January/2015
 AlabamaGermany Partnership   500 Beacon Parkway West   Birmingham   AL 35209

                   205-943-4772         www.AlabamaGermany.org           E-mail                           
 Like us on Facebook   View our profile on LinkedIn   Follow us on Twitter
In This Issue
Happy New Year from Chair
AGP Annual Celebration Dinner & Business Forum
German Company Visit
Germany sees its growth as important for the whole euro
MB USA relocates
Board Member Profile
European style earn-as-you-learn progarms
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

January 17- February 17
Mobile
 
January 30-31
Brundidge

February 6-8
Birmingham

February 14
Montgomery

February 14
Chatom

February 20-22
Birmingham

February 21
Columbiana

Februay 28-March 1
Wetumpka

 
Save the Dates
AGP Membership 2015

To all our 2014 members and supporters - THANK YOU! 

Last year was a very busy year for AGP and because of your support we have been able to host many successful events like: the Annual Celebration Dinner in Tuscaloosa with record setting attendance; several German Culinary Dinners, Breakfast Networking, Brats & World Cup Soccer Luncheon, Engineering Saturn V event, BLG Logistics Plant Tour, Luncheon and Tour of Design and Manufacturing Laboratory (including CNC Machining) and the "Lego Lab" (Assembly Line Simulation) at Auburn University. We hosted the German Business Committee dinner meetings in Birmingham and celebrated "Fall of the Wall" - the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a social networking event. 

In the spring AGP had the opportunity to support the Alabama Chapter of American Association of Teachers of German meeting. We have also been able to sponsor several educational and cultural programs like the German Piano Battle at Samford University, Oktoberfest weekend, the Lantern Festival at Tuscaloosa Academy and the upcoming German Christmas Market at Das Haus.

In order to continue to grow our program, we hope you will renew your membership for 2015. Your support will help us keep provide new programming and our ability to connect businesses, organizations, governments, and individuals.

 

Still not an AGP member? Please consider joining our organization today and enjoy the many benefits that comes with AGP membership. For more information on corporate membership and benefits click here

 

Click Here to renew or sign up for membership! 

 

Prentice Concert Choir is looking for German Singers

Mardi Gras in Mobile

German Word 
of the Month
How Not to Embarrass 
Yourself in Germany
Southern Sayings
New AGP Members

Corporation / Regular

Brad Newman
Plant Manager


Individual 

Brian Everling

AGP Member News 
Events & Seminars Offered by AGP Members
AGP
Executive Committee
AGP Affiliates
Contact Us
Join Our List
Happy New Year from AGP's Chairman
   
AGP Members and Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed time away with family and friends. As we ring in 2015, we are convinced that this will be a memorable year. Bryan Winter's leadership in 2014, along with Tine's hard work, will make last year's success difficult to surpass. However, your Board of Directors has planned an outstanding and ambitious calendar for 2015.

I am sure you have made plans to be in Mobile on March 5th and 6th for the AGP Annual Celebration Dinner. AGP board members Troy Wayman and Claudia Zimmermann have a great venue and program planned for us to enjoy.  I am very appreciative of their hard work and look forward to a great time in Mobile. You will receive an invitation in the near future. I will see you there!

I am also delighted to inform you that all of our committees are working hard and have planned seminars and events to add value to your membership. The year has already been kicked off with the AGP Educational Summit at the new AIDT Training Center in Birmingham.  Consul General of Germany Christoph Sander and AIDTs Director Ed Castile opened the program.  We enjoyed presentations by Who's Who of Alabama and German business leaders.  It was a great turn out for this very important subject and we will keep encouraging the talk between businesses, institutions and organizations. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention the newest addition to AGP.  The German Business Committee is off and running and I look forward to seeing their work.  You will learn more about this new committee soon.

