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The French-American Chamber of Commerce was Published
in the Denver Business Journal
There is an extensive article about our Euronetworking events and other chamber info on page A17 in the September 11-17, 2009 issue, vol. 61, no. 14. Check it out if you subscribe! |
Member Company Profile:
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Denver International Airport
 Denver International Airport (DIA) served a record 51.2 million passengers in 2008 and
ranks as the fifth-busiest airport in North America
and the tenth-busiest airport in the world.
Nearly 20 airlines provide nonstop service from DEN to over 150
destinations around the world, including cities in Europe, Canada, Mexico
and Central America.
In terms of
physical size, DIA's 53 square miles of land position the airport as the second
largest in the world. This "room to
grow" is one of DIA's most critical competitive advantages. At a time when airports around the world are
becoming increasingly constrained, DIA has enough land to more the double in
size. At full build out, DIA will
accommodate  over 100 million annual passengers and will have 12 runways. With no operational curfews and no
intersecting runways, DIA is consistently ranked as one of the least-delayed
airports in the U.S.
Paris currently ranks as Denver's
largest unserved market in Europe. In order for a nonstop flight between Denver and Paris
to become a reality, more business traffic needs to flow between the two
cities. To this end, it is critical that
members of the Rocky Mountain French-American Chamber of Commerce lead efforts
to increase commercial links to France,
thereby strengthening the business  case for a nonstop flight.
Photographs
provided courtesy of Denver
International Airport.
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Upcoming Events |
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Gaining Cultural Currency in International Business
Learn How to Succeed in the Global Business Environment
Date: Tuesday, October 13
Time: 6:00-8:00pm
At the heart of every culture are values and beliefs that drive communication patterns, basic protocol, and ethical decision making. A deeper understanding of these values and beliefs are essential to succeed in the global business environment.
Myrna Ann Adkins from the Spring Institute will speak about why culture simply cannot be ignored and how to gain "cultural currency" with international business partners, clients, and coworkers. Benoit Guin from Amélie Company, a French native and international business owner, will also be sharing the similarities and differences he has experienced while working in both French and American companies.
Where:
Regis University, Adult Learning Center
Mountain View Room
3333 Regis Boulevard
Denver, CO 80221-1099
Free parking in Lot 4
Click Here for directions
Cost:
Includes drinks and appetizers
$20 members /$26 non-members through Oct. 6
$25 members / $31 non-members after Oct. 6 space permitting
RSVP by Friday, October 9 to 303-695-7818 ext 102 or online.
Hosted by The School of Management of The College for Professional Studies of Regis University
GACC International Career Day at CU Boulder
Wednesday, November 4
2:00-4:00pm
This is an invitation to all companies, large and small, European in orientation, to come and present your company or business to young CU students now moving toward graduation. If your company is planning in the near future to be hiring Interns, Part-Time or Full-time positions here is the opportunity to give students of International Affairs, International Business, German, French, Italian, Russian and other European Languages an opportunity which domestically oriented companies cannot provide to them.
Talk to the students and potential future leaders of our commercial industries, tell them of what your company or place of business does, what the industries in which you are active really involve and what these students will need to bring to the table to work in these areas.
To participate, contact Dan Cheatham with the GACC 303-837-1146
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| CORA News |
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Our Strategy:
We have an in-depth knowledge of both Colorado and the Rhône-Alpes region because we maintain both an inbound and outbound focus with our operations. Because of this,we are effective in identifying and facilitating opportunities for investment and value-creating alliances in both markets.
Join us at one of our upcoming events this fall! See below for details.
French CEO Will Be a Speaker at DEMOGala on October 8, 2009 In collaboration with the Colorado Technology Association (CSIA), CORA was instrumental in attracting Dominique Lahaix, CEO of eCairn, to speak at the DEMOGala Conferences.
Dominique Lahaix is the Founder and Ceo of eCairn,
software (SaaS) company specializing in social media marketing, founded
in 2007 in Silicon Valley with software development activity done in
Grenoble (France - Rhône Alpes). eCairn is delivering an innovative
social media marketing platform to marketing agencies and marketing
groups.
This year's DEMOgala Denver technology conference
features over 100 speakers on 25 different panels discussing the newest
trends in technology. Topics include everything from cloud computing,
software development, SEO, crowdsourcing, mobile applications, web
commerce, open source, social networking, APIs, transparency, and much
more.
Discover the Key Players of the French Silicon Valley
October 14-15, 2009 in Grenoble
The Embedded Systems Exhibition will take place as part of the ESWeek (Embedded Systems Week) and ELC-E (Embedded Linux Conference) at
the same time.
