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,
One of the main reasons why companies and individuals choose to join SACC-DC is the opportunity to network - whether it is to make new business connections, expand your client base, get insights from leaders in your industry, or from people who have experienced the same journey you are trying to navigate. Please look out for a survey coming to you shortly, where you can share your needs and help shape the future of SACC DC B2B matchmaking! More to come about this service offer, as well as other initiatives and events we are currently working on.
We are near full capacity but have a few spots left for our golf tournament and dinner at Westfields Golf Club in VA on Thursday, October 14. If you are already registered - thank you! Have not signed up or thinking of asking a friend to join - don't delay! Secure your ticket here!
This month we have yet another interesting mix of articles and interviews, on renewable energy, life science, Biden economics, and sustainability. Plus meet our two new Swedish trainees Jakob and Alma!
Happy reading!
Lotta
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SPONSORS OF SACC-DC OPEN 2021
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Member Spotlight: Hans-Christian Schulze from IOWN |
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Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your position at IOWN.
I am the CEO at IOWN Renewable Energy Inc. (IOWN), which I founded in 2014, and shortly thereafter IOWN was hired by Eolus Vind AB to lead the entry into the North American renewable energy market and to establish their US wind, solar and storage pipeline. I have since then acted as Eolus Country Manager in the US. I am an electrical power systems engineer, active in the power and utility industry since 2005. I have been responsible for developing about 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects and I have raised over $1 billion dollars’ worth of financing of renewable energy projects. My journey in the wind industry started when I co-founded the Swedish wind developer Svenska Vindbolaget AB, which was sold and merged into Eolus Vind AB in 2011. At Eolus, I took on the Deputy CEO, COO and Head of Transactions positions, until I moved permanently to California in 2015. My focus is now to continuing growing IOWN into a market leading new energy company fueled by talented and passionate people who want to pursue innovative ideas and achieve ambitious goals.
What is your connection to SACC-DC?
IOWN has a strong Swedish imprint in its culture and some of our employees are from Sweden or have Swedish heritage, like myself. I first connected with SACC San Diego about 5-6 years ago when I was asked to discuss renewable energy technology and markets at the Green Connection event in San Diego. I have engaged with many SACC members since then and I attended my first Executive Forum in DC a couple of years ago. SACC-DC represents an excellent platform for IOWN to network beyond the West Coast and connect with companies in need of renewable energy, but maybe they don’t know how their optimal solution looks like yet. We can help.
Tell us about IOWN and your current major projects.
IOWN is headquartered in La Jolla, with two more satellite offices in the western US. IOWN’s core business is to develop top tier commercial and utility scale wind, solar and energy storage projects for its clients. We take project ideas from infancy to feasibility. We utilize the scalability of clean energy technologies and develop projects by covering the complete value chain of renewable energy projects. IOWN is the exclusive development service provider to Eolus North America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary to Eolus Vind AB (publ.). Managing Eolus business and projects and establish the company in the US has been one of our main priorities for the last few years. We carry out the services to Eolus as it was for our own account. In the near future IOWN intend to expand in a broader way and scale up its operations and to use its know how to help others such as developers, energy consumers, utilities, landowners and investors to achieve their goals within the sustainability space. We recently built and sold, on behalf of Eolus, our first project in the US, of a 46.5MW wind repower project in California, and we are currently focused on some very large solar + energy storage projects in desert south west, as well as stand alone energy storage in densely populated areas in southern California.
The release of IPCC:s latest climate report reveals that the climate is in need of a far more rapid adaption to sustainable energy than expected. What is your prediction of the growth of wind power in the future, and how and where do you expect IOWN to grow the most?
As long as technology continues to develop new lower wind speeds areas will be made available for development. I see wind as a huge contribution to a balanced power system, across USA and most other areas on the globe. Wind is more complicated to develop than solar why the competition is less fierce than within pv development, and our core base comes from wind development why I think our future is bright. We are shifting back a heavy focus to originate a large wind pipeline both in US and Northern Europe.
Is there anything you would like our members to know about IOWN?
As many of SACC’s members might know, Sweden, and the Nordics in general, are known for their work ethic, persistence, and innovation. IOWN is a great showcase of this in an international setting. We are a very diverse team in terms of gender, age, and cultural heritage but we are still united by similar core values. At IOWN we promote the mindset of freedom with responsibility, which results in a company culture that is based on mutually reliance, support, and trust. Everything is possible as long as you never give up! Although we love our office, we have a flexible ‘hybrid’ work culture, where employees are given the freedom to work from the locations where they feel most comfortable and are most productive. We will become a new era energy company!
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Researched and written by Jakob Enander, Trainee |
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CELLINK Rebrands as BICO on their Journey to becoming one of the leading life science companies in the world |
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CELLINK was founded five years ago with a vision to facilitate access to 3D bioprinting in the drug discovery industry. Bioprinting is today a key technology in the healthcare industry that helps speed up discoveries of new drugs but also works as an accelerator in the work toward completely phasing out animal testing. The 3D bioprinting technology enables the printing of human tissue, which in turn makes way for researchers to work with much more physiologically relevant tissue when testing new drugs. The technology is also extensively useful in the cosmetics industry, where products can be tested on 3D-printed human tissue rather than on animals.
The business has over the last five years expanded rapidly and is now the world’s leading Bio Convergence company with their own devices currently being used in more than 2,000 labs in 65 countries. Today, the BICO group consists of 12 companies that all possess unique expertise in industries beyond just 3D bioprinting. By making use of such wide-ranged internal proficiency, technologies like engineering, biology, computer science, and robotics can be combined to further accelerate innovation in the healthcare industry. The idea is called Bio Convergence which transforms into BICO – a brand representing the full width the of the business’s capacity today.
