June 2021
AGP 23rd Annual Celebration Dinner in Birmingham
Join us for AGP's 23rd Annual Celebration Dinner: 

Thursday, June 17, 2021
5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Regions Field in Birmingham


Our biggest event of the year that brings German and American leaders from industrial, cultural, educational, and governmental sectors together to celebrate Alabama-Germany Friendship:

Special Remarks by: 

Kay Ivey
Governor of the State of Alabama

Randall Woodfin
Mayor of Birmingham

Matthias Hoffmann
German American Chamber of Commerce South

Greg Canfield
Secretary of Commerce 

The dinner program includes recognition of 2020 new and expanding German companies in Alabama, the Barbara Fischer Education Award, and the prestigious Rainer Bauer Award. 




THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS:
AGP Business Forum at Evonik Birmingham Laboratories
AGP Business Forum will this year take place at Evonik Corporation in Birmingham. PLEASE NOTE SEATING IS LIMITED FOR THIS EVENT:

Friday, June 18, 2021
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Evonik Corporation

Join us for a morning of an overview of the current situation in Europe with the main focus on Germany when it comes to traveling, Covid-19, and economic development presented by Alabama Dept. of Commerce's European Director. Should we expect a stall in foreign investments from Germany? The answer might surprise you. 

This will be followed by an introduction to our host - the German company Evonik Corporation and their production, research, and development in Birmingham (Evonik Birmingham Laboratories). Over the last 6 years, Evonik has invested more than 50 million in its Birmingham location. It reflects Evonik’s commitment to the medical device and drug delivery business as well as the city of Birmingham and the city’s history of world-class medical research and technology.
Last year Evonik Birmingham Laboratories announced another expansion when they commissioned a new state-of-the-art biomaterials facility in Birmingham. The new facility will allow medical device and pharmaceutical customers to have even more flexibility in the supply of standard or custom RESOMER bioresorbable polymers at virtually any clinical or commercial scale. The presentation will be followed by a tour. 
Seating for this event is LIMITED.

Thank you to our event sponsor:
AGP Stammtisch
Please join us for the first in-person Stammtisch this year:

Wednesday, June 2, 2021
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Carrigan's Beer Garden, 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. We will start to meet again on the first Wednesday of every month.



AGP Young Professionals
Join the AGP Young Professionals (age 21 to 39) upcoming webinar with AGP member I.K. Hofmann USA:

Thursday, June 24, 2021
5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST
ZOOM Webinar

They will be joined by Karis Wells, Business Development Manager at I.K. Hofmann USA, Inc. Karis will be talking about resumes vs CVs, their differences with one another as well as the differences between US and German styles. Additionally, she will cover interview tips and techniques for landing a job in the current environment. 



The Young Professionals group is under the AlabamaGermany Partnership umbrella. Its members are interns, co-op, or employees of either an Alabama-Germany company or institution. The age requirement is 21 to 39. This also includes college students, grad students studying the German language, international business, science, and engineering. The group will promote international education, individual career development, and the promotion of Alabama-German companies and workforce development. For any questions you might have about this group please contact our office. 


Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:
Airbus: Demand for single-aisle jets to increase ‘sharply’ in 2022
By Lawrence Specker AL.com
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said that while the outlook for an aerospace rebound remains complex globally, the outlook for the U.S. is “quite bullish and looking for a very strong summer” and that a ramp-up in demand for single-aisle jetliners, such as those it builds in Alabama, “is coming sooner now.”

Faury spoke during a conference call on the company’s first-quarter financial results. While optimistic, Faury’s remarks also were cautious. For the remainder of 2021, the company isn’t escalating production plans beyond what it had already forecast. The company aims to deliver the same number of commercial aircraft as it did in 2020.

Airbus assembles the single-aisle A320 family in Mobile as well as the newer, smaller single-aisle A220 family. In 2019 the company was cranking out 60 A320s a month, the combined output of Mobile and three other locations, and was aiming to increase production rates even more. By contrast, its current rate is about 40 per month with plans for slow growth to 45 per month by year’s end.



Dorothea Schlidt, last of von Braun’s German rocket team, dies in Huntsville at 100
By Lee Roop for Huntsville Real-Time News
The last surviving member of Wernher von Braun’s German rocket team has died in Huntsville ending a living history that spanned from the creation of the first rocket for war to the NASA Saturn V that put America first on the Moon.

