October 2023

2023 AGP Study Trip to Germany Summary Recap

By Mike Brooks, AGP Vice-Chair

Photo Credit: AlabamaGermany Partnership

Olympic medal winners, mRNA lipids, apprenticeships, Riesling, a biotech & life science hub, an incubator pitch competition, and the largest industrial complex we’ve ever seen. The AGP Study Trip once again provided an eye-opening and enriching experience, with insightful conversations about German culture, education, and industry.

Our trip started in Frankfurt, with a two-hour walking tour of the medieval Altstadt (old town), where we saw the Frankfurt Cathedral (former election and coronation church of the Holy Roman Empire), Römerberg (heart of the Altstadt, home to Christmas Market, and site of a book burning in 1933), and  explored the “New Old Town” – an urban redevelopment project that transformed dull administrative concrete buildings to their pre-war renaissance-era beauty.  Not far from the hotel, we visited the Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Wall, which surrounds a medieval cemetery; the wall includes 11,908 blocks each with a name for all the known Frankfurt victims of the National Socialists. 

We ended our tour with an early dinner at Paulaner am Dom, where the group enjoyed traditional Bavarian dishes; the Octoberfest Special was a popular request:  ½ grilled pork knuckle, breaded pork escalope, Bavarian meat loaf and white sausage with sauerkraut, potato dumplings and fried potatoes, beer gravy and two kinds of mustard.

On Monday we visited the Deutscher Olympischer Sportsbund (DOSB)/ German Olympic Sports Confederation, where we learned about the incredible time and expense involved in submitting a bid to host the Olympics, the structure and importance of organized sports in Germany (from an Olympic medalist!) and received some direct & constructive feedback on Germany’s experience at the World Games in Birmingham.

Julian Schäfer from the Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of Economy Affairs joined us for lunch and travelled with us to the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) in Mainz. With around 30,000 students from 120 countries, JGU is one of the largest and most diverse universities in Germany; their administration is actively working to position Mainz as the premier location in Germany for Biotech and Life Sciences.  Our study group had a robust conversation about international exchange programs, the intersection of academic research with industry needs, and apprenticeships. We concluded our visit with a tour of their impressive facilities and laboratory space. Many in the group left with a new-found appreciation for the research that can come from a simple grocery store mushroom.

Read Mike Brook's Full Recap



LAST CALL German Beer Dinner at Ghost Train Brewery in Birmingham

LAST CALL! Join us for an unforgettable journey into the heart of Germany's culinary tradition. Indulge in the ultimate Authentic German Beer Dinner experience, featuring 3 mouthwatering courses of classic German cuisine expertly paired with 4 courses of exceptional German beers.

Friday, October 6th, 2023

6:30pm - 9:00pm

Ghost Train Brewing Co.

The dinner is served by AGP member German Food, Gifts, and More (out of Phenix City). Reserve your seat now for this delectable journey through Germany's rich culinary heritage and beer culture. This is a public event, please feel free to bring friends and family.

Register for the dinner through Ghost Train Brewing Co.

We encourage you to wear Dirndl and Lederhosen but certainly not required. See you Friday!

AGP Young Professionals Social Event at Ghost Train Brewing Company Oktoberfest

Come join the AGP Young Professionals (age 17 to 39) – social hour:

Saturday, October 7^th, 2023

1 pm to 3 pm

Ghost Train Brewing Company

Birmingham

Come out to network and experience a piece of Oktoberfest hosted by Ghost Train Brewing Co, AlabamaGermany Partnership, German Food, Gifts and More, and Huntsville’s Little German Band.

The event is free and open to the public. There will be plenty of authentic German foods, German beer, and fun games and events. There will be events all throughout the day starting at 11 am with the Firkin Tapping Ceremony and ending at 6 pm with the German Spelling Bee. 

During the Young Professionals social hour, the following events will take place:

1:00 pm - Stein Hoist #1 - Show up early and sign up for your chance to take home the glory.

2:00 pm - Huntsville's Little German Band - Get ready to oompah your roompa with authentic German music!

3:00 pm - Stein Hoist Heat #2 

Enjoy authentic German foods and gifts from AGP Member German Food, Gifts & More - They'll be serving up the goods all day!

Please dress comfortably. Feel free to dust off your lederhosen or dirndl if you have either. Please register (free) so we can let you know the day before how to find the group. 

Please note everyone can attend the Oktoberfest

no matter what age and at anytime on their own. 