The BICO group has their eyes set on the future with serious ambitions to help put an end to animal testing. They continue to work with the research in Bio Convergence and the uninterrupted development of current bioprinters. Thus, they can continuously provide companies in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries with alternative technology that did not exist previously. Furthermore, BICO aspires to make use of their technology in the fight against some of today’s incurable diseases by developing implants and tissue replacements for clinical use. “This is something we are truly passionate about and will continue to push for in the coming years,” Erik Gatenholm, CEO, and co-founder of BICO said.
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We asked the CEO and co-founder of BICO, Erik Gatenholm about his expectations with the new brand and where he sees the company in five years.
With 12 group companies that span almost every vertical of life science, we hope that the BICO brand will help the world understand our vision of bio convergence, and that we will use it to advance human health.
Considering that only five years ago, we had seven employees working out of a small lab, we have tremendous hopes for where we will be in five years. One major goal is to be recognized as one of the leading and most innovative life science companies in the world.
For more information about BICO, their bioprinters, other products and ongoing projects, please visit: https://bico.com/
Researched and written by Jakob Enander, Trainee
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Two New Additions to the SACC-DC Team |
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In cooperation between SACC-USA and Lund University School of Economics and Management, SACC-DC has been fortunate to recruit new trainees for the fall semester of 2021. All trainees are currently enrolled in studies at Lund University and will be part of the team at SACC-DC for a 20-week long internship until mid-January. |
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Alma Lindkvist joined SACC-DC in September and will be part of the team during the fall, remotely from Sweden. Alma is in her final year pursuing bachelor’s degree in International Business at Lund University in Sweden. Alma has an international background and aims for a career within the International Business field, focusing on business development and helping companies grow on international markets. You can read more about Alma, and the rest of our team here.
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Jakob is studying at Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden, currently in his final year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business and management. He is interested in business- and organizational development and has previous work experience within the insurance field as an assistant insurance advisor. Jakob hopes to assist the chamber in creating great value for its members and is looking forward to broadening his knowledge from previous studies and work. You can read more about Jakob and the rest of our team here
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President Biden's First 250 Days in Office |
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With 250 days in office, the Biden administration has put forward economic policy proposals to act on various challenges. The policy proposals include investment in infrastructure, clean energy, and sustainable solutions.
Infrastructure
On August 10, the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), touted as the most significant federal investment in infrastructure in more than a decade. The Infrastructure Act provides nearly $1 trillion in funding for investment in roads, bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, electric grid, water infrastructure, and broadband. President Biden emphasizes that the funding is a once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything the U.S. has seen or done looking back decades. It is the most significant American Jobs investment since World War II, leading to economic growth –significantly needed amid the pandemic. The past year has threatened economic security, unmasked the fragility of U.S. infrastructure. The infrastructure investment grows the economy fundamentally; it puts people to work and creates businesses opportunities.
Clean Energy and Build Back Better
When elected for President, Biden emphasized the importance of going green and clean in the democratic party's campaign promises. As a part of the infrastructure and Build Back Better
plan, the funding includes clean energy for a sustainable future. The Build Back Better plan combines investments in infrastructure, auto industry, transit, power sector, buildings, housing, innovation, environmental justice, and agriculture. The main purpose of these investments is to create more jobs and business opportunities. By rebuilding the infrastructure, the U.S. lays a new foundation for sustainable growth, while withstanding the impacts of climate change.
A new target is to achieve a 50 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution in 2030. President Biden states that "At this moment of profound crisis, we have the opportunity to build a more resilient, sustainable economy – one that will put the United States on an irreversible path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050".
The Biden Administration has, in its first 250 days in office, focused on rebuilding the backbone of America. Various investments in infrastructure and clean energy suggest that the U.S., in the foreseeable future, aims to build back better and recover from the pandemic – creating more jobs and business opportunities.
Researched and written by Julia Jäger, Business Associate
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Skanska's journey towards a carbon-neutral future |
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Skanska, a SACC-DC Corporate Member, announced on Sept 16 that they are committed to reaching net-zero by 2045. Skanska SVP of Sustainability Lena Hok emphasizes that the journey towards net-zero will include all aspects of Skanska Group, such as their supply chain, products, and operations.
Skanska Group experiences how low carbon/zero-carbon solutions benefit businesses by reducing long-term costs and driving efficiencies. So far, within Skanska's operation, they have reduced carbon emissions by 28 % compared to 2015. From 2015 until today, the Group's revenues have increased, suggesting that revenue and sustainability are not conflicting ambitions.
Today, Skanska Group sees a shift in the construction industry as more clients, mainly public clients, require sustainable impact. Incorporating sustainable procurement enables Skanska to work with increased focus and transparently share sustainable performance.
"Skanska has a strong will to raise our ambitions, and that includes working towards a more sustainable transition for the entire industry." - Anders Danielsson, CEO and President of Skanska Group.
Researched and written by Julia Jäger, Business Associate
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Upcoming Events and Webinars |
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The 33rd Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Open to benefit the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund |
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Play with a purpose. Take the opportunity to support our Chamber and contribute to a great cause, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, while enjoying Westfields’ wonderful golf course.
Please review the sponsorship options by clicking the picture below.
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Secure your membership today!
SACC DC organizes many events throughout the year to give our members access to professional networking. Our annual flagship business events include 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.
And right now, become a member for a discounted mid-year membership rate!
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