Newsletter November 2011

Ms. Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Federal Minister of Justice of Germany, visited the German American Chamber of Commerce during her three-day visit to New York discussing the challenges for German investors and German trade in the U.S.
At an open forum and presentation "Ask the Minister" at the European Legal Studies Center at Columbia Law school, she spoke on today's pressing legal issues highlightening the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany:"Three Shining Stars - Protecting Human Rights in Germany and Europe" before a packed audience of 300 students.

Cover Story
Producing Locally – Thinking Globally: A Closer Look at Hansgrohe North America & Its Prominent Role in the K+B Industry
Gender Quota - Is a Voluntary Code of Practice enough?
We asked three women who are entrepreneurs and leading role models for their industries about their opinion on the move of 30 DAX blue-chip corporations in Germany to reserve 35 percent of senior management jobs for women by 2020.
State Special
Wisconsin - A Second Home to German Business
Spotlights
Blue-Collar Jobs are History Companies and Policy Makers Discuss the Future of Vocational Education in the U.S.
Growing for Good – German automakers Pick Up Speed in Dixie
7th Germany California Solar Day

Click here to download the full pdf or our flipbook version.

Financing Solutions for Imports from Germany

Join us at the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany:
871 United Nations Plaza (1st Avenue at 49th Street)
New York, NY 10117
Monday, November 14, 2011
3:00-6:00pm
Registration starts at 2:30pm

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., together with the Bayern LB, the Commerzbank AG, the DZ BANK AG as well as KfW IPEX-Bank will present and discuss Financing Solutions for Imports from Germany including Euler Hermes credit insurance. Banking and industry experts will take a closer look at customized measures to purchase capital equipment against the background of an ever more difficult environment for import credits for US clients.The conference will feature presentations from leading German institutions with a particular focus on export finance - Click here for the agenda and the list of panelist.

Space is limited! Please RSVP with Anne Wittig at awittig(at)gaccny.com or (212) 974-8837.
Supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology on the basis of decision by the German Bundestag
   

Join us for the presentation of the results of the annual German American Business Outlook Survey 2011/2012 on the New York Stock Exchange Trading Floor.
The German American Chambers of Commerce (GACCs), the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT) and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants conduct this survey annually to assess German investors’ projections for the U.S. economy, their opinion about the U.S. as an investment location and the current state of their U.S. subsidiaries.

Click here for more and to register for the event.

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. would like you to save the date for its 2012 New Year's Reception and Luncheon on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at the Harvard Club New York

Guest of honor:

Peter Ammon
German Ambassador to the U.S.

Official invitations to be sent out shortly.
Reserve a table for you and your guests now and become a sponsor of this event.

Please have a look at the Sponsorship Opportunities.

If you have questions in advance, please contact Anne Voss at events@gaccny.com or 212-974-8849

Business Opportunities at the United Nations in New York

On November 3rd/4th, the German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. held a seminar on UN Procurement at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations. Presentations by New York-based UN Organizations UNPD, UNDP, UNOPS, UNDB and Global Compact offered representatives of about 30 firms an exclusive insight into the regulations and policies of UN procurement. The presentations highlighted the advantages of business relationships with the UN to the potential vendors in the audience. At the same time, companies with prior UN procurement experience shared their insights with fellow seminar participants. Selected companies had the opportunity to talk to UN buyers in one-on-one meetings as well. There, they were able to pose questions as well as make a pitch for their own products and services. The seminar, sponsored by the German Ministry of
Economics and Technology, was held as part of a series of so-called “informative and interactive” events on the topic.

One of the benefits of living in New York City is that we have a functioning
infrastructure. Subways run 24 hours, there is free Wi-Fi in Bryant Park and at most coffee and laundry places and we can charge our phones, laptops, music players and even electric cars at any outlet at any time. But what happens when we all want to pop some popcorn at 8 PM for movies and all our neighbors also plug in their environmentally friendly electric cars simultaneously at 7:58 PM two minutes before the primetime movies start? We might have another blackout!
That’s why the operators of New York’s electric grid have unveiled a $74 million “smart grid” initiative to enhance energy efficiency. Just two months ago, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) broke ground for a $35.5 million control center across the Hudson River as part of the smart grid initiative to match electricity production with consumer demand. More

Importing wine and beer from Germany into the United States is not an easy task without the necessary licenses, contacts, and experience. This is the conclusion participants came to at the “German Wine and Beer in the U.S.” event, organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce in New York on Monday, October 24th 2011. The event, sponsored by the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), brought vintners and craft brewers from Germany together with US alcoholic beverage importers and industry experts to discuss the difficulties of entering the U.S. market and create a basis for future business opportunities.

The U.S. market for alcoholic beverages is characterized by a three-tiered distribution system, with a strict separation between producers (importers), distributors, and retailers. This system, combined with different alcoholic beverage laws among the 50 U.S. states, further complicates the market entry for foreign producers of beer, wine, and spirits. In order to assure a successful start in the U.S., foreign producers must understand the laws governing the market. The key is to identify the right importers who are not only willing to sell their products but also maintain good relationships with influential distributors. If done correctly, companies gain access to the largest market for alcoholic beverages in the world.

The German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) supports German food and agricultural companies entering foreign markets through a number of export initiatives with a total volume of five million Euros in 2011. These are specifically targeted at small and medium-sized organizations to induce job retention and long-term job creation, especially in rural areas.

Wind power has been among the fastest-growing sources of clean energy in the U.S. and Germany has been one of the early adopters of this technology.
On October 18, 2011 the German American Chamber of Commerce
brought together research scientist for wind energy and energy systems technology from Fraunhofer Institute, the leading German Scientific Research Institute as well as major U.S. market players from Maine to South Carolina. Representatives of companies such as Siemens Energy, NRG Bluewater Wind, and The Offshore Wind Development Coalition discussed important recent developments, information and exchanged industry related experiences.
Supported by The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology - Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) the conference focused on raising awareness of the state of the art developments in offshore wind in Europe as well as helping to spur growth for companies in the U.S.
Investing in wind power is also an investment in jobs, including operations, construction, manufacturing and many support sectors:  Even though the United States wind energy industry has navigated through another year without stable national renewable energy policy, wind power grew 15 percent in 2010, adding over 35 percent of all new generating capacities over the past 4 years – more than nuclear and coal combined. In 2010 wind power supply chain manufacturers continued to announce new U.S. facilities despite an uncertain economic climate. For example, Siemens announced a new assembly facility on Hutchinson, Kan., employing 500 people.

The German American Offshore Wind Conference is one in a series of events organized by the German American Chambers of Commerce on the topics of sustainability.  The next event in this series will concentrate on solar energy and will take place in March 2012.  For more information, please contact Matthew Allen at 212-974-8856 or mallen@gaccny.com.

Your country tour, part 3 on the Southwest

It is time to teach you about the various regions of the United States and what you need to know culturally for each one. Much like you shouldn’t ask for potato salad without mayonnaise when you’re at a business lunch in Hamburg, there are certain tips and tricks you should know if you’re in New York, Dallas or Seattle.

This is part three of our five-part series on the regions of the United States. Please feel free to add your own experiences in our comments section, as it will help us all learn! That and we have a word limit, so we can’t include everything [...]

• Continue reading How We Sink, our intercultural blog.