August/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
Culinary German Dinner
German Company Visit
German Mittlestand
Germany is Weltmeister
World Cup Soccer
New Student Training Initiative
Board Member Profile
German Teacher in Alabama
 
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 8 - August 17
Birmingham
 
August 15-24
Statewide

August 15-16
Russellville

August 23-24
Eutaw

August 30
Burkville

August 30
Luverne
 
Save the Dates


August 7/14/21/28, 2014
Giuseppes Cafe, Birmingham

August 7/14/21/28, 2014
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville

August 13/20/27, 2014
Cafe Edelweiss, Tuscaloosa

August 12, 2014
Hildegard's, Huntsville

August 12, 2014
Olive Garden, Mobile

August 13, 2014
Osman's, Mobile 
 
August 15, 2014
Brock's, Hoover
 
August 21, 2014
AGP Executive Committee Meeting
Auburn
 
August 21, 2014
AGP Board Meeting
Auburn

September 7
First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
 
September 8, 2014
Huntsville

September 23, 2014
Engineering the Saturn V
UAB, Birmingham

September 30, 2014
"After Hour" Networking with
BLG Logistics
Vance
 
German Tradition of Schult�ten
 
Every year in late summer, one can see the eager and proud faces of first-graders standing in front of their primary schools in Germany, happily holding their large Schult�ten, or candy cones. Filled to the brim with sweets and little gifts and colorfully decorated with ribbons and crepe paper, these candy cones make the new students' hearts beat faster and sweeten their step from kindergarten to primary school. 

Want to know more? Click here! 

German Word 
of the Month

 "Geisterfahrer"
 

Driving on the wrong side of the road is dangerous, and can even be deadly. In German, drivers who are going in the wrong direction are called Geisterfahrer, which means "ghost drivers."

 

There is no English equivalent of the word Geisterfahrer, but it can describe an incompetent person who mistakenly went the wrong way, or a risky driver who may have done so on purpose. In many cases, it is simply a dangerous mistake. One-way street signs and do-not-enter signs are posted across Germany to stop "ghost drivers", but they are not always effective: throughout Germany, there are about five recorded instances of Geisterfahrer each day (which comes out to approximately 1,800 a year), according to FOCUS Online. In 2012, there were 1,914 recorded Geisterfahrer in Germany. 

 

Some highways have more "ghost drivers" than others, and the German government has tried to tackle this problem by increasing its number of street signs in recent years. In some areas, the size of these signs has also been increased. 

 

In an official sense, people who drive on the wrong side of the road are called Falschfahrer ("wrong drivers") -- Geisterfahrer is a more colloquial term used in conversation. But regardless of how funny the word may sound, the dangers are real: make sure you don't take on the streets as a "ghost driver", or you might seriously end up as a ghost.

 
How Not to Embarrass 
Yourself in Germany
 
Tipping
Tip 10% to 15% on big meals. For coffee or small meals, round up to the next Euro or half Euro. 
 
Southern Sayings
 
"She was madder than a wet hen"

Hens sometimes enter a phase of "broodiness" - they will stop at nothing to incubate their eggs and get agitated when farmers try to collect them. Farmers used to dunk hens in cold water to "break" their broodiness. You don't want to be around a hormonal hen after she has had an ice bath.  
 
New AGP Members

Corporation / Regular

Elizabeth Obradowich
Owner

Corporation / Associate

Bob Banks III
Manager

AGP Member News 

Latest News From:





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

Events & Seminars Offered by AGP Members

August 11 &13, 2014 
ISO 9001 QMS Internal Auditor Training

August 12 & 13, 2014
ISO 14001 EMS Auditor Training

August 18, 2014
White House Rural Forum

August 19, 2014
Export Alabama Alliance - 3rd Annual Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit

October 22-24, 2014
31st International Supply Chain Conference

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 gef�hrlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben."

 

The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not seen the world."

 

  - Alexander von Humboldt 

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
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German Dinners in Hoover and Mobile
  

  

 

AGP is hosting two German dinners THIS week! 

 

 

Join us in Mobile:

 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. 

Osman's in Mobile

 

Event is limited to 12 guests

More information & registration

 

 

Join us in Hoover:

 

Friday, August 15, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Brock's at Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, Hoover

 

Event is limited to 25 guests

For more information 

 

 

This is a great opportunity to meet friends of AGP while enjoying a delicious meal. Don't miss out - make your reservation TODAY!

