WORDS FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SACC-USA hopes everyone had a lovely holiday season. We look forward to 2017 as we continue to promote business opportunities between Sweden and the United States. SACC-USA detects such a strong interest from Swedish companies in the American market, including from SMEs, which is a good sign for a good 2017.
Another positive sign is that OECD estimates that the U.S. economic growth will strengthen in 2017 and 2018 when an expected financial stimulus from the incoming U.S. government gives boost to the economy. For a small, export dependent country like Sweden it is important to be aware of which opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in this giant market. SACC-USA will follow these developments closely during the year and devote our Flagship Event, the Executive Forum, to an analysis of the new trade agenda and what it will mean for Swedish-American trade. Please join us in Washington D.C. on June 1.
Otherwise SACC-USA has had a great 2016. With 19 SACC Chambers we are arranging trade promotion activities all around the country, all around the year. People in our organization are walking the extra mile to support Swedish-American business and it is fantastic that Sweden has a network like this. It really underscores Sweden's tight business links to the U.S. So if you are not already a member in a SACC Chamber, please become a corporate or individual member and join us in supporting trade between two great nations, Sweden and the U.S. It creates value!
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APPLY FOR SWEDISH INTERN NOW!
The SACC-USA Trainee Program offers American companies the opportunity to host interns and trainees from Sweden on a J-1 visa.
Interns support your company hands-on in their area of study up to 12 months, and Trainees provide support up to 18 months in their occupational field.
A highly motivated, bilingual and well educated Swedish exchange visitor will
contribute enthusiasm, knowledge and a European perspective to your company.
Apply now, we have your candidate!
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COMING UP
Save the date for our flagship event, Executive Forum 2017, that will be held on June 1st in House of Sweden, Washington D.C.
The 2017 edition of the Executive Forum is arranged in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden and will provide updates and in-depth analyses of the new trade agenda and the first 100 days into the new administration. The event will also target Swedish-American business from several crucial perspectives and will be a great opportunity to get an analysis of business opportunities and challenges in the new administration and to network with business leaders, government representatives and other decision makers. Please stay tuned for more information to come.
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The Upcoming Inauguration and Expectations for the New Administration
Expectations for the New Administration
With the upcoming inauguration approaching quickly, all eyes are turned toward the new administration. This year's inauguration on January 20th will mark a significant shift in both Washington and United States' role in the world.
Since the election, policy experts and the business community have been squarely focused on the incoming administration's plans. Given president-elect, Donald Trump's varied rhetoric throughout the campaign, there remains much speculation about many aspects of his policy proposals and how they might effect both the American and world economies.
In the wake of the election, a strong stock market performance as well as expert opinions have indicated optimism about economic growth in the United States. This positive outlook is driven by expectations that Trump's promises to cut taxes and support infrastructure spending will encourage consumer spending and business investment, as well as create jobs and boost long-run productivity. In contract to such positive expectations, however, much doubt and concern remains about many of Trump's proposals. A possible reverse of course on the United States' long-standing support of free trade, including the much-alluded-to potential steep tariffs on imports from China and Mexico, is a particular point of concern.
Much remains to be seen, the impact of the Trump administration's policies on the world economy will hinge upon what direction the administration takes on trade policy and the potential outcomes of any dramatic change of course in that domain.
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Perspectives from our Regional Chambers
eCurrent spoke with SACC-Chicago, SACC-Arizona & SACC-LA about 2016/2017
Time flies and another year has passed. After a busy year for our unique SACC network with many interesting events all over the country, we now take time to reflect on the past year. Recently, eCurrents spoke to 3 of our 19 Regional Chambers to hear their thoughts about 2016 as well as their hopes for 2017.
2016 was a successful and productive year for SACC-Arizona and marked the chamber's 20th anniversary. The anniversary inspired a busy event-schedule with more events than usual. In October, SACC-Arizona hosted their biggest event of the year called Trade Summit. Present at this year's Trade Summit were representatives
from the Swedish Embassy; Ambassador of Sweden to the United States, H.E. Björn Lyrvall and Counselor for Trade and Economic Affairs, Anders Ershammar.
Tobias Lofstrand, President of SACC-Arizona, has bright expectations for 2017. He told eCurrent that the focus for the coming year will be to host several smaller events, as well as one big one, similar to last year's Trade Summit. Tobias also said he will seek expanded cooperation with other bilateral international organizations based in Arizona.
"Next year SACC-Arizona will start to work more in collaboration with other international organizations based in Arizona to be able to engage more people and extend our network."
In 2016, SACC-Chicago brought many high profile speakers to their events.
Gunn Johnsson,
Executive Director of SAC
C-Chicago divulged that SACC-Chicago already has many interesting speakers booked for this year as well. This year's list includes, Mats Knagge from SAS, Jim Solyst from Swedish Match, and Johan Lanfors from AkzoNobel among others.
