Season's Greetings            

We at the GACC NY would like to extend holiday wishes to all our members and friends.

It's been rewarding for us to have celebrated our 70 anniversary this year, and we are proud to carry on our mission with your support.

Here's looking forward to a new year of health, happiness and continued success for you and your loved ones!

Kind regards,
Diemar Rieg, President & CEO, GACC NY
Recent Events
Companies Remain Confident in USA as Business Location

Achim Wolper, KPMG US
GACC members joined the German-American business community and the media on December 11 for an exclusive presentation of the annual German American Business Outlook (GABO) Survey results. Dietmar Rieg, President & CEO of the GACC NY, welcomed more than 170 guests at the midtown NYC conference center of our co-host J.P. Morgan.

Jesse Edgerton, Senior Economist at J.P. Morgan, set the stage for the evening with his insights on the current US economic outlook. He postulated that "consumer and business sentiment have both jumped post-election, suggesting upside risks to consumption and capital expenditure."       

The survey results were presented by Achim
Jesse Edgerton, J.P. Morgan
Wolper, Head of German Practice, KPMG US, in a succinct, relatable manner that was extremely well-received by the crowd. A panel discussion and audience Q&A rounded out the presentations, featuring lively and candid discussions on the implications of the survey results. The panel was comprised of GACC chairmen who are also business leaders in the German-American business community: Caroll H. Neubauer, Chairman & CEO, B. Braun Medical, Inc., Klaus Zellmer, President & CEO, Porsche North America, Inc.and Dr. Walter Maisel, President & CEO, KOSTAL North America. The panel was moderated by Daniel Andrich, President & CEO, Representative of Germany Industry + Trade (RGIT). 

In his capacity as AHK USA chairman, Caroll Neubauer also was interviewed that evening by some key media attending the event, including Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and Handelsblatt. His answers to the questions posed by the journalists bolstered survey findings that 100% of the participating companies expect growth for their businesses.

A special thanks to both Achim Wolper and Jesse Edgerton for so graciously and adeptly stepping in at the last minute to present for their respective colleagues at KPMG Germany and J.P. Morgan; they were scheduled to deliver presentations but were stranded in Germany by extreme winter weather!

 Please check out our GACC website for the complete GABO survey results.

 
F rom left: Daniel Andrich, Caroll Neubauer, Klaus Zellmer and Dr.Walter Maisel
GACC NY Hosts German American Smart Buildings Symposium
The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. hosted the German American Smart Buildings Symposium on November 14, at the German Consulate in New York.

The program is sponsored by the Export Initiative "Energy Solutions - Made in Germany" of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). It featured a delegation of six energy efficiency companies from Germany: Aluthermic, Deimel Oelschläger Architekten, eco2heat, Ingenieurbüro Trinius, Lunos Lüftungstechnik and MeteoViva.

Expert speakers from Germany and New York shared latest developments, trends and research in the field of energy efficient buildings.
The event built on New York City's vision for the future, bringing experts from Germany and local US innovators together to discuss ways to cooperate. In the last decades, Germany has become a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Attendees included green building professionals, researchers and thought leaders 
Experts on energy efficiency gather at Smart Buildings Symposium.
in energy efficiency and green building.

New York City is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, with buildings taking up most of the city's environment. The City has close to a million buildings in an area of little more than 300 square miles. So it makes sense to concentrate on buildings to tackle New York's environmental issues. The City's plan is to reduce buildings-based emissions 30 percent by 2025. In 2015, the OneNYC initiative was launched as a plan for a stronger, more resilient and sustainable city. One of the key goals of OneNYC requires buildings to become greener and more efficient.

First German-American Concert & Event Promotion Delegation a Resounding Success!
The GACC NY in cooperation with its San Francisco office spearheaded a visit by seven German companies from the Concert and Event Promotion industry to New York and Los Angeles, November 6 -10. This trip provided the German delegation with a better understanding of German American business opportunities and long term cooperation in the live entertainment market. It was the first time ever that such a program was organized, and it proved to be a resounding success!
Discussing German-American collaborations in the Concert & Event Industry


The project was supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy of Germany (BMWi) as part of the current Foreign Market Entry Program.

German companies were steered toward New York and Los Angeles,because these two cities are considered epicenters of the music and entertainment industry in US. New York, known for its Broadway Musicals and other famous entertainment venues, is also home to more than 70 Digital Music Services startups - a testament to the city's flexibility and innovative spirit. Meanwhile, Los Angeles covers all areas of the entertainment industry and is home to many popular festivals such as Coachella and the Burning Man.
  
