December 2024

AGP 27th Annual Celebration Dinner 2025 - Registration OPEN!

Please plan to join us for AGP's biggest event of the year that brings German and American leaders from industrial, cultural, educational, and governmental sectors together to celebrate Alabama-Germany Friendship:

Thursday, March 6, 2025

3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The North Zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium

Tuscaloosa

We celebrate 27 Years of dedication to the development of educational, cultural, and business relationships among individuals and organizations with ties to both Alabama and Germany.  

We are honored to announce the keynote by the German Ambassador to the United States Andreas Michaelis.

The program includes recognizing past year's New and Expanding German companies in Alabama, the Barbara Fischer Education Award, and the prestigious Rainer Bauer Award. 



Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:

Cullman Christkindlmarkt / German Christmas Market

If you missed the AGP's visit to the Cullman Christkindlmarkt (German Christmas Market) last month, we highly recommend it for a fun family and/or friend outing.

They have doubled the market area from last year and added a Ferris wheel, a bigger ice skating rink, alpine tubing, and more vendors. This is now the largest Christkindlmarkt in the US.

The Cullman Christkindlmarkt blends German traditions and Southern community values. The market has many activities to choose from and wonderful vendors with German goodies, Christmas ornaments, handcrafts, and plenty of food choices.

Check their website for opening hours and activities.

German Food, Gifts and More Moves into New Location in Phenix City

A great visit of our AGP member German Food, Gifts, and More's new location in Phenix City. They serve up great German food and delish German desserts. You can find German groceries (including brötchen, sausages, and chocolate) and gift items in their store. Check their FB page for opening hours and load up for the holidays. You can also find their German food truck during the week at different locations and even have them attend your next cultural or company event.



AGP Young Professionals' Leadership Application Open

The AGP Young Professionals is looking to add a couple of new members to their leadership group for 2025. Being part of the leadership group involves planning and organizing events hosted by the AGP Young Professionals.

The AGP Young Professional group is under the AlabamaGermany Partnership umbrella. The age requirement is 17 to 39. Its members are interns, co-op, or employees of either an Alabama-Germany company or institution. This also includes college students and graduate students studying the German language, international business, science, and engineering. The group promotes international education, individual career development with Alabama-German companies, and progressive business and engineering topics.

The Alabama Germany Partnership Young Professionals organization seeks to foster strong intercultural networking opportunities and relationships, personal and professional development, and provide an easy-going place to socialize and engage with like-minded ambitious individuals. 

If you are interested in applying to become an active member of the leadership group, the following criteria must be met:

Applicants must:

• Reside in Alabama
• Be aged between 17 and 39 years old
• Have a connection to or an interest in the German language, culture, and/or business.

The application deadline is December 9, 2024.

Miele in Opelika Produces First Appliance

Miele Press Release

Miele, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium domestic home appliances, has officially commenced production at its first-ever US-based production plant. Located in Opelika, Alabama, the facility has begun producing its Generation 7000 built-in ovens, designed specifically for the North American market. 

This Opelika facility will produce appliances for the neighboring US, Canada and Mexico markets, which will greatly reduce the delivery time from weeks to just a few days, while also lowering the impact on the environment. This much improved turnaround time is important as the US market continues to be a key growth market for Miele.

“The facility is up and running as part of the first phase of development,” said Uwe Brunkhorst, Senior Vice President of the Business Unit Cooking at Miele. “We are especially pleased that despite the tight timeline, the team has achieved their goal and production has started ahead of schedule – the first oven has officially come off the assembly line.”

“Collaboration between the production sites in both Germany and the US together with the newly hired and thoroughly trained staff played a crucial role in this success,” said Ulf M. Kranz, Managing Director of the Opelika production plant in the United States.

The first American employees were trained at the Oelde plant in Germany, and those members of the team are now taking on both assembly tasks as well as the training of new colleagues in Opelika. The thirty-five-person on-site team is growing exponentially and in the first phase, the plant is slated to employ up to 150 people.

Read Miele's Full Press Release



Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:

Opelika High School Visits German Company RAPA Automotive USA

Amy Hanna, career coach at Opelika High School, thanked RAPA Automotive USA for giving the Opelika High School students an exclusive tour of their facility. Amy said the students had an amazing time learning about the high-quality chassis, powertrain, and valve components RAPA manufactures for the automotive industry. RAPA also shared valuable insights about career paths. 