"The theme for 2017's events is going to be innovation",
explained Gunn.
"We will also focus on getting more members during 2017 and try to attract them through our events with high profile speakers and our innovation theme".
Gudrun Giddings, President/Chair SACC-LA explained that,
"2016 has been a great year for SACC-LA thanks to all the great Swedish companies and talented people" SACC-LA hosted some fantastic events during 2016 including the Swedish Affair, the Gender Parity Summit
"50/50 by 2020", and an Oscar Screening Party. Their events attracted celebrities, dignitaries and top execs such as actor and director Dolph Lundgren; Björn Lyrvall, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States; Linda Zachrison, Cultural Counselor Embassy of Sweden in the U.S. and, Anna Serner, CEO at The Swedish Film Institute.
Gudrun is very proud of SACC-LA's success and feels excited for 2017
. "We will keep hosting brilliant events of course, but will also focus more on collaborating with Nordic organizations based in LA as well as grow our Young Professional team" says Gudrun.
Please see our website to keep posted on further Regional Chamber Activities!
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Self-driving Vehicles will Change American Cities
North American cities are now embracing the coming of a new technology - self-driving vehicles.
Uber Technologies has been offering residents of Pittsburgh rides in autonomous cars as part of a pilot program. The City of Ohio was awarded $50 million over the summer to develop intelligent transportation systems, including driverless vehicles. California has recently developed regulations to pave the way for the introduction of autonomous vehicles to its roads. Ford is targeting fully autonomous vehicles by 2021, while BMW and Volvo Cars claim they will produce driverless vehicles by 2021 or sooner.
Self-driving cars, once seen as something out of a science fiction movies, are now viewed as an inevitable technological step.
Peter Miscovich, Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at JLL believe that autonomous vehicles have great potential and have great implications for people, infrastructure and cites across America. "Passengers could use them as potential workspaces, making daily commutes more tolerable and productive for work activities." Furthermore, Miscovich believes that autonomous vehicles will help make American cities become much more livable with more walkable space. But there are still many challenges to face. Companies such as Google and Tesla may be testing on roads, but self-driving cars are far from a proven entity. "The computer systems and interface to manage all these vehicles are years away from sorting out all the details" says Miscovich.
Read the fully article and see diagram here!
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It looks to be a Bright Year for Venture Capitalism in the U.S.
Venture capitalists have high expectations for the upcoming year
In 2016, the amount of money invested in
start-ups
in the United States was down
15% from 2015, falling for the first time in four years. However venture capitalists have high expectations for the upcoming year. The mild skepticism that characterized the past year is expected to give way to enthusiasm, buoyed by several big players, including Snap Inc., Snapchat's parent company and Sweden's Spotify preparing to go public. Jackie Keller, the Americas I.P.O. leader for Ernst and Young explained that the momentum generated by big players in
combination with a strong,
post-
election
stock market should drive
robust performance
for I.P.O.s in 2017.
Learn more about
the
outlook for start-
up
funding here!
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Sweden is in a Class of its Own
2016 was another record year for Nordic tech funding
In
dexed to 2012, the greater Nordic region's funding grew almost 600%, according to Funderbeam, whose report on Nordic startup funding summarizes the key numbers in the first 10 months of 2016. Sweden is in a class of its own, while Finland, showing strong funding performance in finance, has claimed the second spot from Denmark. Sweden's lead was helped by a massive capital injection into Spotify.
Read the full report here!
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Swedish Entrepreneur Ranked by POLITICO
Daniel Ek, co-founder of Spotify, ranked as one of 28 to shape 2017
2016 was a year full of surprises and who knows what 2017 holds in store?
POLITICO has created a list of 28 people who it predicts as most likely to shape 2017 and beyond. 17 men and 11 women from 28 different countries hailing from politics, business, media and art were selected and ranked. Daniel Ek, Swedish entrepreneur, technologist, and co-founder and CEO of Spotify, was ranked as number 6, out of 28, to shape the year. Others on the list where Sadiq Khan, British politician and mayor of London; Fraunke Petry, German politician and party chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany and Michael O L'eary, Irish businessman and the chief executive director of the Irish airline Ryanair.
Read more about POLITICO's ranking and see the full list here!
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Zurich, Singapore and Stockholm were Ranked Sustainabile Cities
Ranking based on social, environmental and economic factors
Arcadis, a design and consultancy firm, and the Centre for Economic and Business Research, created a ranking of the 10 most sustainable cities around the world.