 
German Company Visit: 
ZF Chassis Systems 
By Tine Hoffmeister 
 
Brad Newman
Plant Manager

  

ZF Chassis Systems is located in Tuscaloosa in a 206,600 square foot facility. The company opened it's doors in 1997 and is delivering to Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Force Motors (India) & ZF Thailand. They currently employ 457 people.

 

I met with plant manager Brad Newman, who has been with the company about two years. Before working for ZF Chassis Systems, Mr. Newman knew this was the company he wanted to work for. He felt the company stood out (and still does) in the way they handle themselves in regards to management style, company culture and high respect of its employees. According to him there is not a better company to work for!


ZF Chassis Systems is a tier one supplier of the chassis (front and rear axles), front strut, rear spring and rear shock for Mercedes-Benz M/R/GL and C Class. Parts for the chassis come from 143 suppliers - 63 from NAFTA and 80 from Europe (or other). The SSS (front strut, rear spring and rear shock) operation uses 11 suppliers. The front and rear axles are assembled side by side and numerous robots can be seen involved in the process.  The axles are all monitored for torque and angle and the data is recorded for future reference and validation. After the axle has been assembled it goes through corrosion treatment. From the time ZF receives an order to the time it will be shipped is approximately 280 minutes. Axles are assembled and shipped via conveyor chain on to a truck with conveyor belt. Forty five trucks with sequenced shipments leave for the two MB production plants in Vance on a daily basis.

 

For full story...

 

German Mittlestand 


 

GERMANY'S midsized manufacturers, collectively known as the Mittelstand, are often praised as a group for providing the backbone of the world's fourth-largest economy. Individually, they are world leaders in hiding their light under a bushel. They tend to be family-owned, tucked away in small towns and familiar only to the businesses that buy their specialized machinery and components. "We are not digging for gold," says Joachim Kreuzburg, the boss of Sartorius, a maker of laboratory equipment. "We are selling shovels to the gold-diggers."

 

Increasingly, though, Germany's hidden champions are enjoying a measure of international celebrity. Officials and business people from the world over are making pilgrimages to Germany to learn from the Mittelst�ndler, much as they flocked to Japan in the 1970s to study Toyota. Mario Ohoven, president of the BVMW, a trade body for the Mittelstand, says that wherever he goes these days, he is pressed to explain the secrets of his members' success. Recent suitors include Iran and Egypt.

 

To read The Economist's full article click here.


Germany is Weltmeister

  

 

A new nation won the World Cup. It was the first victory for a unified Germany, or a reunified Germany if you prefer. That country was more than a generation in the making. Germans do not believe in quick fixes.

 

Formal reunification occurred on Oct. 3, 1990, a few months after the previous 1-0 German victory over Argentina in a World Cup final, an ugly affair in Rome. But it has taken a quarter-century, and untold billions, to knit the post-Cold War nation together. When I lived in Berlin between 1998 and 2001, it was not just the countless cranes hovering over the city that told of a work in progress. It was the different mind-sets of Ossi and Wessi, Easterners and Westerners eyeing each other with resentment.

 

No matter, Germany had decided. It would pay the price to achieve reunification. It would work on the problem. It would move in the appointed direction, come what may.

  

To read New York Times' full story click  here.

 

Join us for NAITA 2nd Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament followed by Oktoberfest

  

Come out and join us for golf tournament and Oktoberfest in Huntsville on September 8th. Sign up your team today or simply make plans to join us the Oktoberfest. 

 

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to NAITA's International Business Education Scholarship, network with business and community leaders of North Alabama, experience a corporate golf outing and enjoy German delicacies .....all at the same time! 

 

For more information click here

 

State school leaders are looking to help Alabama students prepare for their future careers

  

The Alabama Industrial Development Training hosted a press conference in Birmingham to announce the new initiative to assist students in finding more professional-level internships.

 

The internship availability is a part of the state's "Plan 2020" campaign. A program designed to prepare Alabama students for success after high school.

 

The program will be funded by the state. The companies involved will be eligible to receive up to $30,000 a year for three years to fund the internship or apprenticeship. The companies would then be required to continue the program beyond the first three years.

 

Dr. Philip Cleveland, Director of Alabama Department of Education Career Tech/Workforce Development, says he wants the students to experience what it is like working as a professional.

 

"We want our students to become part of the fabric of those industries," said Dr. Cleveland. We want them to dress as a team member. We want them to be held to the same expectations as a full-time employee."

 

Dr. Cleveland believes the professional opportunities will benefit everyone involved.

 

To read Alabama 13's full story click here.