 

As you can see, we are in for a great year.  I hope you will take part in as many events as possible.  We look forward to seeing you and welcome your questions and suggestions.  On behalf of the AGP Board of Directors and our Executive Director we wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Mit freundlichen Gr��en, 

Warren McCullars
AGP Chairman
                                            
AGP Annual Celebration Dinner & Business Forum
  

  

 

Please Join Us for our 17th Annual Celebration Dinner:


 

Thursday, March 5, 2015

5:30 p.m to 9:00 p.m.

Aircraft Pavilion

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile


 

Program starts at 5:30 pm with Reception, Networking and Silent Auction, followed by dinner at 7:00 pm. Dinner program will include welcome by Consul General of Germany Christoph Sander, Rainer Bauer Award Presentation, New & Expanding German Companies Awards, and Special Recognitions. 

 

Join us next day, Friday, March 6th, for the Business Forum at the AIDT Aviation Training Center built for Airbus, to learn about the workforce training for the aerospace industry.
 

SIGN UP TODAY! 


 

AGP have reserved limited rooms at The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, 26 North Royal Street, Mobile, at special price of $129 per night.  Please book before February 5, 2015 for discounted price. 


 

Sponsorship is still available - click here for more information. 

  

German Company Visit: Str�hle + Hess

By Tine Hoffmeister
   

 

I was excited to finally get to visit the German company Str�hle + Hess in Auburn, AL. I was greeted by Josh Morton, COO; Thomas Klein, CFO and Tobias Kops, Head of Production.

The company started in Auburn in 2004. Equipment was set up late that year and production of two products for Mercedes-Benz M Class was started in 2005. Core technology was added later on.  Str�hle + Hess's two main product lines are piping and head liner application.

 

They prepare piping for car seats which previously was used as an elegant sporty element to emphasize seat contours. The trendy trim is having a comeback. Customers of the piping are GM, Chrysler, Ford, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and BMW to name a few.  Piping comes in many colors and fashion styles. The textile for the head liner is made at the location on tube knitting machines. The knitting machines are German and top of the line. The finished textile gets sent off to be dyed. Frankly, I am not sure what was more fascinating - to see knitting machine with many big rolls of thread making textile or watching a machine glue textile and foam together for head liners. There are more than 25 different versions for just one Mercedes-Benz model!

 

Str�hle + Hess have grown from 10,000 square feet to 23,500 square feet since 2004. They are adding two more programs in 2015 for MB and BMW so beyond 2015 there may be a need for expansion. Due to the highly automated process they get everything done with a staff of 30 people on 3 shifts/5 days. To have more flexibility they have started cross training staff, but the operators still have their certain experience.  Str�hle + Hess in Auburn have ISO TS16949 certification which is the highest level quality certification in the automotive industry.


 

Click here to print out. 

 

Str�hle + Hess were founded in 1926 in Althengstett making socks. In 1960 they started supplying Mercedes-Benz and is now specialized in textiles only for car interiors. Str�hle + Hess has one location in USA (Auburn), two in Germany and the fourth location is starting up in Shanghai, China. They have 250 employees worldwide and approximately $50-55 million in sales yearly. 

 

Germany sees its growth as important for the whole euro 

By Peter Wittig 

Germany's Ambassador to the United States


 
When I came to Washington as the new German ambassador in May, one thing really surprised me: Nearly everybody I talked to had a strong opinion about the German economy and whether it is fostering or hindering development in the world. A lot of those opinions were positive, stressing the sustainable practices and income equality in Germany. But others continue to be fiercely critical, asserting that Germany holds an irrational belief in belt-tightening and has a solely export-driven growth model, and that this is the main impediment to economic growth in Europe and worldwide. I therefore feel it is time I offer my take on these questions.

 

First, let us get the facts straight: Germany is projected to grow faster this year and next than it did in 2012 and 2013. It continues to be an engine of growth in Europe. Employment stands at a record high, and real wages are increasing. The German government is supporting this trend with the introduction of a minimum wage of 8.50 euros an hour, or about $10.60. As a result, the German economy is increasingly driven by domestic demand.

