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Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:
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Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:
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German Word
of the Month
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LAMPENFIEBER Your palms are sweaty, your pupils dilated, you can barely breathe ... You might be having a heart attack, but you may simply be struck with a case of "Lampenfieber". Literally translated, Lampenfieber means "fever of lamps", but it is no illness. It really refers to those drops of sweat on your forehead, that nervous, throat-closing-up condition of being stuck in front of a crowd: performance anxiety or stage fright.
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AGP Member News
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Latest News From:
German companies: please send us your news link to director@alabamagermany.org
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German Quote
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"Es ist unmöglich, Staub wegzublasen, ohne daß jemand zu husten anfängt."
It is impossible to blow away dust without someone starts to cough.
- Prinz Philip Herzog
von Edinburgh
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Save the Dates
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August 24, 2013 Atlanta
August 26, 2013 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
September 1, 2013 First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
September 13, 2013 German Culinary Dinner Brock's, Hoover
September 12-14, 2013 Birmingham
September 26, 2013 AGP Business Seminar Robotics Technology Park Tanner
September, TBD Mercedes Plant Tour Vance
October 5-12, 2013 Cullman
Oktober 26, 2013 Elberta
November 2, 2013 St Regis, Atlanta
November 7, 2013 Fall of the Wall Event Birmingham
March 6, 2014 AGP's Celebration Dinner Bryant-Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa
March 7, 2014 German-American Executive Round Table Tuscaloosa
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3rd Culinary German Dinner
| The date has been confirmed for the Third Culinary German Dinner at Brock's at Ross Bridge Golf Resort
in Hoover.
This spectacular German dinner will be specially prepared by Chef Robert Kamm for AGP members and guests on Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m.
The menu is expected to consist of 5 courses. The Chef will announce menu when we get closer to the date. An e-mail will go out for this event as soon as Brock's are ready to receive reservations.
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German Teacher Positions
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Two immediate openings for German teachers at the Tuscaloosa Academy to teach German (language, history, etc.) for grade levels 5 through 11. The candidates should be able to teach according to Baden-Württemberg curriculum and should preferably have experience with and in the German school system.
Any interested potential candidates should contact Stephanie Krezdorn in our HR department at 205-507-3795 or stephanie.krezdorn@daimler.com for further information.
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Calhoun County Intro
in German
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The Calhoun County Economic Development Council have kindly provided us with their latest report/intro of Calhoun County in German. For a free copy - please contact AGP.
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Calhoun County Intro
in German
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The Calhoun County Economic Development Council have kindly provided us with their latest report/intro of Calhoun County in German. For a free copy - please contact AGP.
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AGP Soccer Team
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Any die-hard soccer players that would be interested in starting an AGP soccer team to play once a week at Soccer Blast on Highway 280 in Birmingham? If you are interested - please contact the AGP office at 205-943-4772.
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German Economic News
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Market on Air:
 | | markets on air - German Economy News (English 08/2013) |
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AGP
Executive Committee
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Chairman Bryan Winter Lewis, Smyth, Winter & Ford LLC
VP,Business Development
Brian Hilson
Birmingham Business Alliance
VP, Culture
Dr. Thomas Fox
University of Alabama
VP, Education
Dr. Anne-Katrin Gramberg
Auburn University
VP, Communications
Warren McCullars
Alagasco
Secretary
Judy Benson
Johnson Controls
Tresurer
Jim Robertson
Rödl Warren Averett LLC
Immediate Past Chair
Arndt Seipmann
City of Auburn
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AGP Affiliates
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Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Christoph Sander Marquis Two Tower Suite 901 285 Peachtree Ctr Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: (404) 659-4760
Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for the State of Alabama Michael Johnson Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP Phone: (205) 458-9421 German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States Martina Stellmaszek 1170 Howell Mill Road Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30318 Phone: (404) 586-6800
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Join Our List
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Contact Us
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Call AGP Office
205-943-4772
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| First Pres Deutsch | |
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Reverend Dr. Thomas Herwig
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By Tine Hoffmeister
AGP Executive Director
I recently met with German Reverend Dr. Thomas Herwig at Edelweiß Café in Tuscaloosa for a cup of coffee, apfelstrudel and a talk about "First Pres Deutsch".
