AlabamaGermany Partnership works to make sure foreign nationals and their companies feel right at home in Alabama
TEXT BY JESSICA ARMSTRONG
October 2017
For Germans doing business in Alabama, the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" is more than a state slogan borrowed from the 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd hit song. German companies indeed feel at home here and the feeling is mutual.
And for Alabamians, what's not to love? For the past two decades, German companies have invested $8.4 billion in Alabama and created nearly 15,500 jobs in the state.
About 90 German-owned companies now operate in Alabama, observes Tine Hoffmeister, executive director of the AlabamaGermany Partnership, whose aim is to promote business opportunities and cultural exchange. The nonprofit was created nearly 20 years ago, after Mercedes-Benz built its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Vance, which kicked off Alabama's thriving auto industry.
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