FIND OUT the latest innovations in embedded systems
CONNECT with high level international embedded systems
expert engineers, researchers and industry leaders
MEET innovative and collaborative projects managers
LEARN how to set up and fund innovative projects
Free Admission.
Grenoble Innovation Fair
October
22-23, 2009
Technology
Exhibition - Tech Show - Conferences (Open Invitation)
One-to-One
- Networking
Technology
Exhibition:
70 start
ups and research labs will be exhibiting at the GIF Expo. From prototypes to
products and services, visit the innovation marketplace and seize business
opportunities: licensing opportunities, technology partnerships, new product
co-development relationships, sales partnerships and more. Click Here to learn more.
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Interview with a Professional |
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Mr. Jeffrey Richards, Honorary Consul of France
 As Consul Honoraire de France, Mr. Jeffrey Richards functions as the recognized legal representative of the French government in Colorado. Mr. Richards, who speaks both English and French, is a Denver attorney specializing in business and insurance law. His legal expertise allows him the ability to coordinate matters related to visa interviews, birth certificates, nationality matters, marriage documents and various other procurations with the French consulate in Los Angeles. Here, he shares some information about the local French community and his role within it, plus some valuable insights for prospective short-term or long-term visitors to France.
FACC: What types of individuals comprise the French community here in Denver and what do you believe attracts them to this area?
JR: All kinds of people make up the fabric of the French community here. Generally, the French come to Colorado for many of the same reasons Americans and everyone else does: they fall in love with the climate, the beautiful mountains, and so on. The business climate is attractive too. The Denver market has seen the development of some powerhouse businesses over the last 25 years.
FACC: Is there any one foreseeable industry in particular that can be expected to attract more French citizens to the area?
JR: Denver's French community has seen a recent influx of French workers in the software industry. For example, there are numerous groups of French people working in Boulder's software and high-tech companies. Beyond that, the Denver area French community, which is around several thousand strong, has a diversity of individuals involved in many occupations.
FACC: What can anyone planning an extended visit to France expect in terms of fulfilling Visa requirements or other documentation needs before leaving the U.S.?
JR: As an American going to Europe, a Schengen Visa and your passport is all that's needed for stays up to ninety days. If you want to stay longer, you need to apply for a separate Visa, which allows you to stay up to a year. Some different types include a Visa for those who will work in France through their job in the U.S., or a project Visa that an artist or musician may need, and yet another Visa for those who have the financial means to stay independently in France. There are numerous other Visas as well.
FACC: Have there been any recent changes at the Consulate?
JR: Yes, as a matter of fact, there have been some rather big changes. As a result of the events surrounding 9-11, the European Community has issued new directives which France is complying with along with the other Member States. Documents such as passports and visas now require special photographs and finger prints which require people to go to Los Angeles. This cannot be done in Denver. This affects French citizens who now must travel to LA to receive a passport. Americans applying for visas must also now visit Los Angeles as of the end of September. This is a large departure from past practices. I am in the process of seeing what can be done for the future to lessen this inconvenience but for the time being this is the rule with no exceptions.
Interview conducted by Richard Moreno, FACC volunteer.
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| Economic News |
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Orly International, a Unique Concept in France
Orly
International, based at Orly
Airport, is an
organization dedicated to welcome and support foreign companies interested by
the French market. Their objective is to facilitate the economic development of SMEs looking to expand internationally. Tuned into Paris, the French and international markets, Orly International combines flexibility along with public and private support services to guarantee businesses an operational base from which to work.
Click Here for more details.
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| Past Events Reflection |
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September Roundtable
On Wednesday, September 16 we hosted our final Small Business Roundtable event of 2009. Many new faces were in attendance to learn more about PURL's or Personalized URL's as an effective way to market your business to prospective as well as continuing customer. Yolanda Duperret of Action Coach facilitated the meeting while guest presenter Sid Sena of Avenue Marketing educated attendees on how and why using a PURL campaign could increase their bottom line. Mr. Sena also spoke about the importance of customer loyalty programs and gave ideas on how to implement them. Thanks again to Katherine's French Bakery for providing delicious pastries and coffee for our Roundtable events this year and to the Alliance Francaise for hosting these events throughout the year.
