| A Newsletter from SACC Washington DC | Volume 29, March 2012 |
Dear Members and Friends,
I hope you are enjoying this exceptional Washington DC spring weather (or summer heat according to any Swede). We just had our first board meeting in the new office of SACC-DC located on the 5th floor of the House of Sweden and greatly appreciated the open balcony door and view of the Potomac River. On behalf of the Chamber, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the National Property Board of Sweden and to the management of House of Sweden for their assistance to us and for being so accommodating and helpful in the transition after our move. If your company is looking for a new office space, whether it is a single person office space or multi-person headquarters, please make sure to contact House of Sweden (attention Cecilia Browning), as there are just a few office suites still remaining for lease. House of Sweden, with its location and 24-hr security is a truly first class venue in Washington DC and is now the place to be for any Swedish or Nordic-related business.
As you can see below, the Chamber has been very busy with various programs in March. I was especially intrigued by the recent visit of four Swedish innovation companies that were invited to place their innovations on display at the spring exhibit in the House of Sweden entitled: Innovate Sweden. Their innovations are amazing, and if you have not yet done so I highly recommend paying a visit to the new exhibit on display through May 6. Please contact House of Sweden for opening hours.
I am happy to announce that a new caucus has been formed in the United States Congress called The Friends of Sweden Caucus. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL 14th) has started this initiative and has garnered over 10 congressional members so far. The group continues to grow and we will offer targeted opportunities for our members to meet them later in the spring.
On a final note, I would like to express our sympathy on the passing of our dear friend Hon. Count Wilhelm Wachtmeister. Count Wachtmeister was one of the most famous and achieved Swedish diplomats, as well as the founder of our Chamber. The U.S. poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) once wrote that "When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men." Count Wachtmeister will be greatly missed by all who knew him and his light shall lie on our own paths for years to come.
I look forward to seeing you at events throughout the year and thank you for your continued support of the Chamber. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or concerns you might have.
Sincerely,
Bradley J. Olson
Chairman, SACC Washington, DC |
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SACC Washington DC
Board of Directors
Click name to send an email.
Bradley J. Olson, Chairman
Jonathan Miller, President
Lars-Erik Hjelm, Secretary
Thomas deButts, Treasurer
Nils Johansson, Finance Committee Chair
Christer Bergman, Golf Committee Chair
Tapio Christiansen, Marketing & Communications Chair
Gunilla Ekberg
Dan-Åke Enstedt
Douglas Faulkner
Magnus Friberg
David Gruner, Strategic Business Development Co-Chair
Bruce Gustafson
Sven-Olof Hökborg
Jonas Ivarsson, Program Committee Chair
Pernilla Jonsson
Markus Larsson
Colleen Regan
Josef Skoldeberg
Peter Svensson, Strategic Business Development Co-Chair |
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U p c o m i n g E v e n t s |
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Sustainability Summit
21 March, 2012
Join us for an event to hear from Swedish and American experts within the area of sustainable architecture and design about the latest trends, developments and projects in Sweden, the United States and around the world. Speakers include Stellan Fryxell, Architect at TENGBOM, Kevin Cahill, PE, LEED AP of PositivEnergy Practice and John Jessen of VOA Associates. Mr. Fryxell, who joins us all the way from Stockholm, will talk about the amazing project in Stockholm called Hammarby Sjöstad, where all the components of modern day city life are connected and integrated to create a sustainable city within a city. The event will be concluded by a cocktail reception and special presentation to H.E. Jonas Hafström, Ambassador of Sweden to the U.S.
Date: March 21, 2012
Time: Seminar from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Cocktail reception with light fare from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Anna Lindh Hall, House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW
Thank you to our sponsor:
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Basketball Night
 Come and cheer on the only Swede in the NBA - Jonas Jerebko - when he and his team, the Detroit Pistons, play the Washington Wizards on March 26th at the Verizon Center. There might be a chance for a photo opportunity with our group and Jonas. Jonas Jerebko, from Kinna, has been playing around 20 minutes per game lately, so chances are good we get to see a lot of him.
Seats are available at 3 different price levels (click here for seating chart):
Section 121 - $105 per seat.
Lower End Seats - $36 per seat. In the 100-level in green.
Upper Level Seating - $22 per seat. In the 400-level in blue.
Date: Monday, March 26, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: The Verizon Center
Tickets: Email Malin Vikström and let her know how many tickets you would like to buy.
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Young Professional Happy Hour
Join us for a happy hour at McFadden's to catch up over a beer or two! Feel free to bring your friends and colleagues to this event. Individual drink specials such as $3 domestic drafts and bottles, $4 import drafts and bottles, $4 well mixed drinks, and $4 glasses of wine will be provided as a happy hour deal especially for SACC-DC members.
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2012
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Venue: McFadden's
Address: 2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037
RSVP: Via an email to Malin Vikström
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ELSA AND ME
Special invitation to our women members: Join us in the new SACC-DC office on the 5th floor of House of Sweden for an exclusive event with Swedish designer and entrepreneur Maja Svensson. Inspired by an independent, colorful and stylish grandma named Elsa, Maja Svensson founded ELSA AND ME in 2009 to fill the gap of sustainable business wear for women.
The ELSA dress will be available for fitting and purchase at the event that will also include wine and light fare. The limited number of tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis.
