June/2014
 AlabamaGermany Partnership   500 Beacon Parkway West   Birmingham   AL 35209

                   205-943-4772         www.AlabamaGermany.org           E-mail                              
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In This Issue
Networking Event in Huntsville
Network, Brats, Beer & Soccer
German Company Visit
Evonik News
Teledyne and German Aerospace Center
Bolta Werke Gmbh
Board Member Profile
USA's soccer coach
Germany's soccer coach
German Teacher in Alabama
Honorary Consul General's Corner
 
Dankesch�n to our PATRON Members:
 
Alagasco 
 
 
Mercedes
    
 
Roedl & Partner
 
 
Dankesch�n to our SUSTAINING Members:
 
     BLG
 
 
 
 
 Lufthansa  
 
Siemens  
 
TUVRheinland     
 
  
What to do in Alabama

April 12 - December 13
Birmingham
 
June 6 - June 7
Monroeville
 
June 7
Alabaster
 
June 8 - August 17
Birmingham
 
June 21
Birmingham
 
June 23 - June 29
Tuscumbia
 
June 27
Clanton
 
Save the Dates

May 3 to August 2, 2014
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville

June 1, 2014
First Pres Deutsch
First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa 

June 3, 2014
AGP Cultural Training Seminar
Energen Plaza, Birmingham

June 5/12/19/26, 2014
Giuseppes Cafe, Birmingham

June 5/12/19/26, 2014
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville

June 4/11/18/25, 2014
Cafe Edelweiss, Tuscaloosa

June 17, 2014
Hildegard's, Huntsville

June 19, 2014
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville

June 26, 2014
Das Haus, Birmingham

July 6, 2014
First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
 

FIFA World Cup 2014
 
Mark you calendars for 
June 12 to July 13
 
Games will be shown at:


 


Please join AGP for:

Network, Brats, Beer & Soccer

June 26
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Germany vs USA

 

German Word 
of the Month

  Schlafm�tze
 

Are you nodding off at your desk, even after three cups of coffee? Can't get out of bed in the mornings? Are you always late and missing opportunities? Sounds like you might be a Schlafm�tze!

 

Directly translated, this German word means "nightcap", but the closest English equivalent of its meaning would be a "sleepy head" or a "zombie".


In modern German language, a Schlafm�tze usually refers to a person who is always tired, lazy and slow, spaced out and late all the time or unable to roll out of bed. But in the olden days, this word simply defined the nightcap that people wore to bed to keep warm. Before central heating was available, homes in northern Europe were often very cold - especially in the winter. To keep warm, Europeans would wear nightcaps when they went to sleep. Women usually wrapped a long piece of cloth around their heads, while men had more pointed caps with a long tip that could sometimes be used as a scarf.

 

How Not to Embarrass 
Yourself in Germany
 
Birthdays
When it's your birthday, it's your responsibility to provide food and drinks. 
 
New AGP Members

Educational / Institution

Alan Hill
Executive Director

C. Porter Banister
Associate Vice Chancellor  


Individual / Indiviual

Zachary Sullivan


AGP Member News 

Latest News From:





German companies: please send us your news link to [email protected]

Events & Seminars Offered by AGP Members

June 3, 2014

June 5, 2014

June 20, 2014

June 24, 2014

Are you a corporate AGP member in good standing that would like to share an event or seminar hosted by your company?

Please e-mail us a link to the event. 

German Quote

"Die beste Bildung findet ein gescheiter Mensch auf Reisen."

 

The best education for a clever person is found in travel.

 

  - Goethe

Rumtopf



It is time to begin the RUMTOPF. 

Easy to make, hard to mess up and delicious. It's a German specialty from at least the 17th century and the story is that fruit collected and stored by sailors during their voyages accidentally fell into rum barrels.
 
 After tasting the result they found the fruit had not only been preserved, the additional flavor of rum was a definite bonus. 

A Rumtopf begins with the cherries that are just coming into season, and followed by different fruit layered into a pot throughout the summer. Each layer is covered with sugar and rum, then it is left until Advent to be enjoyed at Christmas and in the cold winter months.

Try the recipe! 

AGP
Executive Committee

Chairman

Bryan Winter

Lewis, Smyth & Winter, PC


Vice Chair/Chair Elect

Warren McCullars

Alagasco  

 

VP Education

Dr. Anne-Katrin Gramberg

Auburn University

 

VP Business Development

Brian Hilson

Birmingham Business Alliance

 

VP Communication

Devin Dolive

Burr & Forman LLP

 

VP Culture

Dr. Thomas Fox

University of Alabama


VP Membership

Claudia Zimmermann

Alabama Power Company


Secretary

Judy Benson

Johnson Controls


Treasurer

Arnold Servo

R�dl & Partner


Immediate Past Chair

Arndt Siepmann

City of Auburn

 

AGP Affiliates

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
Butler Snow LLP
Phone: (205) 297-2200
 
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


Contact Us

Office
205-943-4772

Join Our List
Join Our Mailing List
AGP Networking Event
  

 

 

Join us for networking in the German Biergarten at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville:

 

Thursday, June 19, 2014

5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

 

Authentic German cuisine crafted by renowned chef David Oreskovich, imported/domestic beers, German wine and soft drinks are available for purchase.