Outlook on Innovation and Trends in Software and IT in France
On  Tuesday, September 22, CORA along with the CSIA hosted a luncheon on the topic of Technology trends in France, specifically the Rhone-Alpes region. Four speakers were on hand to facilitate the discussion and provide information about the Software and IT industry in the Rhone-Alpes region of France. Marisa Guerra, VP of Business Development for Invest in France Agency, shared many reasons why France is a good option for development with her presentation of Think Europe, Choose France. Sharon Rehbinder, Director North America for AEPI, followed by providing more details about the Rhone-Alpes region with Grenoble-Isere, The Smart Choice. Regis Pourchet, Geographic Vice President for Sogeti USA, provided a wonderful Company Overview as Sogeti's headquarters are in the Rhone-Alpes region. The afternoon ended with Josh Peterson, Worldwide Manager HP Workstation Product Marketing for Hewlett Packard, who touched on the scope of technology HP is working on. This event was sponsored by Invest in France Agency.
To view photos from this event, please click here.
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Members' Corner |
Dynamic Materials Gets $14.8 Million
BOULDER -- Dynamic Materials Corp. (NASDAQ:BOOM), a Boulder-based provider of explosion-welded clad metal plates announced Monday that it had received two related orders with a combined value of $14.8 million.
Both orders are for explosion-welded plates to be used to manufacture upstream equipment for the Gorgon natural gas project located off of Australia's northwest coast. The plates will be produced at Dynamic Materials' Mt. Braddock, Penn. production facility and are scheduled to ship to German and U.S. fabricator customers during the first half of 2010.
"These orders resulted from a cooperative effort by our German and U.S. sales organizations, which have been pursuing these contract opportunities for several months, Dynamic Materials President and Chief Executive Officer Yvon Cariou said in a press release. "Our German sales team secured the larger of the two orders, and in the process, established a new customer relationship with a major regional fabricator."
Cariou said the company-wide collaboration on the project resulted in one of the largest cumulative orders in Dynamic Material's history.
UCCIFE Flash Priveleges for FACC Members - Update
Open House at the Denver Montclair International School
 Tuesday, October 6th from 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Join us on our new campus in Lowry!
206 Red Cross Way
Denver, CO 80230
Take a tour and learn more about the benefits of full-immersion language instruction! For more information, please call (303)-340-DMIS (3647) or visit our website at www.dmischool.com.
Get Your Tickets to European Cinema only on Dish Network
Get 3 months FREE* of Eurochannel when you subscribe!
Watch the latest European movies on Eurochannel!
Get a $30 gift card when you subscribe to Eurochannel a-la-carte.
It's like getting 3 months free of Eurochannel!
You can take advantage of this great offer when you subscribe between 
October 15 and November 15.
Please visit www.eurochannel.com for details about the promotion.
Need Insurance Help?
I have been an FACC member since 2004 and I have helped many other members to have the right insurance coverage at the right rate.
I can help you with all your insurance needs: Auto, Home, Business, Health, Life.
Also, I represent AGF for expats in need of Health Insurance. Better than the insurance here, no deductible, no coinsurance. Call me at 303-449-1583 for a free consultation.
Didier Chaumillon
InsureMoi with Farmers Insurance
2495 Spruce street, Boulder, Co 80302
303-449-1583
www.Insuremoi.com
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Community Events & Resources |
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Public Lecture by the Ambassador of the European Union
to the United States: Mr. John Bruton
Friday, October 16, 2009
Colorado
European Union Center of Excellence (CEUCE) Transatlantic Affairs Event Series,
with special guest speaker, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States,
John Bruton, on Friday, October 16, 2009.
CEUCE
invites you to attend Ambassador Bruton's public lecture from 9:45-10:45am,
with a reception to follow, at the Westin
Tabor Center,
1672 Lawrence Street,
Denver.
The CEUCE,
housed at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is funded by the Delegation of
the European Commission to the United States to promote understanding of the
European Union and the transatlantic relationship through research, teaching
and outreach. Funded by Western Union, the CEUCE Transatlantic Affairs Events
Series aims to bring high-level European public servants and businesspeople to
Denver, Colorado and the Mountain West.
Please RSVP
to CEUCE Assistant Director, Myka Lee.
Info and Services for Expatriates, Students and Travelers in the US
EuropUSA.com
provides information and services for expatriates, students and travelers in
the United States.
You will find:
Experiences
of Europeans living in the U.S.A, articles on
visas for the USA, tourist spots, information on American universities,
schools, creating your business or finding a job or internship in the US...etc.
Specific
services: Green Card Lottery, Sponsoring
of J1 visa, health insurance for expatriates or travel insurance, flight or
hotel booking and more.
Young Entrepreneurs Annual Competition
Click here for the detailed flyer.
Please do not hesitate to contact the YEI Project Manager, Geraldine Quetin for more details.
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The Rocky Mountain French-American Chamber of Commerce aims to promote the local French American business community as well as to support local French and American companies with their trade needs.
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