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2012
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Suite 503, House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW
Tickets: $10
RSVP: Via an email to Malin Vikström |
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Annual Meeting
On January 17th SACC-DC's annual meeting was held at House of Sweden. Members had a chance to network and hear from Chairman Bradley J. Olson who concluded that 2011 was an exceptional year for the Chamber, both economically and content-wise. Hopefully 2012 will be equally successful. Attending members cast their votes for the Board of Directors and were rewarded with homebaked SEMLA, the special Swedish treat traditionally served on Fat Tuesday. New board members include Magnus Friberg of Reverb Networks, Douglas Faulkner of Leatherstocking LLC and Bruce Gustafson of Ericsson Inc. Bruce is replacing Barbara Baffer who moved to Texas in December, 2011.
At the board meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting the following officers of the board were elected:
Chairman - Bradley J. Olson, Dickstein Shapiro LLP
President - Jonathan Miller, Volvo Group North America
Secretary - Lars-Erik Hjelm, Akin Gump
Treasurer - Thomas deButts, Pillsbury Law
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Wine Tasting Event
On February 16th members gathered at One Lounge in Washington, DC for a wine tasting session with Italian wine specialist Marcelli Dellaccio. Participants learned about the history of wine making and were simultaneously guided through an assortment of Italian wines that included one sparkling, two white and two red wines. Delicious appetizers had been hand picked to complement the wines in the best way possible. |
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Swedish Innovators in House of Sweden
The visiting innovators with Swedish Minister for Enterprise Annie Lööf.
SACC-DC organized a full day program for four Swedish innovation companies visiting Washington in connection with the inauguration of the Embassy's new public diplomacy theme "Innovation & Education." The companies are all featured in the exhibit Innovate Sweden on display in House of Sweden through April. The visiting entreprenuers enjoyed a program offering useful information related to a potential expansion into the U.S. market (valuation process, access to capital, patent laws, etc.). In the afternoon the companies were offered customized programs that included individual meetings with consultants, investors and potential partners / customers in the Washington region. The participating companies were jDome, i-Tech, Saplo and Umbilical Design.
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Lunch with Annie Lööf,
Sweden's Minister for Enterprise
 | | From left: Dan-Åke Enstedt, Tapio Christiansen, Jonas Ivarsson, Annie Lööf, Jonathan Miller & Karl Reichelt |
On March 2nd, five corporate members had the opportunity to present to Sweden's Minister for Enterprise Ms. Annie Lööf. The Minister had expressed an interest in meeting a small group of Swedish companies in Washington to discuss the business climate in Sweden versus the United States and possible lessons that can be learned between the two markets.
All companies are experiencing an improving economy and could show positive results for 2011. Company representatives also agreed that regulations on the U.S. market can be surprisingly challenging, especially when selling to the Department of Defense and other government agencies. A positive reflection that most shared was how international the staff often are in companies in the U.S. Employees from all parts of the world are a great asset in a company's global operations. This is something that Swedish companies, which often have a more homogeneous workforce, could learn from. Company representatives also gave an overview of their operations in the U.S. and globally. Participating companies were: Volvo Group North America, Saab North America, Skanska, IKEA, Mercuri Urval and Kreab Gavin Anderson.
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Hockey Night
On March 8, 30 hockey-loving members gathered at the Verizon Center to cheer for the Capitals and our Swedish hockey stars. The Swedish flag was held high when Marcus Johansson saved the Capitals by scoring a goal in the very last minute sending the game into overtime. A few minutes later Alexander Ovechkin scored and secured a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay Lightning. |
N e w B u s i n e s s M e m b e r s |
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VOA Associates Incorporated was founded by Wilmont Vickrey in 1969 and are driven by three core values: partnering with clients, developing a humanistic approach to great design and creating a nurturing culture that attracts some of the best people and talents. Over the years, VOA has amassed a global team with expertise across a number of services and markets, fostering a vigorous exchange of best practices that continuously leads to successful work. VOA has earned more 200 local and national awards for design excellence, as well as an extensive list of meaningful client relationships.
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The award-winning Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) promotes Fairfax County, Virginia, as one of the world's best business centers. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County's largest business district, the FCEDA maintains marketing offices in six important global business centers: Bangalore, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Seoul and Tel Aviv. |
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JM Zell Partners, Ltd is a full service real estate firm providing consulting, transaction, project management and implementation services to deliver outcomes tailored to each client's particular needs. The firm's distinct client-centric team approach links sound business analysis with deep real estate knowledge to offer clients a clear understanding of the space they use and strategies for optimizing their real estate assets to serve their mission, their people and their business. Since 1989, the Washington, DC-based firm has served clients nationwide and around the world.
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O t h e r A n n o u n c e m e n t s |
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Wilhelm Wachtmeister 1923-2012
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Available Position at Embassy of Sweden
The Embassy is looking to hire an assistant for migration affairs at the department for consular and administrative affairs. Please click here to view the job description (in Swedish). Deadline for application is April 20. |
SVEA Scholarship/Donations
The Swedish Women's Educational Association of Washington DC(SWEA DC) provides funding for activities that support Swedish culture. SWEA DC's Donation and Scholarship Committee is now accepting applications for up to $3,000 and is actively soliciting interested applicants. Application information and criteria can be downloaded at http://www.swea.org/howtoapply___6557.aspx.
Knowledge of Swedish is not required to apply.
Applications should be submitted via email to: sweadcstipendier@gmail.com by March 31, 2012. Questions to the Committee may be submitted to the same email address. |
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Next Issue of SACCess
We welcome members to submit articles for the newsletter.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to contribute to the next issue which is scheduled for June 2012.
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