Since 1989 SACC-DC has offered a platform for developing U.S. – Swedish lucrative commercial ventures and professional opportunities through our network and business and social events. The SACC-DC Newsletter will help you stay on top of what’s happening in the Swedish-American business community and find the perfect opportunity to create new business connections in the greater Washington D.C. area and Mid-Atlantic region. |
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From the Executive Director |
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Dear Friends,
The month of November brought exciting events. It kicked off the first SIREUS event in the House of Sweden with several of the most prominent Swedish Universities attending.
The annual SACC-Summit was held in Florida this year, dropping us into sunny Fort Lauderdale for a few days. There was a lot of excitement as we had a surprise guest, none other than the Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine. It was an honor to have her among us for a few hours and getting a chance to take a photo with her. In addition, having the opportunity to meet our fellow chambers from around the US and learning a lot from our member companies was extremely beneficial.
In this newsletter, please read about our highlighted member of the month Jim Creevy with ABB.
This is a month of celebration of the best and the brightest. The Embassy of Sweden is hosting the American Nobel prize winners in physics, chemistry, and economy.
December is just around the corner, and we start it off with a lovely Holiday party on December 6. See the flyer below. We hope you can make it!
The Nordic Innovation & Sustainability Forum 2023 will be held on April 19th. Save the date.
Happy reading!
Christina Lazdins
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Member Spotlight: Jim Creevy, Vice President of Government Relations at ABB |
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Please provide an overview of ABB's products and systems in the US. Which are your main clients?
ABB enables a more sustainable and resource-efficient future, connecting engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered, and operated. We provide electrification and automation technologies to essential markets - electric, water, and gas utilities, manufacturing and industry, transportation, and commercial and residential building infrastructure. Some of our best-known technologies are industrial electric motors and motor controls, high powered EV chargers, circuit breakers and switchgear, industrial robotics, Azipod® ship propulsion, and even Ty-Rap® (the world’s original cable tie, or “zip-tie”).
ABB has a strong Swedish heritage having formed in a merger between Sweden’s ASEA and Switzerland’s Brown Boveri in 1988, becoming the world’s leading supplier in the electric power industry. Since then, portfolio management and organic growth have solidified our focus on electrification and automation. Our predecessor companies have been active in the US since the turn of the previous century – businesses that used to operate under such names as Thomas & Betts, Baldor Electric, Bailey Controls, and GE Industrial Solutions are all ABB today.
In the US, where we have invested over $14 billion since 2010 and employ more than 18,000 Americans, we are represented by every one of ABB’s 20 divisions across our Electrification, Motion, Process Automation and Robotics & Discrete Automation business areas.
What is your role at ABB?
My role is to communicate to government stakeholders the capabilities of ABB’s incredible technologies so that their policy decisions are informed by an understanding of what is on the market today, and what’s coming in the future. At the same time, the government policy landscape is complex so I also help ABB’s business leaders navigate a constantly changing regulatory environment as well as support our customers as they leverage federal investment. To that point, the 2021 infrastructure law and the 2022 tax and climate law are historic investments in promoting clean energy and tackling climate change and are requiring a great deal of focus these days.
How did you end up working within government relations?
It was not part of a grand plan per se, as an economics major in college, but in my mid-twenties, I started as a staffer in the US House of Representatives and became most interested in energy and sustainability issues. After six years it wasn’t a huge leap to start working in government relations at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association across the river in Arlington, VA. At NEMA, I very much enjoyed being on the other side of the government policy conversation. It’s also where I learned about, and worked with, ABB. ABB and its people really impressed me, so in 2014 I was fortunate enough to begin working in ABB’s Washington DC office.
As the golf committee chair since three years back, what has been the most rewarding aspect of managing the golf tournament?
The SACC-DC Open has been around for more than 30 years and is such a wonderful event for the Swedish-American business community. Reliable partners and many recurring participants have given the event a very intimate feel, even as we welcome new participants each year. It was especially rewarding that in my first year of managing the tournament, 2020, we were able to proceed despite the country being in the throes of the COVID pandemic. And we reinstated a charitable beneficiary of the event starting in 2021 having made contributions now to the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the Whitman-Walker Foundation.
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Image: SIREUS
From left: Erik Renström, Maria Brogren, Christer Bergman.
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On November 1, SACC-DC attended the SIREUS forum at the House of Sweden. Top Swedish universities presented at a fair where students learned about Sweden's educational opportunities. President of Lund University, Erik Renstöm, and Maria Brogren, Head of the Office of Science and Innovation at the Embassy of Sweden, spoke on Swedish education and innovation.
We were served traditional Swedish food and listened to the discussion on politics with Michael C. Andersson, Head of Strategic Partnerships and International Affairs at Saab, and Leah Scheunemann, Deputy Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. This was followed by a panel of alumni from Swedish universities moderated by SIREUS Program Director Christer Bergman.
SIREUS - a three-year-long collaboration project between SACC-USA and, what has grown to be 13 Swedish universities, will focus on knowledge exchange in innovation, science, and entrepreneurship and increased talent mobility for students and researchers between Sweden and the US.
The Swedish universities are top-ranked and offer over 1000 Master's degrees taught in English. Known for its cutting-edge research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, as well as its focus on sustainability, an education from Sweden opens a world of possibilities. Sweden is home to 10 million inhabitants, 5,000 nature reserves, and our capital Stockholm produces the most million-dollar companies per capita in the world after Silicon Valley!