Behind the scenes at Madison Square Garden.
The GACC NY organized B2B meetings in both cities for the German delegation, many of them member companies of the German Association of the Live Entertainment Industry (Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft; bvd.) These meetings focused on topics such as event planning companies, ticketing platforms, concert agencies, tour production companies etc. The GACC NY also hosted an Event and Promotion Conference on Tuesday, November 7, at The Consulate General of Germany in New York. This conference provided US companies/contacts in attendance with opportunities to meet the German representatives and discuss future collaborative projects.
East Coast Industry Forum 2017 and Annual Gala in Philadelphia
This past November 16, the German American Chamber, Philadelphia partnered with the GACC NY to present the 3rd annual East Coast Industry Forum (ECIF), which was capped with an 18th Annual Gala Reception. 
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney delivers welcoming remarks

The ECIF conference targets German and American businesses located throughout the Northeast. The afternoon-long conference connected influential leaders of the transatlantic economy in a forum that provided for engaging discussions on what is affecting their industries. 

Presentations were delivered by experts on a range of topics, among them: nanotechnology, technology transfer, logistics & transportation.

The evening concluded with GACC Philadelphia's 18th Annual Gala Reception, at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The reception was the social highlight of the year for the German-American business community located in the Greater Philadelphia region. This year's gala included a special tribute to SAP America, Inc, honoring their Innovation Shaping Change. 
Fostering the Next Generation of Sustainable Energy Experts  
Eva Coblenzer,GACC NY, with NYIT seminar series participants.
In and ongoing effort to inspire the next generation of students to create innovative energy solutions, the GACC NY organized an Innovation Seminars Series at four New York-area universities earlier this month (December.)

A group of four leading German companies in the field of "Smart Cities" presented their latest, cutting-edge products which incorporate energy efficiency solutions. This forum served as a great way for students to connect their classroom studies with real-world products and services while providing a unique networking opportunity.

Energy solution innovators in Long Island, NY
The event series is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the German export initiative for energy solutions made in Germany.

The participating universities:
- Farmingdale State College, Dec. 5
- New Jersey Institute of Technology,
  Dec. 6
- NYU Tandon School of Engineering,
  Dec 7
- New York Institute of Technology,
  Dec 8

Speakers included:
  • Dr. Jan Fritz Rettberg, Head of Innovation Management, ie³ Institute of Energy Systems,TU Dortmund University
  • Bernhard Pfleger, CEO, Pixida USA Inc.
  • Jean-Marie Bergeal, CEO, MeteoViva Inc.
  • Jonathan Lemmond, Senior Engineer, Baumann Consulting
  • Daniel Jablon, Global Account Manager, Siemens Industry, Inc., Building Technologies
STEP NYC Ends 2017 on a High Note!
The GACC NY was thrilled to welcome our fourth STEP NYC group for the year,
Dec 10 - 15.
Matthias Raisch of Taxbutler receiving valuable feedback from our VC panel after his pitch


Fourteen enthusiastic founders and co-founders of innovative startups joined our week-long boot camp, where they explored their potential for US market expansion, received pitch trainings and embarked on meetings with VCs, accelerators, clients and incubators.

To date, our Startup and Entrepreneur Program (STEP) has taken place 15 times. The results speak for themselves: we hosted 183 startups in NYC, Silicon Valley and Boston; our #STEPAlumni boasted 24 successful US investments and established 44 subsidiaries in the US so far.
Spark Labs Bryant Park location in NYC was the ideal Pitch Night venue.

We thank the startups that joined our STEP NYC December Group and VentureOut for yet another successful Pitch Night and Startup Week. On Dec 4, our Startups had their big night on stage at the Pitch Night hosted at Spark Labs.

A round of applause to the following participants:
Nora from Cadouu
Roman & Hannes from Cobotect
Julian from dresslife
Alexander from e-profound
Filippo & Alex from Holo-Light
Tim representing INERATEC GmbH
Matthias from Taxbutler/Pareton revolutioniert die Steuererklärung
Fabian & Marco from sevDesk
Philipp and Michael from Waays CrowdCoaching
and Karl representing Windcloud

Accepting applications for March 2018 STEP groups in Silicon Valley and NYC.  Click here for details
Brose North American, Inc. Captures GACC Apprenticeship Award
Congratulations again to Brose North America, Inc for being named this year's winner of the GACC Apprenticeship Award. 

More than 80 guests attended the ceremony, presided over by Dr. Peter Wittig, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, in Washington, D.C. 

The the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACCs) presented the "Apprenticeship Award" to Brose for its outstanding apprenticeship programs aligned to the standards of the German apprenticeship system in the United States.


