New Year Greetings from AGP Chair
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AlabamaGermany Partnership
Fond Memories and Ambitious Plans
2020 New Year
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As we close out a memorable 2019 and anticipate an impactful and exciting 2020, I can’t help but reflect on the generous and consistent support of our membership and sponsors. What a year we’ve had. What a journey we’ve traveled. From our Annual Dinner and Business Forum in March, our Second Annual Study Trip to Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, our dinners, many Stammtisch events and our sponsorship and support of many German cultural and business events across the state, we have built friendships, connected industry leadership, shared our vision with state, national and international leaders and supported all things German. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your support.
As special as 2019 was to our organization, 2020 brings tremendous promise for even greater impact on our businesses, citizens and state. The growing number of German-based businesses, educators and individuals provides opportunities to share our culture, relationships and resources with so many more.
Feeding off the energy and ability of our stellar executive director, Tine Hoffmeister, we are poised to advance our mission though more cultural and business events, more collaboration among industry and governmental leaders and a committed focus on partnering with education institutions in Alabama and Germany to support world-class apprenticeships and technically-advanced workplace training opportunities, especially in the evolving ecosystem of the manufacturing and service sectors of our economy.
To be a part of our ambitious plans, please mark your calendars for events such as our Annual Dinner at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville on March 4
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and our informative Annual Business Forum the following morning. Also consider joining us as we travel to Stuttgart, Nürnberg and Selb in early June to strengthen relationships and study the apprenticeship and training programs that have been so successful in Germany. If more local events are appealing, visit our newly-enhanced website or sign up for our emails to see when we will be in your neighborhood.
As always, please know how much we appreciate each of you and your organizations. We couldn’t be what we are and accomplish all we do for the German community in Alabama without your generous support.
I will close with one of my favorite quotes which certainly seems appropriate at the start of a new year:
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each year find you a better man.
– Benjamin Franklin
I wünsch dir ein frohes neues Jahr!
Bobby Ingram
AGP Chair
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Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:
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Join Us for AGP 22nd Annual Celebration Dinner
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Registration is now open for AGP's 22nd Annual Celebration Dinner:
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville
We are excited to announce the date for an evening of celebration of the Alabama-Germany friendship. Our biggest event of the year brings German and American leaders from industrial, cultural, educational and governmental sections together.
Program:
5:30 p.m. Reception, Networking & Silent Auction under the Saturn V Rocket
7:00 p.m. Dinner Program including recognizing 2019 New and expanding German companies in Alabama, the Barbara Fischer Education Award and the prestigious Rainer Bauer Award.
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More information coming soon for our AGP Business Forum, Thursday, March 5 at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville. Please save the date!
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Thank you for your support as an AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP) member in 2019!
The support and sponsorship from our members enabled us to continue to grow the organization and its programming. This past year we were able to host and/or support: Sustainable Mobility Forum in cooperation with German American Chamber of Commerce South; Workforce Business Forum; German Federal Minister Altmaier and German Ambassador Haber’s visit to Alabama; Lunch & Learn with the Canadian Consul; German Dinners; Networking Events; AGP Study Trip to Germany; Cross-Cultural Training; German Unity Day; Fall of the (Berlin) Wall; German class school visits; German language immersion weekend for high school students; monthly AGP Stammtisch; hosting AGP Young Professionals group and AGP’s German Business Committee, plus more.
Membership renewals have been sent out and we hope you will renew your membership or become a new member TODAY! Your support will help us keep providing new programming and our ability to connect businesses, organizations, governments, and individuals. Didn’t get your renewal? Email us at
director@alabamagermany.org
or use link below to renew.
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We are looking forward to an exciting 2020 with y’all!
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Corporate / Sustaining
Fredy Franke
CEO
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Airbus Plans to Expand Their A320 Production in Mobile
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Earlier this month,
Airbus
officials announced the company was making a $40 million capital investment in Mobile to step-up production of its A320 family of aircraft and will hire an additional 275 employees.
“Continued growth and expansion at Airbus is a tremendous benefit to the Mobile community. Over the last five-plus years, we’ve seen the region’s influence grow in the aerospace arena drawing additional suppliers, and with today’s announcement more than 1,250 high-paying jobs added to our community,” said
David Rodgers
, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.
Airbus plans to produce 63 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2021. The company will expand its industrial footprint in the U.S. by increasing the production rate of A320 family aircraft at its Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile to seven per month by the beginning of next year. This will bring Airbus' total total investment to more than $1 billion in Mobile.
Reflecting on the growth and continued investment in the U.S., Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO C. Jeffrey Knittel said, “Airbus has been manufacturing in the U.S. for many years now through our helicopter, aircraft and satellite products. This increase in commercial aircraft production in Mobile is an exciting expansion of our significant industrial investment in the U.S., and it continues Airbus’ positive contribution to American aerospace.”
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Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:
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Alabama’s Automakers are Booming
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By William Thornton, AL.com
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Work continues on several expansions at Mercedes-Benz’s Tuscaloosa County plant. Back in 2018, the German automaker announced a $1 billion expansion that would position it to build electric cars, including a 1 million square foot battery plant near the vehicle factory. It would be the company’s fifth battery plant globally.
In addition, the company announced an 800,000-square-foot Consolidation Center to supply overseas assembly plants with car kits - basically everything to assemble a vehicle. Mercedes also planned a 1.3 million square foot after-sales hub, located next door to the logistic center, providing spare parts for overseas markets.
The consolidation center is operational, while the Global Service Parts Center is near completion. Operations could moved into the building by the second quarter of 2020, said Felyicia Jerald, communications manager for Mercedes-Benz.
Early construction is underway for the battery plant. The building will be enclosed by the third or fourth quarter of 2020, with equipment installation and training expected to extend into 2021.
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I.K. Hofmann USA opens Tuscaloosa Branch Office
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AGP would like to congratulate our member: German staffing and recruiting company, I.K. Hofmann USA, on their newly opened Tuscaloosa branch office.
“While we have serviced the Alabama market for more than six months, we are excited to open an office in the Tuscaloosa Community. Our goal is to provide more than 100 jobs to people in the area by the end of January and grow from there!” Andy Decker, CEO.
I.K. Hofmann GmbH, was founded in Germany in 1985 and has established more than 100 branch offices in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Italy, Slovakia, and the United States. With the development of their U.S. location, I.K. Hofmann has secured themselves as a predominant authority in the staffing and recruiting industry. Holding strong to the ideals of their founder, Ingrid Hofmann, their goal is to create successful outcomes for both the candidate and the employer. Utilizing their strong global network, their recruiting agents provide high level workforce solutions.
Their mission is twofold: to support our community by leveraging our services to benefit the employer and provide resources to individuals who are seeking employment.
Learn more about I.K. Hofmann USA.
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German Students Class Visit in Madison
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German teacher Peggy Boynton's students enjoyed a visit from AGP intern Elaine and German company REHAU's HR manager Jana. Both being native German talked to the students about life in Germany including workforce culture and apprenticeship.
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Join us for our monthly AGP "Stammtisch":
Tuesday, February 4
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Brät Brot, Birmingham
What does "Stammtisch" mean? A Stammtisch is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly and casual get-together.
This is a great opportunity for German expats to meet and for other German speaking/practicing to improve your German. Speaking German is encouraged but not required. We meet every first Tuesday of the month.
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What Happening in Alabama
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AlabamaGermany Partnership
1900 International Parkway Drive, Suite 105
Birmingham, AL 35245 www.AlabamaGermany.org
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