Zurich, Singapore and Stockholm were ranked as top three. The ranking was based on three pillars;
social, quality of life, assessing areas such as health, education and work-life balance;
environmental, energy consumption, renewable energy share, and green spaces and
economic factors, economic health of the city, ease of doing business, GDP per capita and connectivity. Arcadis explained that being a sustainability city is balancing the immediate needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow. Vienna, London, Frankfurt, Seoul, Hamburg, Prague and Munich complete the list. Read the full report
here!
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Mid Sweden Sustainability Exchange Program
Griffin Charnas gained valuable experience working at SCA
Last fall, Griffin Charnas from Darien, Ill., did an internship with SCA in Sundsvall, Sweden, as part of the Mid-Sweden Sustainability Exchange Program. This program is a collaboration between Mid-Sweden Chamber of Commerce; the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C.; and the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce (SACC-USA). Griffin Charnas has a passion for corporate social responsibility and sustainability. He is a recent graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champlain with a B.Sc. in Earth, Society and Environmental Studies.
Upon graduation, Griffin Charnas knew he wanted to work with sustainability and environmental issues. He has completed previous internships with Cook Country Forest Preserve and the Illinois State Water Survey. Looking for something new and a little out of his comfort zone, Griffin came across the Mid Sweden Sustainability Exchange Program on his university's job board. Where better to go than Sweden, a global leader in sustainability and preserving the environment. The Mid Sweden Sustainability Exchange Program provided him with an opportunity to gain valuable experience working at SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company.
"I have seen how SCA views sustainability as a major pillar of their business and not just an afterthought. From forest management to their global health initiatives, SCA shows how much it values the interests of all stakeholders and has been a great company for me to take notes from."
At SCA Griffin conducts research on the current markets for biofuels and renewable energy where he will compile all his findings into a final presentation. When he began at SCA, Griffin did not have a
background in forest products or the personal hygiene industry, but he has gained valuable knowledge in both areas since he has started at SCA. Working abroad has given Griffin a new appreciation for the world and more specifically, what he wants to do in the future. "SCA is a leader in their industry for sustainability and pairing that with the cultural experience is a great opportunity for me."
This is the third year SCA has an intern from the U.S. and SCA is very pleased with the experience. "The American interns at SCA have all surprised us with their capabilities and skills. They are eager to learn about our company and our country and about how we conduct our business sustainably," says Jerker Jäder , Ph.D., Manager Product Technology at SCA. He thinks Griffin was a really good fit, "In a very limited time, Griffin managed to successfully complete a demanding task of considerable volume. The results will be of great use for the company in the future." He continues, "It is our hope that Griffin and other interns leave us with the conviction that profitability and sustainability can very well go hand in hand."
SACC-USA would like to implement additional practical training programs for Americans in Sweden. Swedish companies interested in hosting an American intern are welcome to contact SACC-USA, [email protected], for assistance in finding excellent American candidates.
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Offer to SACC Members from Volvo
Benefits with Volvo's A-Plan Plus membership
Volvo's transformation is in full bloom with new models and new product investments such as Drive-E power trains and connectivity that links Volvo cars to the world. Refined Scandinavian design and safety strengthen Volvo's commitment to its "Designed Around You" philosophy.
Volvo would therefore like to invite SACC members to become A-Plan Plus members, which is a level of service developed exclusi
vely for SACC members that is only available through Volvo's A-Plan Plus specialists at Volvo Cars of North America. The offer includes:
-Transparent A-Plan discounted pricing, being approximately 6% off MSRP on eligible models (
the same price Volvo Car USA employees pay).
-An additional $500 bonus on top of any local incentives and offers on eligible models.
Choose where to pick up your new Volvo in the U.S. or in Sweden through our Overseas Delivery Program.
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Offer to SACC Members from Orrefors & Kosta Boda
40% discount on opening order for all products
F
or almost 275 years, Orrefors and Kosta Boda have created crystal and glassware of the finest quality, influenced by the beauty of Sweden's nature. Orrefors has just released a number of fine Craft Beers and has also worked with Volvo to create a crystal gearshift for the new 2016 Volvo CX90. Kosta Boda is renowned for its ingenious and dynamic designs and is a leader in the glassware and art glass field.
Together these companies hold a strong role in the international market and are expected to continue to grow.
SACC members can enjoy a 40% discount off of retail prices on your opening order for all Orrefors and Kosta Boda products.
SACC members: please contact Donna Nardella, Corporate Director, at [email protected] for the discount.
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SACC-USA's flagship event will take place on June 1st
in Washington, D.C.
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SACC REGIONAL CHAMBER EVENTS
What's Happening at Our Regional Chambers
January 12th
SACC-DC host a kick-off for their Mentor Program. The Mentor program aims to connect ambitious young mentees with experienced mentors. The goal of the program is to provide a platform where ideas and knowledge can be shared.
January 26th
SACC-Chicago host their Annual Meeting with a Trade Show at the Swedish American Museum.
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