Dorette “Dorothea” Schlidt, who was 100 years old when she died, worked as von Braun’s secretary at the Peenemuende site where the V-2 rockets were designed and later assembled with forced labor from nearby concentration camps and launched at Antwerp and England.

There, she helped von Braun rescue key notes and papers about the rocket work after a 1943 bombing by British warplanes.

Schlidt married Rudolf Schlidt, another member of the von Braun team code-named “Paperclip,” and she came to America after he and the other men of the team were brought to the United States to settle eventually in Huntsville. Later, those Germans formed - along with American engineers and tradesmen - the nucleus of the effort that launched America’s first satellite and landed the first humans on the Moon.


Goethe Zentrum's Sophie Scholl's 100th Birthday Celebation
If you missed Goethe Zentrum’s Sophie Scholl 100th Birthday Celebration last month, you can watch the recording on their YouTube channel.

On Sophie Scholl's 100th Birthday, Goethe Zentrum celebrated her life and her legacy with speeches by the Consul General of Germany, Dr. Fuller, a presentation of scenes from the play White Rose by the Alliance Theatre, and Off the Page Education (White Rose is inspired by Kip Wilson's book by the same name), and a toast in honor of Sophie. Sophie Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a member of the Nazi resistance group The White Rose. She, her brother Hans, and other members of the group were executed in 1943 for treason after publishing multiple leaflets and spraying graffiti criticizing the Nazi regime at the University of Munich. Sophie was 21 years old at the time of her death.



You can also watch the full movie: Sophie Scholl: The Final Days



How Germany is reopening more than six months after Covid shutdown
By The Local DE
In many areas across Germany, facilities including outdoor terraces and swimming pools are opening after being closed to guests for months. Here's a look at what's happening.

In the last few weeks, Germany has seen very encouraging news: Covid-19 cases have been falling significantly across the country, although regions are at different stages.

In places with stable Covid rates below 100 cases per 100,000 people, terraces in cafes, bars, and restaurants have been opening their doors. Some districts and cities are also beginning to open outdoor swimming pools, while other areas are opening hotels.

There are still Covid restrictions in place – but it’s a huge step back to some kind of normality after Germany entered its now infamous ‘lockdown light’ at the start of November. The aim was to reopen businesses in December. But what followed was months of widespread lockdown measures and spiraling Covid cases.



Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:
New AGP Member
Please help us welcome our new members:


CORPORATE/SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP


Hugh Thomas
Managing Partner

Madeline Boles
Director Business Development

Jennifer McGilton
Regional VP AL, MS, TN


The Ōnin Group is a Birmingham-based, privately-held group of companies focused on people. Their core business is staffing, where they are among the top two percent of domestic staffing companies in sales volume and rank as one of SIA’s largest staffing and industrial staffing firms. Their other staffing brands include Onin Staffing (The Ōnin Group’s industrial and light clerical staffing division), Excelsior Staffing, A3 Solutions, Fōcus, Ōnin Professional Search, Excelsior MS3P, and Ōnin Trades.


As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.
Alabama the Beautiful
9 Alabama Natural Wonders You Need To Add To Your Outdoor Bucket List

Many types of natural wonders are located in Alabama. We’re lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful natural scenery from waterfalls and mountains to caves and canyons. The Alabama Tourism Department has designated the “Year of Natural Wonders.” Listed below are nine of Alabama’s most incredible natural wonders you’ll want to visit this year. Don’t forget to add them to your bucket list!



COVID-19 RELATED NEWS AND RESOURCES
NEWS:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions are in place for entry into Germany from a large number of countries. Those entering Germany from risk areas must complete a digital entry registration form, be tested for coronavirus, and, depending on the regulations of the Land in question, self-isolate. Please check for restrictions and registration here.

Key Information for Travelers to Germany from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit CDC Website.


RESOURCES

We have collected a list of resources that can provide information and assistance during these challenging times. You can find them on our website under Helpful Resources.


AlabamaGermany Partnership:

You can continue to reach us by phone: (205) 341-7880 or email: director@alabamagermany.org.


Stay Connected