 

BOARD MEMBER PROFILE

Michael Brooks

Associate Director

Alabama International Trade Center
 

Michael joined the Alabama International Trade Center as a Trade Specialist in 1998, and became the Associate Director in 2007. 

 

The AITC provides trade consulting, export market research, and export finance solutions for Alabama's small business community, and is a founding member of the Export Alabama Alliance.  In 2011, he was hired as the Associate State Director of the Alabama SBDC Network, the state's largest provider of business counseling and training, helping companies start, run, and grow.  On average, the ASBDC works with over 2,500 small businesses, and provides training to 7,300 individuals each year.   As a former small business owner, he is keenly aware of the challenges that Alabama's small businesses face.

 

 About AGP Michael says: 

"The AlabamaGermany Partnership creates a business networking environment that is second to none, with opportunities for mentoring and idea exchange that simply do not exist elsewhere in the State's small business ecosystem.  AGP plays an important, yet subtle, role in attracting new investment in the state, while leveraging the expertise of its members to help existing businesses thrive and grow." 

  

For full bio...

 

German Teacher in Alabama

Herr Adam Martin

German Teacher at Auburn High School
  

Adam Martin currently teaches German at Auburn High School, where he has been teaching German Levels 1-5, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, since 2005.  

 

He began his teaching career as a German Instructor at Auburn University, before transitioning to the high school.  He also teaches German online with the Alabama Department of Education's Long-Distance Learning Program, ACCESS, to students around the state, as well as teaching German at Southern Union State Community College in Opelika.  He has served as Past President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.

 

Adam spent time living in Germany from 1985-1988 while his family was stationed at Sembach Air Force Base in the Rheinland-Palatinate area.  He lived in a village called Sippersfeld, not far from Kaiserslautern.  It was there that he made friends with the locals and has maintained friendships that have spanned 20 years.  Keeping in touch with friends from Germany has been one of the lasting impacts of his time in Germany as well as the impetus for entering the teaching profession.  Even today, he is working with one Sippersfelder colleague, who now teaches English, on establishing an international exchange program with students from Auburn High School and the Burg Gymnasium in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, for the summer of 2015.  Having returned again to Germany at Christmas time in 2006, and for Oktoberfest in 2009, as well as hosting German families visiting the Auburn area, have kept the love for German people and culture alive. 

 

Adam received AGP's to Barbara Fischer Education Award in 2013. 

HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL'S CORNER
By Michael Johnson

Fier Sterne (Four Stars)... Wir sind Weltmeister!


The dream came finally came true for Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as the Mannschaft advanced all the way to the final against Fussball powerhouse Argentina in Rio de Janeiro on July 13th.  After a 0-0 result in regulation time at the end of the 2nd half, Mario G�tze came onto the pitch as a substitute for the revered Miroslav Klose, and in minutes deftly trapped a chest-high pass in front of Argentina's goal for a spectacular shot in the back of the net. The evenly matched teams played valiantly for a total of 120 minutes before a capacity crowd at the Maracan� Stadium, with G�tze's brilliant goal giving Germany the well-deserved victory, without (thankfully) ending the match in a penalty shoot-out.  Germany can now proudly display four stars on the team jerseys as a proud testament to its prestigious status as a four-time Weltmeister.


The recent revelations of the NSA spying activities inside Germany have created considerable challenges in the close relationship between the two normally close allies and partners. US-German relations have suffered a setback in the previous level of trust and confidence.


Nevertheless, the relationship continues to be strong, and as recent tragic events in the Ukraine have shown, our close cooperation in many areas, including security, is of critical importance.  Foreign Minister Steinmeier met with Secretary of State Kerry in Vienna in early July on the heels of the E3+3 negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program. At a joint press conference, Steinmeier left no doubt as to the close relationship in place, stating that "German-American relations were necessary and indispensable."  Despite some significant differences, our common needs and interests are far better served by reestablishing trust and transparency.


A recent column by Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post pointed out some significant differences in the German and US economic systems and approaches. Mr. Meyerson, a frequent commentator on what he often refers to as the "German Economic Miracle," cited the investments in skilled workers and training programs, investments in technology and longer term views as opposed to the US focus on short term profits, share price and shareholder value and constant seeking to lower costs.  Germany's approach has taken into account more stakeholders and creates a longer term, strong economic and industrial base.  It has been demonstrated that German companies in the US pay higher wages and invest more in skills training.  As the US looks at ways to strengthen and improve the economy, perhaps public and private sector leaders can examine the German model for possible inspiration and viable, proven models.