October/2019
  AlabamaGermany Partnership   
1900 International Park Drive, Suite 105     Birmingham   AL 35243

                   205-943-4772          www.AlabamaGermany.org           E-mail                              
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In This Issue
AGP Brews & Brats
AGP Cross-Cultural 101
Article Headline
AGP Young Professionals Social Hour
AGP Lunch & Learn with The Consulate General of Canada
New AGP Intern
Plating-on-Plastic Expands Bolta's Global Reach
AGP Fall of the Wall
AGP Stammtisch
German Goose Dinner

Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:





 
 
Mercedes

  
 





 


What to do in Alabama

October 19-20
Gadsden 

October 19-20
Mentone

Orrville

October 22-26
Athens Storytelling Festival
Athens

October 25-26
Dauphin Island

October 26
Alabaster

October 26
Brundidge

October 26
Elberta

November 1-10
Dothan


Please note that the dates are shared to the best of our knowledge.
If you plan to attend any of the events - please make sure to check information directly with the host of the event. Thank you!  

Save the Dates
AGP's New Members

Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:


 


     


 
   








   
Events & Seminars Offered by AGP Members
AGP
Executive Committee
AGP Resources
Contact Us
Join Our List
AGP Brews, Brats & Networking in Tuscaloosa


Come join us for Brews, Brats & Networking:

Tuesday, October 22, 2019
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
301 Bistro, Tuscaloosa



We are excited to be back in Tuscaloosa for after-hours networking with sausage and pretzel bites. The event will be "Stammtisch" style: a friendly and casual get-together. The fee includes a beverage and appetizer. Come join us! 



AGP Cross-Cultural 101 



Please join us for our Cross-Cultural Workshop:

Tuesday, October 29, 2019
9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 
Birmingham

We will introduce American and German business executives to the fundamental cultural issues that arise when dealing with each other at both a professional and personal level. Learn what makes Germans so German and how Americans are perceived by their counterparts. 

 
The training is provided by:


ArtBreak - German Expressionist Artist Käthe Kollwitz
Article Subheading
Birmingham Museum of Art will present - ArtBreak - a 30-minute talk  on the life and work of German Expressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz, whose art is currently on display in our "Ways of Seeing: Portraits" exhibition in the Bohorfoush Gallery.
 
ArtBreaks are free and open to the public. Admission to the Museum is always free.

 
Meet a German Day with AGP Young Professionals
 

Liberty Park Middle School
 
Samford University

In celebration of  "Tag der deutschen Einheit" (German Unity Day) on October 3rd, AGP's chair of the Young Professionals, Pauline (native German), visited Samford University and  Liberty Park Middle School to talk about Germany. 

Thank you to German professor Dr. Angela Ferguson, Samford University, and German teacher Chase Trautwein, Liberty Park Middle School, for the invite. 

AGP Member RAPA receives Outstanding Quality Award  
Press Release by RAPA

On Wednesday, September 25th, 2019, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) traveled to Auburn, AL, to award RAPA LP with its distinguished "2018 Outstanding Quality Supplier" award. This is the third nomination, but the first year that the specialty valve manufacturer received the award. Less than 50 manufacturing locations worldwide will receive this honor. RAPA LP is a member of the RAPA Group located in Selb, Germany, located two hours North of Munich, Germany.

"Positive recognition from your customer is always an objective, and it has been since the Board of Directors choose to open a plant here in Auburn" said Mr. Kelly Nelson, President and CEO of RAPA LP. "Dr. Roman Pausch and his father Horst felt something special about the South and the sense of community, specifically the Auburn area, and I think they were accurate in that feeling." RAPA Group designs and manufactures a wide variety of Automotive, Industrial, and Medical valves and pumps. RAPA LP in Auburn is currently dedicated to the NAFTA Automotive market producing powertrain and suspension products.
 
RAPA GmbH will celebrate its 100th year of business in 2020. "With electrification and autonomous driving, the face of our business is changing rapidly and we stand ready for 'what's next'" Nelson added.
 
Introducing New AGP Intern
 
by Elaine Witza, AGP Intern


Hi, m y name is Elaine Witza and I'm the new intern here at AGP for the next 3 months. I'm a grad student at the University of Tübingen studying American Studies. 

I'm not new to Alabama in any way though. I spent most of my teenage years in Tuscaloosa, arriving in Alabama with my family when I was 15 and spending the next six years here. I graduated from Tuscaloosa Academy in 2013 and went on to study English at the University of Alabama, graduating in 2016 with an additional minor in German. 
Facts and Figures: a FDI study
by Elaine Witza, AGP Intern

It's not surprising that the USA is one of the most popular investment location, the country claiming the #1 spot on the ranks of Home of the Largest Amount of Foreign Direst Investment in the world.

And Germany is one of the largest investors. Coming in at rank 4, Germany holds a total of 10.9% of FDI shares. Germany is responsible for almost one-tenth of all jobs created in the US by foreign investors.

 

While there's a clear difference in distribution of foreign direct investment, German companies are active in every US state.  With California and Texas being responsible for the majority of American economic growth, they have the largest investments but German companies can still be found in many states where they have been present for decades including Alabama.

 
AGP Fall of the Wall
Article Subheading


This year, Berlin celebrates the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  On 9 November 1989, Berlin was reunited. The Berlin Wall fell - the end of the massive border complex that left Berlin divided into East and West for 28 years, tearing apart families, friends and neighbors .

Today, Berlin is known as a place of freedom, opportunity and individuality. But that was not always the case. On 13 August 1961, work began on constructing the Berlin Wall. It stood as a symbol of a divided city and country, of terror and the Cold War. Overnight, it changed an entire nation.
For many people, the fall of the Wall on 9 November 1989 was the best day of their lives - the day they regained their freedom through a Peaceful Revolution.

AGP will celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall on:

Fall of the Wall
Thursday, November 7, 2019
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Brät Brot, Birmingham


Join us at Birmingham's Biergarten with  German style food, beverages and networking (included in fee).  P re-registration is required.  Must be 21 of age to attend! 

Thank you to our generous sponsor:



AGP Stammtisch


Join us for our monthly AGP "Stammtisch":

Tuesday, November 5
5:00 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.

Save the Date for German Goose Dinner
Article Subheading
 

We are excited to have partnered up with Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook  (Birmingham) again this year to offer the German Holiday Goose Dinner. Join us:

Thursday, November 21, 2019
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m 
Grand Bohemian Hotel 
Mountain Brook/Birmingham


We invite you to relish in a delectable three-course menu perfectly accompanied with beer and wine. Aromatic dishes reminiscent of a warm hearth in the cool of winter will transport your senses to another place and time.