From Left: Daniel Andrich, RGIT;  Stefanie Jehlitschka, GACC South;
Simone Grübert, Human Resources Development, Brose North America;
Kevin O'Brien, Apprentice, Brose North America; Mark Tomkins, GACC Midwest;
Dr. Peter Wittig, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
Mario Kratsch, GACC Midwest; Arnd Herwig, VP Development, Brose North America;
Matthew Allen,GACC NY; Donald Hoffmann, Brose North America; Christopher Hunt, Brose North America.
Upcoming Events
New Year's Reception and Luncheon with Congressman Charlie Dent
Friday, Jan 12, 2018
11:30AM to 2:00PM
Harvard Club
35 W. 44th Street
NYC
Career Services News
Meetings with Adidas North America and Global Ties U.S. Summit
Adidas North America Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

Maintaining a successful career exchange program between the US and Germany is one of the GACC's key pillars of service offerings. To that end, Christopher Gallagher, Senior Manager, Career Services, recently met  with representatives of Adidas at their North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon, to discuss J-1 visa issues.

While in Portland, Chris also attended a Global Ties U.S. regional summit that was themed, Diplomacy Begins Here. Global Ties U.S. is a nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of State that assists in implementing and executing various exchange programs and related seminars. These regional summits bring together local and national leaders from intersecting fields to foster new connections in local exchange communities and share best practices.
Christopher Gallagher, GACC NY Career Services.

Following the summit, a day-long Learning Lab took place,  produced by WorldOregon whose mission is to increase public awareness of international affairs specifically by engaging Oregonians with the world community. The goal of Learning Labs are to strengthen the administration of exchange programs.

Chris participated in a panel discussion with the U.S. Department of State on operation and benefits of the J-1 visa and how to involve regional Global Ties members in producing local cultural outings for J-1 interns and trainees.
Pitching Internships in the U.S to Students in Germany 

Cindy Klarwasser visited several German universities, including the Technical University Munich, University of Augsburg, Cologne University and the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management to inform the students about internship opportunities in the US.
Job Market
The German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) New York supports companies in recruiting skilled personnel as well as applicants in finding permanent employment or internships in the U.S. through posted job advertisements.
 
The GACC is currently looking for:
  • Intern for Germany Trade & Invest
  • Intern for Career Services
  • Intern for Events/Communications - San Francisco office
  • Manager Consulting Services - San Francisco office 
Our clients are looking for:
  • Advisor, Cash Management Services TF&CM 
  • Trainee for 18 months in the Banking/Financial Office Department
  • Office Admin Intern
 
The listings can be found on www.gacctalentnetwork.com.
 
The German American Chamber of Commerce is also an official sponsor for J-1 visas in the categories of "Intern" and "Trainees" and can help you in obtaining your J-1 visa. Please contact us at visa@gaccny.com and visit our website at www.go-j1.com
.


Trade Fairs
 Messe Essen Celebrates of Phase I of  New Construction 
The exhibition center Messe Essen is celebrating a new milestone with the building of a bigger, more modern convention Center. Since the launch of the construction phase in May 2016, Essen has established itself as one of the most technologically innovative exhibition complexes in Germany. With the opening of the new 21,500 sq.ft glass foyer, Messe Essen continues to position itself as a leading trade fair site. The remainder of the project is on schedule to be completed in Fall 2019.

Nearly 500 guests were invited to join in celebrating the grand opening of the new foyer and hall. The Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia stated that the new portal of the East Building offers permanently modern exhibiting conditions of the highest quality. With this building expansion, Messe Essen is investing in its future viability and bolstering economic success in North Rhine-Westphalia. (Read the full press release.)

With approximately 65 trade fairs and exhibitions, including 10 leading trade fairs, the Essen exhibition center is among the top ten exhibition locations in Germany.
Sign up for 2018 Sponsorship Packages!
If you're interested in taking advantage of our GACC sponsorship packages, please contact  Irene Fuchs
Phone: 212 974 8841     
Email:  events@gaccny.com
New Members

TQ-Systems GmbH                                      
 Blu Bavaria
morean - digital realities     
 AccountAbility
IES Abroad   
Frener & Reifer America, Inc.
ABUS USA LLC  
 Allround Forwarding Col, Inc.
trusted blogs GmbH 
 Sfara, Inc.
MXP Real Estate Investment LLC   
International Business Services, Ltd.
 Member2Member - Special Offers
Empire Imports is your source for European office supplies. In addition to A3, A4 and A5 paper and binders, we offer notebooks, shelving, lights, luggage and filing systems. 
GACC members can save 15% site-wide. For more information, please visit the member portal.

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