"First Pres Deutsch" began with the Christmas Eve service, in German called "Christvesper". 150 people attended this first service Christmas Eve in 2008. The surprising success encouraged First Presbyterain Church in Tuscaloosa to launch a German church program offering all services in German or bilingual. The center of this initiative are the worship services, which take place the first Sunday of each month. The average attendance is 30. Numbers increased significantly during the season 2012/13, which ended with the confirmation of 10 German youth in May.
In our conversation, we talked about the fact that in comparison to Americans, Germans are not great churchgoers at all. But, in some ways challenging life situation abroad and the religious atmosphere in the US motivate some families to attend church in the new homeland. For full story...
You can join "First Pres Deutsch" services the first Sunday of every month at First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa. The service takes place in the Westervelt-Warner Chapel (on Bryant) at 11:00 a.m. An informal gathering with coffee and cookies follows each service.
To receive their monthly newsletter or for more information, please e-mail the FPC church administrator Susan Goddard or contact Rev. Dr. Thomas Herwig.
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Reading by German Writer Anant Kumar at
The University of Alabama
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The son of a teacher from India, Kumar has been living in Germany since 1991. He graduated from the Gesamthochschule Kassel with a master's degree in German Literature with a thesis on Alfred Döblin's epic Manas.
In his writing Kumar explores questions of German identity based on his background as a "foreigner" in Germany. In his first literary work Fremde Frau, fremder Mann (Foreign woman, foreign man) he tells stories of human relationships on various levels with irony. His writing is lighthearted and reveals the fragility of a multicultural society officially celebrated in Germany.
Kumar is the author of twelve books of poetry and prose in German. For further information see www.anant-kumar.de.
Please join us for this reading sponsored by AGP. The reading will be followed by a reception with Q&A. AGP members only - can join Anant Kumar and members of the German faculty for dinner afterwards (at own expense).
Monday, August 26 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Room 313 (Anderson Society Room) Ferguson Center at The University of Alabama
Dinner at Cypress Inn 7:45 p.m Only for AGP Members |
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German Company Visit:
TÜV Rheinland Industrial Solution
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By Tine Hoffmeister
AGP Executive Director
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Denny Stapp, COO & Tine Hoffmeister, AGP
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TÜV Rheinland Group is a global provider of technical, safety, and certification services. Originally called the Dampfkessel-Überwachungs-Verein, TÜV Rheinland was founded in 1872 and has its headquarters in Cologne, Germany. The group employs 17,000 people in 500 locations in 65 countries. Headquarters for North America is in Boston.
The part of TÜV Rheinland that is represented here in Alabama is Industrial Solutions which can also be found in Michigan, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania. Here in Alabama their admin office is in Hoover, lab in Woodstock, and they also have several of mobile units - employing about 60 people.
I meet up with Denny Stapp, COO of TÜV Rheinland Industrial Solution to find out what exactly they are doing; and frankly, the list is long, very long and complicated.
TÜV Rheinland Industrial Solution can test any product or constructions where a metal is involved. For more here...
They have even been known to x-ray old buildings like the 250-year-old Fort Pitt Block House in Pittsburgh -check the video!
Denny Stapps ends the tour by saying "This is the industry that ensures the quality of workmanship".
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| AGP Business Seminar at Robotics Technology Park | |
AGP Business "Workforce" Seminar
According to recent study published in Forbes.com, skill labor positions are the hardest to fill in the U.S. With the continued growth in the manufacturing industries in Alabama, finding skilled laborers are already in highly demand. There is going to be a shortage of skilled labor if we don't do more to educate our current workforce and the workforce in the future. The problem seems to be that young people (and their parents) don't always look at a trade in the same light as other professions. The lack of skilled workers, especially in manufacturing, has become an issue all over the US, and both US and German companies are feeling the effects.
At our business seminar in September - learn from two German companies that successfully have tailored curriculum and programs to their specific needs and attract employees that are likely to stay long-term; the two community colleges, that worked with the German companies, will present their experience working on education that fits into the business world.
CARCAM, ATN, and AIDT with introduce their organizations and present resources that is available to the companies here in Alabama. The seminar will end with lunch and a tour of the Robotics Technology Park.