Here is what Ghost Train Brewing Co. has in store for their first Oktoberfest:

https://ghosttrainbrewing.com/coming_up/oktoberfest/

Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:

SAVE THE DATE for AGP 26th Annual Celebration Dinner 2024

Please SAVE THE DATE:

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Club

Birmingham

We are excited to announce the date for our AGP 26th Annual Celebration Dinner in Birmingham next year. Please make sure to save the date so you don't miss out on our biggest event of the year. Sponsorship and Registration will be available soon.



German Company BLG Logistics Names New President & CEO

By A.J. O'Leary, Birmingham Business Journal

Photo Credit: BOB FARLEY/F8FPHOTO

AGP's current Chairman, Kirk Atkinson, has been named president and CEO of AGP member and German company BLG Logistics Inc. 

One might call it a homecoming for Atkinson, who had the idea to start Adah International while employed at BLG. Now that he’s back with BLG at the head of the company, he is focused on culture and building the best company possible, and in turn, workforce.

“We grew Adah up to approximately 30 team members over eight years. And then a few months ago BLG leadership approached us about more support within BLG,” Atkinson said.

Those discussions led to Atkinson taking the CEO role. Inés Packmohr, who has been Adah’s CEO since January 2022, is now both president and CEO of the company, taking Atkinson’s former role as well. Atkinson is succeeding Brian Hollenbeck, now president of OTC Logistics, as head of BLG.

BLG has over 200 employees in the U.S. in Alabama and South Carolina. Mercedes suppliers and BMW and its suppliers are BLG’s biggest customers. BLG’s facility in the Tuscaloosa Industrial Development Authority’s Airport Industrial Park is 220,000 square feet.

Read Birmingham Business Journal's Full Story



Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:

Good Bye to Mercedes Star on the Former HQ in Stuttgart

Photo Credit: picture alliance / imageBROKER | Lilly

The Mercedes star on the roof of the car manufacturer's former headquarters in Stuttgart is scheduled to be dismantled. A spokeswoman for the company said this upon request. The site is no longer a company location. Most of the employees have moved to the current corporate headquarters in Untertürkheim and the campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen.

The headquarters of the former Daimler-Benz AG in Möhringen was completed in 1989. The star has a diameter of 6.5 meters and is not suitable for any further use because it has been permanently exposed to the elements for over 30 years. 



Airbus Growth Project in ‘Full Swing’

By Made in Alabama

The throttles are going up on a major expansion project at Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile that will double production space at the aviation giant’s strategically important Alabama facility in a little over two years.

HPM, Airbus’ program manager for the expansion, says the initial phases of construction are advancing at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley site as part of a project whose centerpiece is the addition of a second A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL).

Today, Birmingham-based HPM is actively planning and working from corner to corner of the entire Airbus manufacturing campus in Mobile, with a focus on new installations and upgrades to existing facilities to support a manufacturing rate increase of single-aisle passenger jets.

The plans include over a dozen new structures that will add 1 million square feet of space to Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility, effectively doubling the aircraft plant’s production area. Airbus is targeting the third quarter of 2025 for completion of the growth project.

“The expansion of our industrial footprint in Alabama is an important part of Airbus’ global single-aisle aircraft production increase,” said Daryl Taylor, Head of Commercial Operations for Airbus in the U.S.

“We look forward to continuing to partner closely with the State of Alabama and our industry partners to solidify our region’s position in the aerospace sector.”

Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Airbus represents a lynchpin in his team’s multi-faceted efforts to secure new industry investment and jobs for the state.

Read Made in Alabama's Full Writeup

Germany on Campus at the University of North Alabama

Enter for a Chance to Win German-Style Springerle Cookies from Leckere Kekse

Enter for a chance to win 2 BOXES of the German-style Springerle cookies from Leckere Kekse (value $110).

Springerle cookies have been baked in the southern region of Germany since the 1300’s. Their name means “little jumpers” because they rise or jump up in a heated oven creating their signature foot. 

Leckere Kekse's unique 3-day creation process results in a beautifully detailed crisp top with a chewy inside. And if you enjoy aged Springerle cookies like Oma’s (hard enough to chip a tooth!), allow cookies to age for a few weeks, then dunk in a hot beverage.

Leckere Kekse offers traditional anise as well as lemon flavor. We also offer seasonal flavors such as pumpkin spice and amaretto. 