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SACC-Summit in Fort Lauderdale |
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On November 3-4, SACC-DC had the pleasure of attending the annual SACC-Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The event brought together regional chambers, members, and Swedish and American businesses. During the two-day event, we listened to inspiring and interesting people speaking on the theme of “The Future of…”. There were panels and speeches addressing green transition, security, innovation, entrepreneurship, Electro- mobility, and sustainability. The Summit started with a welcome speech by Signhild Arnegård Hansen, the Chairman of SACC USA, and Per Cedergren, the President of SACC Florida.
Among the renowned speakers were Björn Arvidsson, Swedish Minister Counselor and Head of Trade and Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Sweden gave good insights into the current trade situation between Sweden and the USA. Anders Gustafsson, Senior Vice President of the Americas, President and CEO of Volvo Cars USA, and Jasmin Utter, General Manager of SAS Region Americas gave us insight as they lead the way in sustainability within their fields. The Keynote speaker was Jonas Ridderstråle, a business speaker, thinker, and author.
Other outstanding speakers were Fredrik Klevenfeldt, Director of Marketing Communications Volvo Trucks North America, and Christer Otterström, CEO of Hummeltorp, a company focusing on recycling. Andrew Dunn, President of Mobile Guarding North America at Securitas, gave us insights about the automation and digitization in the security space, and highlighting Securitas' involvement with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. During his speech we were graced and honored by the visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine. For more information and photos from the event, please press here.
Thank you to SACC- Florida and SACC-USA for organizing this excellent event. We are already looking forward to next year's SACC-Summit in Detroit!
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Scientific Symposium in honor of Nobel Prize Laureates |
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Image: Embassy of Sweden
From left: Maria Brogren, John F. Clauser, Anna Sjöström Douagi, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, K. Barry Sharpless, Marcia McNutt, Douglas W. Diamond.
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On November 30, SACC-DC had the pleasure of attending the Embassy of Sweden's Scientific Symposium in honor of the American 2022 Nobel Prize winners. The laureates celebrated on site were John F. Clauser, The Nobel Prize in Physics; Carolyn R. Bertozzi, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry; K. Barry Sharpless, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry; and Douglas W. Diamond, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. We also heard from Dr. Anna Sjöström Douagi, Nobel Foundation, Sweden, and Dr. Marcia McNutt, National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Maria Brogren, Embassy of Sweden, moderated the panel. We were so happy to learn about the excellent laureates' discoveries and their extraordinary contributions to science and the world! |
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The US midterm election was held on November 8, 2022. Millions of Americans went to the voting polls to decide who will control the House of Representatives and the Senate. This 2022 election was crucial for determining the Democrats` and Joe Biden's ability to implement their policies. Historically the opposition takes most of the seats in the election, however this year's election was a historical exception. The Republicans won the House of Representatives with 220 seats to the Democrats' 210, and the Democrats retained control of the Senate. These results are unexpected because of Joe Biden's low approval rating and the country's high inflation. This irregularity is said to be a consequence of the Supreme Court's decision to revoke the US's constitutional right to abortion. This year's election was not the usual referendum regarding the current party and president in power, and the voters instead reacted to a right-wing policy shift. |
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Business Services Provided by SACC DC |
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SACC-DC holds a unique position to provide members valuable connections with other member companies or small business, potentially resulting in new collaborations, clients, and partnerships. Read more about our B2B Matchmaking service and how to make a request here.
Your company has the opportunity to be assisted by a Business Associate or a trainee with short-term projects aiming to increase your knowledge about specific markets. Read more about our Trade Services and how to make a request here.
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Holiday Party on December 6 |
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We are happy to invite you to SACC-DC and Ericsson Holiday Party on December 6, at the House of Sweden. Enjoy holiday appetizers with mulled wine,”Glögg” while experiencing a traditional Swedish Lucia Celebration with beautiful songs!
Secure your ticket today by visiting our website here.
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We are happy to announce that all Holiday Party guests can win a two-night stay at The Ocean Club, a Four Seasons resort in the Bahamas. You can purchase raffle tickets both before and during the event. The winner will be announced by the end of the evening. Buy one ticket for $30 or four tickets for $100 by pressing here.
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Nordic Innovation & Sustainability Forum 2023 |
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Scandinavian Innovation Forum on April 26th at the Royal Embassy of Norway in Washington D.C. |
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Earlier this year, on April 26th Scandinavian Innovation Forum was hosted at the Royal Embassy of Norway in Washington, D.C. The Swedish- American Chamber of Commerce of Washington D.C. collaborated with the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Mid-Atlantic, the Royal Embassy of Norway, and the Embassy of Sweden. Scandinavian Innovation Forum highlighted the latest insights into the U.S.demand for green solutions and Scandinavia's supply-driven innovations.
We are happy to announce that we are currently in the early stages of planning next year's event. Because of the success of the Scandinavian Innovation Forum, we decided to create the Nordic Innovation & Sustainability Forum, together with both the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Mid-Atlantic and the Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce, New York. The event will be hosted at the House of Sweden on April 19th, 2023.
If you are working on specific environmental sustainability projects that could fall under the theme of Sustainable Cities and would like to have your project and company highlighted, please contact us at info@sacc-dc.org. We are looking for sponsors and welcome your support and generosity. Thank you.
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Interested in joining the SACC DC community?
Become a member!
Visit our membership page to join as a new member, or renew your membership through the membership portal. SACC DC organizes many events throughout the year to give our members access to professional networking. We also tailor trade missions for Swedish companies interested in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Whether an individual with a keen interest in or connection with Sweden living in D.C. or a company looking to establish new relationships, we can help you reach your next goal.
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