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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A number of businesses are making today Friday June 19 a company holiday for the first time in recognition of
Juneteenth
, which celebrates the end of U.S. slavery amid calls for racial justice in the weeks following the killing of George Floyd. Friday June 19 is also the
Midsummer
holiday in Sweden, largely coinciding with the longest day and summer solstice on
June 20
at 11:43 pm in Stockholm.
In Washington, D.C., officials are targeting this coming Monday for the start of phase two of reopening the nation's capital. The country as a whole is gradually opening up to some good economic news with the stronger than expected rehiring in May, with employers adding 2.5 million workers to payrolls in the month. Most market-based data on this week’s Bloomberg Economics dashboard, like consumer confidence and applications for unemployment benefits, showed slight but steady improvement.
This past week the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce of Washington D.C. also explored in a webinar together with member Nordic West the tremendous potential of AI to undergird the V-shaped, U-shaped or NIKE-shaped route out of the COVID crisis, including as it applies to freeing up healthcare resources to devote more time to patients and research instead of administration. It rang home that we all have the responsibility to make the best use possible of the adjustment and new lease of life that post-COVID offers.
Stay well, and safe,
Karin Hammar
P.S. Let the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce support your mission and navigate the next normal by signing up for your membership
here
. Call our office at (202) 415-1899 to explore how we can make your business stand out.
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The long-awaited Swedish summer is in full bloom. Nature is bursting in greenery and it seems like the sun never stops shining over our idyllic landscape. We are approaching the longest day of the year and that calls for a celebration this weekend. Swedes call it Midsummer!
A Midsummer celebration includes showing off your best dance moves around the maypole, competing in designing the mightiest flower crown, singing out of tune to drinking songs and over-eat delicious midsummer food.
The classic menu features boiled fresh potatoes with chives, sour cream and most importantly pickled herring! This is often accompanied with strawberries for dessert and spiced schnapps for drinks. Though, this year’s celebration will be pretty different, you can still secure that traditional Midsummer menu through
Mikko Nordic Fine Foods
. With Chef Mikko’s expertise in authentic Nordic cuisine you can ensure a successful never-ending midsummer lunch party!
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Medius, a leading global provider of cloud-based spend management solutions for almost 20 years, is now introducing MediusGo on the US market. Medius has been present on the US market for more than 10 years serving mid-
to enterprise-sized businesses with AP automation and spend management solutions. Now, Medius is broadening their presence by introducing a solution for small businesses which has successfully supporting SME’s in the Nordics over the past two decades.
MediusGo is the entry version of Medius’ best-of-breed AP invoice automation offering
,
designed to support SME businesses with unprecedented efficiency and control throughout the entire accounts payable process. Medius extensive partner network
,
through which their products are offered to customers, includes a full range of service providers involved in most SME’s accounts payable process. This makes the integration of their products such as MediusGo almost seamless. During the current COVID-19 crisis and the challenges companies continue to face, the flexibility of MediusGo enables remote working and business as usual. The resilience of the hosting platform and the ability of Medius to offer remote maintenance, support and training to new and existing customers makes
Medius a key partner for businesses looking to ensure continued operations.
Anna Leo, VP at Medius Ascendo NA, has been working for Ascendo since 2013 but has recently been relocated to the US together with her family. She has been given the opportunity to bring one of the best AP invoice automation systems for small businesses to the US market. Washington DC has been close to her heart ever since 1999 when she moved from Sweden to the capital to pursue a degree in International Business & Marketing. This experience of life in the US was so rewarding that she ended up staying almost nine years.
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“I strongly feel that the SACC-DC and the SACC network can play an important role in our efforts to establish the affiliate here on the US market – a great possibility to interact with other people that might have done the same journey” – Anna Leo, VP Medius Ascendo NA
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THE 32ND ANNUAL SACC-DC OPEN
The 32nd Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce DC Open – held on October 15, 2020 – is a tradition as old as the Chamber itself. This year, the re-branded event will be back with even more great opportunities to mingle with influential business leaders and clients in a relaxed outdoor setting while keeping prescribed physical distance. A golf tournament followed by a dinner hosted in House of Sweden, it is a day companies can gain exposure towards their most important clients or build new business relationships.
We are now offering companies the opportunity to take part in this great event by sponsoring the SACC-DC Open. It is also a way of supporting the continued work of SACC-DC thus contributing to our community!
You can find all the details about the sponsorship options
here.
If you have any questions regarding the offerings or the event itself, please contact Executive Director Karin Hammar (
[email protected]) or call our office to learn more.
