| A Newsletter from SACC Washington DC |
Volume 17, April 2009 |
|
Dear Members and Guests,
Welcome to the first 2009 issue of the SACCess. We are now well into the Spring and have already had a few successful events that you can read about below. We are also welcoming some new members into the Chamber network!
/The SACC Washington DC Team: Maja, Linda and Chandrika
House of Sweden, 2900 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007 Ph: (202) 536-1570 Fax: (202) 536-1571 E-mail: sacc@sacc-dc.org |
|
A Word from the Board of Directors
First of all, for those of you who were in attendance at the annual meeting in January, you heard that our chamber finished 2008 in a financially strong position in view of the global economic situation. However, we do urge that each one of you keep membership development a priority throughout 2009. Our financial soundness is principally based on membership fees and each new member that you recruit contributes to the stability of our chamber.
Our Executive Office Manager, Maja Persson, has done a fantastic job of coordinating our business and social events last year and that trend is continuing in 2009! We invite each one of you to attend, and to bring along a potential new member, to the great events that we have ahead of us this year. Our events are chosen to satisfy those members who focus primarily on business or industry development, as well as other events, e.g., the Golf Tournament, directed towards more social interaction. Both types of activities are important to the continued success of our Chamber and the enjoyment of our members.
We are already off to a great start in 2009, as we have seen the "Change to Green" seminar and business matchmaking event, as well as our biennial Wilhelm Wachtmeister Award bestowed upon Hon. Michael Wood, former U.S. ambassador to Sweden, in a ceremony and reception held on February 6 at the House of Sweden. On July 1, 2009, Sweden is scheduled to assume the presidency of the European Union. As such, this means that for six months, Sweden will lead the EU's work and be responsible for moving important EU issues forward. See www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/11312. We can anticipate a number of Swedish and other European dignitaries visiting the Embassy of Sweden in the House of Sweden. Our Program Committee, which enjoys a solid relationship with the Embassy, is well-situated to capitalize on such visits as they develop and several breakfast-type speaking events will likely occur. Please see our Chamber website at www.sacc-dc.org to check out our calendar of events. It has been an honor and a privilege for us to represent you in 2008 and we look forward to seeing you at our future chamber events. Sven-Olof Hökborg Bradley J. Olson
Chairman President and Chairman-Elect | |
| Welcome new Individual and Young Professional Members:
Sandra Arnold
Casey Collings
Suzanne Drennon Mats Landström Elizabeth Hammar
Erik Plith
Neil Anthony Ross
David Schaefer
Chase Weir |
SACC Washington DC's Corporate Members:
| |
Wilhelm Wachtmeister Award 2008
Hon. Michael Wood, Sven-Olof Hökborg, Amb. Jonas Hafström
At a ceremony on February 6th, attended by approximately 150 guests, Hon. Michael M. Wood received the Wilhelm Wachtmeister Award by SACC Washington DC. Amb. Wood was awarded for his extraordinary contributions in strengthening Swedish-American relations and in promoting bilateral commercial cooperation on green technology through his signature program The One Big Thing.
Chairman Sven-Olof Hökborg presented the award on behalf of our Chamber; an engraved Orrefors crystal piece, designed by the noted Swedish glass designer Ingegerd Råman. Michael Wood's family was present at the ceremony, as well as Ambassador Jonas Hafström, who read a personal greeting from Wilhelm Wachtmeister to the prizewinner.
Michael M. Wood served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden from June 2006 to January 2009. During his tenure, Wood developed relationships with innovative Swedish green-tech companies that could be successful within the American market. To this date, The One Big Thing has resulted in an estimated $150-200 million dollars of business activity on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Wilhelm Wachtmeister award was established by SACC-DC in connection with Wilhelm and Ulla Wachtmeister's return to Sweden in 2001. The award celebrates the Wachtmeisters' efforts to promote relations between the U.S. and Sweden within trade, as well as art and politics.
The reception was graciously sponsored by:
 
|
Jason Hartke
Friday, February 6th became the starting shot for this year's green activities when a seminar focused on Swedish green technology was arranged at House of Sweden. The Embassy of Sweden, SACC-USA, SACC-DC and National Property Board Sweden invited several representatives from Swedish companies including Chemrec and Svebio, as well as American experts like Jason Hartke from the U.S. Green Building Council. Regional interests from Georgia, Colorado and Michigan also participated in the discussions about environmental technology and politics.