 

The networking will continue while we get the opportunity to will view the Two Lines photo exhibit. This powerful collection of 60 unique and distinguished photographs is a pictorial narrative showcasing the history of the two nations divided by war. Germany began the process of reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, declaring unity in 1990. Korea, however, remains divided to this day. This exhibit will not be shown any other place in the US.

 

Admission is free for AGP members and friends. Food and beverages are available for purchase. First 10 people to register will get a FREE beverage of their choice. 

 

 

Network, Brats, Beer & Soccer! 

  

 

 

Network, Brats, Beer & Soccer:

 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Das Haus, Birminhgam

 

 

Please join us for an event of multitasking! We will network, enjoy German bratwurst & beer (or soft drink) and watch the World Cup game between US & Germany. Both team fans are welcome! Flags, t-shirts, hats in team colors are encouraged! 

 

If you think you have what it takes to handle all of the above - please register TODAY!

   

 

German Company Visit: Gl�ser Inc. in Tuscaloosa 
By Tine Hoffmeister 
 
Maren Witza, VP

  

In today's high-tech manufacturing environment, the components used to make engines, fuel-injection systems and other sophisticated parts that go into autos, jets and other products demands high cleanliness. A cleanness that is not measured in a speck or smudge but in 5 to 20 micrometer (�m)particles invisible to the naked eye. Checking for those impurities on components is what Gl�ser Inc. does.

 

The company Gl�ser GmbH was founded in 1976 in the Black Forest region, in Horb, Germany. The company is led by second generation of the family, CEO Claudia Gl�ser as CEO after the founder Fritz-J�rg Gl�ser retired.  With 50 employees worldwide and 3 plants, the company officially opened its first non-European office in January 2012 Gl�ser Inc, in Tuscaloosa. The USA branch was established and is run by Vice President Maren Witza who has been with the company for 12 years. 

 

Evonik opens R&D center in Birmingham


Governor Robert Bentley announced May 30th, 2014, that Evonik Industries in Birmingham will open a global Innovation Center for research and development (R&D) of medical devices and technology at the company's Birmingham facility. 



The multimillion-dollar project will create up to 25 high-paying jobs, adding to Evonik's current roster of 100 local employees. Housed at Evonik's campus off Lakeshore Parkway, it is their first innovation center in the United States devoted to medical devices and technology, expanding the German-based company's health care capabilities.  

To read Birmingham Business Journal's full article click here.

Teledyne and German Aerospace Center Formalize Commercial Space Imaging Partnership
 
Left to right: Johann-Dietrich W�rner, Chairman, DLR Executive Board; John Horack, Vice President, Space Systems, TBE; Hansj�rg Dittus, DLR Executive Board Member for Space Research and Technology. 

 

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY) announced today that its subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE), in Huntsville, Ala., and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) formalized their commercial space imaging partnership to use the International Space Station (ISS) for Earth observation with the signing of an Implementation Agreement at the ILA Berlin Air Show.

 

Under the agreement, DLR will build the DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS), a hyperspectral instrument that Teledyne will integrate onto its ISS-based imaging platform, the Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES). The MUSES platform will host up to three other Earth-observing instruments that Teledyne will use for commercial applications in areas such as mapping and monitoring of forests, maritime domain awareness, oil and gas exploration, and natural disaster response.

 

To read The Wall Street Journal's full story please click here


Bolta Werke GmbH gets land in Tuscaloosa Airport Industrial Park
 
The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority on Thursday, May 15, transferred 40 acres in the Tuscaloosa Airport Industrial Park to a German automotive parts manufacturer that plans to build a plant on the site that will employ about 350 people by 2018.
 

Bolta Werke GbmH, which is based near Nuremberg, Germany, announced plans to build its first American plant in Tuscaloosa in September 2013.

 

Last month's action was one of the final steps before construction begins this summer, said Johannes Carl, the future managing director of the plant, which will be called Bolta US Inc.TCIDA Executive Director Dara Longgrear said the land is valued at $25,000 an acre, making the value of the transaction $1 million.

 

Bolta US Inc. plans to invest $45 million in the project - $15 million for the plant, $28 million for new high-tech equipment and $2 million for infrastructure improvement, Carl said.

 

To read Tuscaloosa News full article click here 

BOARD MEMBER PROFILE

Tom Brinkley 

Shareholder & Chair of the

Economic Development Group

Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C.

 

 

Tom Brinkley is an attorney with Maynard Cooper & Gale. He serves as Chair of the Economic Development Group and the State & Local Tax Group. Maynard Cooper & Gale is one of Alabama's largest full-service firms with over 200 attorneys with offices located in Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.  

 

Tom's practice focuses on representation of international companies from countries including Canada, Korea and Germany that are locating or expanding in Alabama and throughout the Southeast, with an emphasis on German companies.  Besides negotiating incentive packages, Tom works with a team to resolve issues ranging from state and local tax to visas/immigration to international trade to real estate to governmental affairs.