COVID-19 related measures
SACC-DC is continuously monitoring the situation and will take any steps necessary to ensure the health and safety of anyone attending our events. Local regulations regarding public gatherings as well as the policies of our two host premises will be followed.
If the event is cancelled, sponsors will receive a full refund
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SAVE THE DATE:
Crayfish Celebration
Please join us at House of Sweden in Georgetown Harbor for a traditional Swedish "Kräftskiva" business casual networking event! As dictated by Swedish custom, the evening will offer fun and engaging socialization as well as tables filled with the best crayfish with condiments to be found on the East Coast.
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Renew
your individual membership for 2020 today!
SACC DC organizes many events throughout the year to give our members access to professional networking. Our annual flagship business events includes SACC Summit, the Young Professionals program and other corporate events, seminars and workshops. 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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IN BRIEF -
THE SWEDISH ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
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That Sweden would outperform other economies does not come as a surprise, considering the unique COVID-19 strategy has avoided large-scale societal shutdowns. Also, the sectors most damaged by social distancing constitute a
comparatively small proportion of the overall economy
. Additionally, the Swedish national debt is very low, about
35 percent of GDP
compared to that of the US,
131 percent
. Thus, the Swedish government is in a good position to support affected companies and households through fiscal stimulus.
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AI IS THE KEY TO A MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY IN THE FUTURE – WITH OR WITHOUT PANDEMICS
Artificial intelligence is going to play a central role in achieving a stronger economy, company growth and stability in society. Join us and Nordic West to explore, with the help of a distinguished panel, how we can achieve a more resilient economy through AI.
Olof Hernell, Chief Digital Officer of EQT and Kye Anderson, Head of Global Public Affairs at Peltarion shared their thoughts on these issues, moderated by Kristiina Helenius, CEO of Nordic West USA.
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NORDIC COOK-ALONG WITH CHEF MIKKO
Chef Mikko
has prepared his Nordic cuisine for ambassadors, politicians and royalty across the world — On Thursday May 28, he shared his highly celebrated and innovative dishes with us through a virtual cooking demo. Nordic cuisine is unique in its simple, yet versatile, presentation. Using traditional cooking techniques and ingredients sustainably and sparingly, but with intention, every plate delivers a distinct and refined taste. Chef Mikko and his sous chefs will instruct you on how to prepare several classic yet delicious dishes at home which you can try at the same time!
On the menu was gravlax on Rye with pickled cucumber and mustard sauce, cocktail bite yellow beet root salad and cocktail bite Swedish meatballs!
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THE NEW NORMAL - FROM TRADE TO PUBLIC HEALTH
Peter Dahlen
,
Managing Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Sweden, and
Jonas Hellman
,
Managing Director of Politics and Social Analysis at Prime Weber Shandwick in Stockholm joined us
for a conversation on navigating into the new normal,
moderated by Foreign Correspondent and Broadcast Journalist
Tomas Kvarnkullen
.
Read Jonas' latest piece on the Swedish approach to COVID-19
here
!
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The Forces of Change in Business & Politics
SACC-USA is honored to welcome you to the SACC-USA flagship event, the Executive Forum in House of Sweden, Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2020.
The theme – The Forces of Change – will cover the latest on innovation and how revolutionary technologies are creating new ways of doing business. Considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will also explore how this challenge has and will affect business and particularly trade. With election day just one month away, SACC-USA will have recognized political pundits and politicians debate and share their insights and predictions for the 2020 U.S. elections.
The event is approaching full capacity for the event and strongly recommend you register at your earliest convenience to secure a ticket!
Read the full program here
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Studio Washington
SACC-USA has recently engaged in an exciting collaboration with DI (Dagens Industri) in producing Studio Washington, an online TV-show that is aired on Di-TV’s website.The program will focus on Swedish businesses in the U.S., international trends as well as the upcoming exciting U.S. election.
Studio Washington will air in a total of 10 episodes. The three first will air in June and then it starts up again in late August.
Make sure to tune into DiTV
at
https://www.di.se/ditv
to watch Studio Washington.
The first episode of Studio Washington includes interviews with Johan Marcus (President & CEO at SACC-USA), Max Knagge (General Manager Americas SAS) and Mark Lotter (Director of Strategic Communications - Trump 2020). The episode is available
here.
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Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC - Assistant to the Ambassador
The embassy is currently looking for a temporary assistant to the Ambassador H.E. Karin Olofsdotter. The successful candidate will assume the role in mid-August on a one-year contract. You can find out more about what is required to be successful in this exciting role
here.
Note that eligible applicants must have either a US Green Card or US Citizenship as well as possess excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Swedish and English.
Apply by submitting your resumé and letter of application to
[email protected] by
June 28, 2020.
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