various cable stations in the US.
Source: www.dw.de
FEATURE
Six Questions for Claudia Zimmerman
AGP Board member Claudia Zimmermann is a
very busy person, and has been for a very
long time. As Director of Economic Development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, she has been involved with the recruitment of ThyssenKrupp, Airbus and many
other companies to the Mobile area. We
caught up with her recently between flights for a brief Q & A.
1) The two ThyssenKrupp projects were huge in scope and in impact
on the Mobile area. Give us an idea of the timeframe that you
worked on for these two projects.
Project Compass, the ThyssenKrupp Steel part of the project, came
first in February of 2006. Project New Star, the Stainless project, followed a few months later, increasing the scope of the project even
more. Both projects were announced in May 2007. So Team Alabama
worked on bringing ThyssenKrupp to Alabama for 15 months. During
those 15 months, the different TK and consultant project teams visited
Mobile and the site more than 15 times. It was an all-around huge project.
2) And then came Airbus! Most industry recruiters may see one huge
project in a career, but your workload and life changed again. What
was the most challenging aspect of this project from your perspective?
The toughest part was patience and staying the course. Keeping the
faith that Mobile’s hard work would pay off, no matter what politics
were at plan. As you can imagine, we were all very invested in the project: the Chamber, the City, the County, the State and the citizens of
Mobile. It was a long haul, over seven years, through multiple ups and
downs, victories and defeats, but we stood by EADS and Airbus, and
they stood by us, and we all won in the end. The TK projects and the
Airbus project were game changers for Mobile and Alabama, and I am
very fortunate and proud to have been involved with them and with
the Chamber to the realization of those amazing projects.
3) Please give us an idea of your background and the things that
helped prepare you for international recruiting?
Growing up in Germany and coming here to go to school gave me a
good understanding of the cultural differences between the U.S. and
other countries. I studied international relations and economic development in college, which gave me a good foundation to work in international recruiting. And I’ve been fortunate to work and learn under
excellent economic developers who taught and are teaching me how
to actually practice economic development. Probably the most important virtues of an economic developer, besides knowing your product, are being a good listener and problem solver in order to make the
clients feel comfortable, alleviate their concerns and come up with solutions to all kinds of problems that may arise. And on an international
scope, it is important to know the cultural sensitivities of a people.
4) In your spare time between huge projects, what was the nature of
other projects that announced in the Mobile area?
Foreign Direct Investment continues to grow in Mobile. We have
about 30 companies from 18 different countries, representing a diversity of sectors, such as the chemical, aerospace, steel and shipbuilding
industries. Many of them are in growth mode, so we have been able to
announce expansions for our shipbuilders and chemical companies,
and we’ve started to really focus on the oil and gas industry, which has
great potential for Mobile. Aker Subsea, a Norwegian company which
makes umbilicals for the oil and gas industry, has had three expansions
in the last three years, and they continue to bring more of their business to Mobile. Plus we’ve announced several ThyssenKrupp-related
projects in the last year or so. Since 2007, we’ve announced 10,764
jobs and an investment total of $6,807,510,000.
5) Anything on the horizon you can share with AlabamaGermany
Partnership readers?
AlabamaGermany Partnership
Executive Committee
AGP Chairman
Gerhard Graf
Graf & Associates
Vice Chair/Chair Elect
Bryan Winter
Lewis, Smyth & Winter, PC
VP, Business Development
Mark Sheppard
Alabama State Port Authority
VP, Culture
Dr. Thomas Fox
University of Alabama
VP, Education
Dr. Anne-Katrin Gramberg
Auburn University
VP, Communications
Warren McCullars
Alagasco
VP, Membership
Lamar Smith
Smith & Associates
Secretary
Judy Benson
Johnson Controls
Treasurer
Jim Robertson
Rödl Warren Averett LLC
Immediate Past Chair
Arndt Siepmann
City of Auburn
AGP Affiliates
Consulate General of the Federal
Republic of Germany Atlanta
Lutz Hermann Görgens, Ph.D.
Marquis Two Tower, Suite 901
285 Peachtree Center Avenue, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia, 30303-1221
Phone: (404) 659 4760
www.germany.info/atlanta
Honorary Consul of the
Federal Republic of Germany
for the State of Alabama
Michael Johnson
Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP
[email protected]
Phone: (205) 458.9421
German American Chamber
of Commerce of
the Southern United States, Inc.
Martina Stegmeier
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: (404) 586-6800
www.gaccsouth.com/en
Well, as you know, in economic development confidentiality is key. We
have a lot in our pipeline right now, more project activity than we’ve
seen in a long time. But I better not say too much, mum’s the word!
6) Tell us what the Farnborough International Airshow was like.
Farnborough is a small town just outside of London and has hosted the
Farnborough International Airshow for decades on its Airfield. Every
two years, several huge halls are constructed to house more than
1,000 exhibitors and over 120,000 trade visitors. To make sense of the
chaos, the Mobile delegation (just like other delegations from Alabama) pre-schedules one-on-one appointments with targeted exhibitors to market Mobile’s assets to potential prospects. This year was a
happy year as all of us from Alabama were able to talk about Airbus
coming to Mobile and promote other aerospace efforts in our state
and communities. Everyone’s schedules are hectic, catching the train
early to get to the show as it opens, running from meeting to meeting
all day and entertaining prospects at night while the air shows are in
wonderful world-class cities like Paris, London and Berlin, we usually
don’t get to see much of the cities but become very familiar with the
halls at the trade fairs. After the air show week is over, booths, pavilions and halls are torn down, just to be rebuilt two years later.
NEWS
German Language Movie Nights
Saturday, August 25th 7 pm
Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta
Admission: $5 for GCC and AF members, $15 non-members
As part of their ongoing film series, the German
Cultural Center Atlanta presents
Sophie Scholl—die letzen Tage”
Light refreshments provided
In 1943, as Hitler continues to wage war across
Europe, a group of college students mount an underground resistance movement in Munich. Dedicated expressly to the downfall of the monolithic Third Reich war machine, they call themselves the “White Rose.” One of its few female
members, Sophie Scholl, is captured with her brother during a dangerous mission to distribute pamphlets. Unwavering in her conviction and
loyalty to the White Rose, her cross-examination by the Gestapo
quickly escalates into a test of wills as School delivered a passionate
call to freedom and personal responsibility.
This movie will be shown in conjunction with the exhibit “Die Weiẞe
Rose,” which is on display at the Goethe-Zentrum from June 18 to
August 31!
NEWS
The Secret of the First Grade Candy
Cone
Every year, eager first graders stand by their
primary schools in Germany, happily holding
large Schultüten, or candy cones. Filled with
sweets and gifts and decorated with ribbons
and crepe paper, candy cones make the new
students’ hearts beat faster as they move from
kindergarten to primary school. Where did this
charming custom come from?
The tradition dates back to 1810, with the first candy cones in Thuringia and Saxony. According to legend, at the teacher’s home stands a
tree decorated with a candy cone for every child. Once the tree has
matured, it is time to begin school and the candy cones are handed
out. In those days, godparents gave children the cone-shaped packages, which were filled only with sweets. In eastern Germany, the kindergarteners even had a candy cone party, at which students were promenaded before their families before being allowed to remove a candy
cone from a beautifully decorated tree. Today, candy cones can be
bought in all shapes and sizes, and are filled with school materials,
small trinkets, toys and sweets.
Written by Denise Kotulla. Translation: German Embassy
Alabama Germany Partnership German American Chamber of Commerce German Consulate General Atlanta