SAVE THE DATE
Thursday, September 26
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Robotics Technology Park, Tanner
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Alabama Germany Lawyer Exchange
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The Birmingham law firm of Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP launched its Lawyer Exchange Program this past July with its German "partner" firm of Büsing, Müffelmann & Theye Rechtsanwälte ("BMT"). BMT has offices in Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt, with its founding and principal office in Bremen. The firms share a large common client, and decided to create the lawyer exchange to build on the already strong economic and trade ties between Alabama and Germany.
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Dr. Phillipp Reinhold
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The first lawyer participant to come to this side of the Atlantic was Dr. Philipp Reinhold, a second-year attorney in the Bremen office. During Dr. Reinhold's stay at Johnston Barton, he worked on joint projects including international taxation, corporate matters and commercial transactions.
On July 23rd, Dr. Reinhold gave a presentation at Johnston Barton firm luncheon highlighting the major differences between the US and German legal systems and legal education. He also had the opportunity to visit local attractions and attend cultural events. Along with a group of summer associates, he toured MBUSI and BLG Logistics, Inc. in Vance and the campus of the University of Alabama.
Johnston Barton plans to send one of its attorneys to BMT later this year, as well as possibly offering an internal preliminary German-language course.
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| Fulbright Awards to Samford University Students | |
By Angela D. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Director of International Education
Assistant Professor of German
Two Samford University students have won Fulbright Awards to study in Germany this year. Signed into law by President Truman in 1946, the Fulbright program was proposed by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote "mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world." Since that time, the program has provided the opportunity for over 310,000 participants to study and pursue research in over 155 countries worldwide.
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Samatha McFarland & Chase Trautwein, Fulbright Awards Winners
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Samford graduate Chase Trautwein and 2012 alumna Samantha McFarland recently were selected to serve as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants in Germany starting in September 2013. Both will live and work in Germany for 10 months, as well as having the opportunity to attend classes at local universities. For full story...
Trautwein graduated with a B.A. in History and minor in German in May 2013 and McFarland graduated with a double major in German and International Relations in December 2012. Both participated in the summer study abroad program in Bamberg, where they were able to gain insight into the German culture by living with host families.
Please join us in congratulating these two students.
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| BOARD MEMBER PROFILE | | |
Warren McCullars is the Alagasco Director of Economic Development.
He began his career at Alagasco in 1977 as a New Business Representative in Anniston. He served as a Management Trainee in 1981 and then served as Customer Service Supervisor from 1983 to 1984. From 1984 until 2009, Warren worked as a sales engineer in the commercial and industrial departments where he was responsible for new and existing customers in Alagasco's eastern divisions. Warren managed The Industrial and Commercial Sales Department from June 2009 - November 2009. He was named Manager of Economic Development in November 2009 and appointed Director in June 2010.
For complete profile...
"Alabama's relationship with Germany, and German companies, go back many years" Warren says, "I believe it is imperative that we Alabamians understand the German culture, and work ethic, in order to successfully partner in business relationships. It is also extremely important that we do everything we can to insure that our German friends feel comfortable as they live and work in Alabama.The AGP is a great organization to share cultures, ideas, and to promote common interests for the good of Alabama and Germany."
Warren is currently serving on AGP's executive committee as VP of Communications.
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| HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL'S CORNER | | |
By Michael Johnson
As we approach the end of the summer and gear up for the Fall, we can look back on an eventful past few months. MBUSI in Vance has a new CEO, with Jason Hoff taking the reins from Markus Schäfer, as prepares for expansion; numerous German automotive suppliers have located or are expanding in Alabama, including Rapa in Auburn and Eissmann Automotive North America in Pell City, and the construction of the Airbus A320 family FAL project in Mobile is well underway.
The Transatlantic Trade Talks between the US and EU began in July, and will hopefully result in concrete results and agreements to reduce tariffs and non-regulatory barriers to trade and investment between our two markets. For full report...
Consul General Visit to Birmingham
Mr. Christoph Sander, Consul General of Germany for the Southeastern states, addressed the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham's lunchtime meeting on August 6th. Mr. Sander's speech, entitled "Germany Today - Challenges and Responsibility in the Heart of Europe," gave helpful insight into Germany's role within the EU, the Euro crisis and the Transatlantic Trade Talks. Mr. Sander continues to actively promote investment, trade, education and cultural ties between our region and Germany. We hope to see him often in Alabama.
Find the Honorary Consul General on Facebook!
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