Commerce trade team leads Alabama mission to MEDICA in Germany

By Made in Alabama

The Global Business team from the Alabama Department of Commerce is leading a delegation of Alabama small and mid-sized businesses at November’s MEDICA 2024, the world’s largest event for the medical industry, being held in Germany.

Following MEDICA, the Alabama team extended its bioscience-focused mission in Europe with a visit to The Netherlands, which has a flourishing life sciences environment.

As part of the trade mission to Düsseldorf, the delegation hosted a “Made in Alabama” exhibition booth at the MEDICA venue, offering the homegrown businesses a prime opportunity to showcase their innovations on a global stage.

MEDICA draws thousands of exhibitors and visitors from over 60 countries, providing a comprehensive platform for Alabama businesses to explore new markets, foster partnerships, and demonstrate their goods and services.

Focus areas of the event included imaging and diagnostics, medical equipment, laboratory innovations, and cutting-edge IT solutions for the medical sector.

Christina Stimpson, Chief Officer of Global Business for Commerce, emphasized the importance of Alabama’s participation in this global event: “MEDICA provides an unparalleled opportunity for Alabama’s bioscience and medical technology companies to connect with international partners, expand their market presence, and highlight the state’s strength in innovation,” Stimpson said.

“We are thrilled to support our businesses as they demonstrate Alabama’s capabilities to the world’s leading medical professionals and buyers,” she said.

Read Made in Alabama's Full Story

New Opportunities and Challenges with Incoming US Administration

The election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States introduces changes with potential implications for businesses and investors worldwide, including in Germany.

As Trump prepares to return to the White House in January 2025, his administration’s proposed tax reforms and economic policies are expected to impact both the U.S. and global economies.

Business leaders and stakeholders are closely monitoring these developments to assess new opportunities and challenges.

AGP members give insight into a couple of topics of tax changes and immigration/work visa policies that are expected.

Rödl & Partner shares planned tax changes that Donald Trump emphasized or discussed during the election campaign. Read more.

Baker Donelson shares what is expected of immigration policy including work visas. Read more.

AGP Welcomes New Members

Please help us welcome our new member:

Corporate/Patron

Southern Industrial Constructors, Inc.

Mike Taylor – Business Unit

Tim Trott – Business Development

Shannon Chapman– Project Manager

Steve Bearden – Vice President – Operations

John Marr – Vice President – Business Development

Since 1962, Southern Industrial Constructors, Inc. (SIC) has been safely and cost-effectively providing industrial construction services to the advanced manufacturing, mission-critical, life sciences, and industrial markets on a turnkey and stand-alone basis for over six decades. For select installation projects at process and manufacturing plants, as well as for plant relocations and consolidations, SIC follows its customers all over the United States. SIC employs over 2,700 skilled project managers, field superintendents, craftsmen, equipment operators, estimators, engineers, administrators, and safety professionals, and has performed jobs ranging in size from $500 to $75 million. With ten office locations across the Southeast, SIC performs everything from small day jobs to installing, maintaining, and moving entire plants, including all related crafts on a turnkey basis. In addition, Cherokee Millwright, an SIC affiliate, provides millwright, mechanical, and automation services to clients in Tennessee and across the Southeast. SIC believes that by working together safely, we will deliver safe, high-quality, on-schedule, cost-effective projects.

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.

To learn more about Southern Industrial Constructors, visit: www.southernindustrial.com

Non-Profit

Foley Sister Cities

Linda Spangrud, Executive Director

The Foley Sister Cities Commission (FSCC) is a 501(c)(3) which exists to promote long-term, global people-to-people relationships through the development of international leadership, friendship and understanding. It seeks to facilitate valuable partnerships with cultural, educational, and commercial entities. The Commission provides an avenue for the people in each city to develop friendly and mutually beneficial personal and professional relationships, and to work together in facing the unique and diverse challenges and opportunities of the future. It provides an opportunity for student and community delegations and educational, cultural, informational, and commerce exchanges. Sister Cities will reach every part of our community and improve our quality of life.

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.

To learn more about Foley Sister Cities, visit www.foleysistercities.com

Student

Mary Penninger, The University of Alabama

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the

AGP membership database (except individual memberships).



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