Attendance was high for the seminar and it is clear that these questions are attracting a lot of attention. The seminar was opened with a discussion led by Jason Hartke about the overall environmental politics in the U.S. This was followed by a regional panel providing interesting insight into how environmental questions affect the companies at the local level. The seminar concluded with presentations from both Chemrec and Svebio. |
|
Breakfast Roundtable with
Swedish Trade Minister Dr. Ewa Björling
An exclusive breakfast roundtable was held for the SACC-DC Corporate Members on March 26 where they got the opportunity to hold an informal discussion with Dr. Ewa Björling, Swedish Minister for Trade, and her team from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Close to all corporate member companies were represented at the meeting and discussions dealt with a variety of areas such as the importance of open markets, intellectual property and illegal filesharing, progress in the Doha Round, expected future trade policies and the Minister's impressions of the new administration. |
Author Meeting with Linda Olsson
SWEA DC and SACC-DC co-organized an author evening with best-selling Swedish author Linda Olsson on April 2nd, 2009. The event was attended by 50 guests and started with a tour of the exhibition "Living Green", by Mats Widbom, Cultural Counselor at the Embassy. The evening continued in the "IKEA Apartment" at House of Sweden. Linda Olsson was in the U.S. to promote the American edition of her latest novel "Sonata for Miriam". Ms. Olsson spoke about her life as a Swede living abroad and shared her experiences of writing and more. Visit Linda Olssons website here. |
Welcome New Members
Deloitte is a global professional services organization providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services through its network of independent member firms. Worldwide, Deloitte has approximately 165,000 professionals in 140 countries. Deloitte is joining our Chamber as a Corporate Member.
Mercuri Urval is a major international consulting firm employing more than 800 people across 26 countries. Mercuri Urval matches key people with the strategic needs of their clients. Mercuri Urval is also joining SACC-DC as a Corporate Member.
Tretorn headquarters is located in Helsingborg, Sweden, and was founded in 1891. It is one of the leading brands for outdoor products in Scandinavia, as well as the 3rd largest brand in Europe for tennis balls. Tretorn is a wholly owned subsidiary of PUMA AG and opened its store in Georgetown in November 2007. Tretorn is a new Business Member of SACC-DC. Click here to view and print Tretorn's introduction offer to all SACC-DC members! |
Office Space Now Available in House of Sweden
House of Sweden is launching a new shared office (half suite) concept offering six new affordable office spaces for companies with a Nordic connection. The rooms will be ready for occupancy in the first week of May. Please contact Gunilla Ekberg for more information at gunilla.ekberg@houseofsweden.com or telephone:
(301) 806 3476. |
Upcoming Events
Tuesday May 5, 1-5 PM, at House of Sweden
Sustainable Urban Planning and Green Building
An event co-organized by the Swedish Trade Council and the Embassy of Sweden in cooperation with the City of Stockholm and U.S. Green Building Council.
Wednesday May 6, 8:30-10:00 AM, at the Embassy of Sweden
Homeland Security Briefing
Michael Mohr and Jesper Grönvall will brief SACC-DC members about Sweden's work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and opportunities for Swedish-American businesses to compete for DHS-related business, including an update on activities within the Bilateral Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology for Homeland Security Matters, as well as the upcoming DHS Stakeholders Conference in Washington, DC in May. Interested SACC-DC members can receive an invitation to an evening reception on May 19 in connection with the Stakeholders Conference.
Thursday May 14 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Exclusive Event For Corporate Members only: An insider's Breakfast Briefing by Ambassador Jonas Hafström who will discuss the upcoming Swedish EU Presidency set to begin on July 1, 2009. This premium event is co-organized with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Save-the-Date: The 21st Annual Swedish Embassy Open Golf Tournament will take place on October 8, 2009. More details soon to come. |
|
Trainee Update
We would like to give a warm welcome to our new trainee Chandrika Näsström. Chandrika hails from the town of Åseda outside Vetlanda in Sweden. She is presently a student at NOVA in Virginia. Chandrika will start as the new SACC-DC trainee in May. Welcome Chandrika!
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to both Per Mårtensson and Linda Riddargård who worked hard for the Chamber and both have done an outstanding job. Per worked as our trainee from Sept. 2008 to Jan. 2009 and has now returned to Sweden. Linda was our trainee from January to April, 2009 and is pursuing her degree full-time in International Business at Strayer University. Thank you Per and Linda!
|
|
Cultural Events in the DC Area
Wednesday April 29 at 7:30 PM: "Bertha - the other love story", theater performance at House of Sweden. Click here for more info.
Thursday April 30 at 8:00 PM: Anne Sofie von Otter, Daniel Hope and Bengt Forsberg - Theresienstadt. Music Center at Strathmore. Click here for more info.
April 22 - May 24: "A Swedish Tiger", theater play by Goran Gillinger and Jens Östberg at Synetic Theatre, Arlington, VA. Click here for more info. |
|
Next SACCess will be issued in June, 2009. All members are welcome to have a role in this newsletter and any ideas for articles or inserts are always welcome. | |
|
Redeemable only when presented in store. | | |
|
|
|
|