 

We asked Tom a few questions:
 

Why did you join the board of AGP?

 

Tom:  Few organizations in Alabama epitomize both cultural exchange and business networking better than AGP.  Many companies locating in Alabama from Germany are anxious to understand the business climate.  Once in the State of Alabama, executives with German companies often wish to acclimate both individually and in business.  That is where AGP steps in, assisting these upstart companies, as well as established businesses, in multiple ways. I want to help with all of those endeavors, while learning more about successful German businesses worldwide. 

 

What do you see as the future of AGP?

 

Tom:  In addition to AGP serving as a source of cultural promotion and education, I believe that AGP's focus on assisting the new company locating in Alabama - both in terms of business climate and workforce adaption - should be an even stronger goal going forward.  Teams of existing German business in Alabama and executives throughout the state can highlight what it is like to do business in the state, describing the quality of the Alabama workforce and business experience. This will help ease any concerns that a German company may have about locating in this state.


Klinsmann's USA aiming to rub shoulders with world's best


It is almost exactly ten years since J�rgen Klinsmann took over as head coach of the German national team, having been handed a brief to shape the country's footballing future. The former striker instilled an attack-minded philosophy into the side and guided them to third place at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ on home soil.

His right-hand man at that tournament was none other than Joachim Low, who has since taken the helm and steered Germany back among the world's elite with his brand of creative and expansive football. Klinsmann has been in charge of USA's national side since July 2011 and is aiming to gradually emulate his compatriots' achievements, starting by making waves at this month's eagerly-anticipated World Cup in Brazil. 

 

For FIFA.com's full interview of J�rgen Klinsmann click here.

 

Germany's soccer coach Low: I enjoy the pressure


The German national team may have won countless admirers across the globe thanks to their stylish play, but coach Joachim Low remains far from satisfied. At the eagerly anticipated 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, nothing but lifting a first major international title as coach - and the country's fourth World Cup overall - will do. 

Low took time out from his preparations to speak to FIFA.com about his coaching philosophy, his emotions and expectations ahead of the impending tournament and his thoughts ahead of a special reunion with J�rgen Klinsmann.   

 

For FIFA.com's full interview of Joachim Low click here.

  

German Teacher in Alabama

Herr Douglas Lightfoot

German Teacher at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

  

Douglas Lightfoot currently teaches German and linguistics at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he also directs graduate teaching assistants who instruct elementary German.  He credits his love for German to the teaching and mentoring he received in high school and college, along with several opportunities to live abroad.

 

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, Doug began learning German in high school and then decided to study it along with linguistics at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  An M.A. and Ph.D. followed at UCLA.  Intermingled through and after his education, Doug took advantage of opportunities to attend a youth camp in Ried, Austria, work a summer in Scharbeutz (Schleswig-Holstein), study a year in G�ttingen, and work in two schools in Innsbruck.  More U.S. learners should have these types of experiences.    

 

Promoting foreign language learning and German in particular is something Doug feels strongly about.  Many parents and administrators in the U.S. do not recognize the social, academic, and economic advantages of having our young people learn German, so much work and communication is needed.  Doug strives to make a difference in this area through his teaching at The University of Alabama, and by supporting the learning of German with active involvement in various professional societies, such as the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). He has served as president of AATG of Alabama. 

 

HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL'S CORNER
By Michael Johnson
  

World Cup Fever

We are only days away from the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, when host country Brazil will face Croatia in S�o Paulo on June 13th.  The whole world (including much of the US) will stop to watch the biggest global sporting event.

 

Former Germany national team player and head coach J�rgen Klinsmann currently leads the US squad, which arrived yesterday in Brazil.  The "Baker's Son from Stuttgart" will face Joachim L�w, his former assistant coach and right-hand man during his days leading the German national team, as Germany and the US are both in the "Group of Death" (Group G), along with Portugal and Ghana.  The US and Germany will face in the US' last group stage match on June 26th in Recife.  It is almost a certain bet that Germany will advance to the next round, while the odds are rather daunting for the US.

 

In any event, the eyes of the world will be following the action on and off the pitch as the premier event in Fuβball... err... soccer... gets underway in the a few short days.  May the best team win!

 

Bavarian Aerospace Delegation Visits Mobile

A 40-member delegation of private companies, public entities, universities and elected officials visited Mobile on June 4th and 5th.  The delegation was lead by the Honorable Franz Josef Pschierer, State Secretary, Member of Parliament and Minister of the Economy of the Free State of Bavaria.  The group first enjoyed a networking reception organized by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and other sponsors on the evening of June 4th. The next day the delegation visited the Airbus Engineering Center, viewed the A320 assembly plant under construction, and attended a presentation and overview of the A320 project given by Dr. Ulrich Weber, Airbus Vice President and Head of Final Assembly Line - USA. 

 

The Airbus plant in Hamburg is the major sponsor of the existing (and impressive) Engineering Center, as well as the major link in Airbus with the assembly plant under construction.  The delegation's visit to Mobile was short, but another sign of ever-increasing ties between Germany and Alabama and greater visibility of Alabama among German companies.