How to enter for a chance to win 2 BOXES of Springerle Cookies. Like Leckere Kekse's Facebook page or/and Instagram and email us with Leckere Kekse in the subject line. LAST DAY TO ENTER OCTOBER 20, 2023 AT 5 P.M. CST.

Good Luck!

Fort McClellan POW Camp Cemetery Memorial Ceremony

By Tom Gilbert

No Longer Foes – Friends Honor the Fallen by Tom Gilbert

The German and Italian Enemy Prisoner of War (EPW) Cemetery on the Former Fort McClellan, Alabama

In a quiet, forested section of what was once Fort McClellan in Anniston, Alabama, former adversaries, once intent on each other’s destruction, gather on hallowed ground to honor WWII soldiers that never went home. 

During the war, approximately 435,000 enemy combatants were transported to the United States for internment. Fort McClellan, which closed in 1999, was the site of a large Prisoner of War (POW) camp built to accommodate up to 3,500 prisoners. The camp was opened in 1943 and closed after the war in 1946. The first prisoners were from the famous “Deutsches Afrika Korps” under German General (later Field Mashal) Erwin Rommel, and were captured in North Africa in 1943. 

The last prisoner in the camp was returned home by 1946, the camp was closed and quickly demolished. The most prominent historical reminder of the camp is the German-Italian Enemy Prisoner of War (EPW) cemetery.  

As the hub for satellite camps in the region, the POW camp at Fort McClellan was the last to close in the southern U.S. after the war. Four German POWs died while interned at Fort McClellan. After the war, the remains of other prisoners, which had been buried in satellite camps, were relocated to the POW cemetery at Fort McClellan. In accordance with military tradition, when these soldiers were buried, they were given the same rights as an American soldier, including funeral honors and standard headstones.

The POW Memorial Ceremony, which remembers these fallen soldiers, has been held at McClellan each year for more than four decades. Once conducted by the U.S. Army, local civilians assumed the responsibility of the annual event after Fort McClellan closed, upholding the traditional format established by the military. 

While there are other German and Italian POWs buried in the U.S. this cemetery is unique. It is believed to be the only stand-alone POW cemetery in America. The annual memorial service is the only one of its kind that has continuously honored interred POWs in this manner. The next Annual Prisoner-of-War Memorial Ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. at the German Italian Memorial Cemetery in Anniston, Alabama. The cemetery is located at 3541 Shipley Rd, Anniston, AL 36205.

AGP Welcomes New Members

Please help us welcome our new members:

CORPORATE - REGULAR

RSM US LLP

Carrie Callahan

Marketing Development Manager

The Power of Being Understood is a promise to RSM US LLP clients and their people that when they work with RSM, they are working with professionals who will take the time to truly understand them, who will bring tailored ideas and insight to their environment, and who are committed to helping them make confident decisions about their future. This unique RSM Experience

differentiates them from their clients and their talent. The RSM US LLP advisors understand your unique opportunities and challenges. When you combine their knowledge about the middle market with their first-choice advisor relationships and leading-edge technology, the value they deliver to their clients and the middle market is truly differentiated.

Learn more at: www.rsmus.com

CORPORATE - REGULAR

Schmidt Automotive USA LP

Henning Lade

General Manager

Schmidt Automotive in Auburn focuses on the production of complex powertrain and engine components. It specializes in balancing module assembly, camshafts, balancing shafts and gear wheel manufacturing. As a system supplier of complex assemblies, Schmidt Automotive has long been a partner to the OEMs and actively supports the development process, supporting their customers in finding the best solution concerning manufacturing and function, the simulation of load conditions and prototype testing. Their manufacturing facilities are located in Europe and North America with the headquarters located in Westhausen-Lippach in South Germany. As a part of their sub-supplier management, they assume responsibility for all items and thereby support their customers directly in all fields of parts management. This includes the entire procurement process and quality management.

Learn more at: www.matfoundrygroup.com

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the

AGP membership database.



Join AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP)

AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP) is an extremely active organization. Many of Alabama’s leading German and American companies are active participants in AGP. The organization facilitates:

• Networking Events
• Educational Outreach
• German Dinners
• Cultural Workshops
• Business Seminars
• Young Professionals Events
• Roundtables for German Company Leaders
• Study Trips to Germany

Join us today and be a part of our diverse group of industrial, corporate, cultural, educational, and governmental leaders. 

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