Our exports are also a source of growth for our partners. People around the world like to buy high-quality German products, such as cars and machinery. These products rely to a great extent on a global supply chain. Imports, mainly from our European partners, account for 40 cents of every euro worth of German exports. Furthermore, we are not exporting more than we are importing from the euro zone. A current account surplus is not a target of German economic policy. Our policy is rather to create the right framework for companies to thrive. We are convinced that this is the best approach to foster sustainable growth. One important element to achieve this aim is the successful conclusion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and the European Union.

 

Click here for full story in Washington Post.

 

Mercedes-Benz USA relocates Headquarters to Atlanta
By Atlanta Business Chronicle 

 

 

Mercedes-Benz USA will relocate its headquarters to Atlanta this summer - a move that will create about 1,000 jobs and cement the Southeast as the auto industry's center of gravity.

 

For the city, which has been on a growth sprint, landing the German luxury automaker is the largest economic development coup since United Parcel Service Inc. relocated to the area in 1991.

 

Mercedes' decision to move from sleepy Montvale, N.J. to frenetic Atlanta was about attracting the talent needed to be "competitive for the next 50 years," MBUSA President and CEO Stephen Cannon told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an exclusive interview Tuesday afternoon.

 

For Atlanta's Business Chronicle's full report,  click here.

                                            
Board Member Profile 
Article Subheading

Mark A. Heinrich, Ph.D.

Chancellor

Alabama Community College System

 

 

A native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Dr. Mark Heinrich was the unanimous choice by the nine-member State Board of Education to become the next chancellor of the Alabama Community College System on September 21, 2012.

Heinrich holds a doctorate in counseling from The University of Alabama, and earned B.S. and M.A. degrees in psychology from Tennessee Tech University.  During the time he was completing his graduate degree at The University of Alabama, Heinrich served on Coach Paul Bear Bryant's staff as an academic counselor and tennis coach.   

Dr. Heinrich's higher education career spans more than 30 years, during which he's held leadership roles in academic, student service and technical/vocational areas. During that time, he served as an instructor, department chair, division dean, dean of instruction, academic vice president, associate provost, provost, and most recently, as president of Shelton State Community College.  

For full bio click here

Dr. Heinrich believes strong college-community relationships are paramount to the health of the system's institutions and
critical to the economies of their local communities. He has worked with many of the state's workforce partners and believes that the Alabama Community College System holds the key to the state's workforce needs.   

A self-described collaborator, Dr. Heinrich is committed to developing strategies that will unite the system in a common goal to improve the state's economy by providing a well-educated and highly-skilled workforce.  Dr. Heinrich says: 

"The business and industry world has changed considerably and is significantly different now than even a generation ago. As our international economy grows, so does the need for a workforce competent within the all-important global arena. Our Alabama-Germany Partnership promotes relationship building, idea exchange, and productive collaboration, which is beneficial for everyone."


European style earn-as-you-learn programs are gaining traction in the U.S.
By US News

 

 

Hope Johnson and David Whelan divide their weeks between courses at Central Piedmont Community College and the factory floor at Siemens USA in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they're enrolled in high-tech, European-style apprenticeships manufacturing gas and steam turbines for power plants.

 

Johnson, 20, and Whelan, 18, are gaining more than just experience. Once they've completed their apprenticeships, they'll each have an associates degree in mechatronics - paid for by Siemens - and a full-time job at Siemens making about $55,000 a year - well above the average salary for similarly educated young adults.

 

The two frequently visit their old high school, Olympic, to talk about the program and to debunk common misconceptions about careers in manufacturing.

"When people think of an industrial factory, they think dark, dirty and heavy lifting and it's not that way anymore," Johnson says. "I've worked since 5 o'clock this morning and I don't look any dirtier than someone who just came in. People don't understand that manufacturing has come so far. It's meant for somebody with higher analytical skills and higher troubleshooting abilities [as well as for somebody] who can turn a wrench."

 

For full story by US News click here... 


 

German Teacher in Alabama
Article Subheading

Peter Meister

Associate Professor of German, Emeritus

The University of Alabama

in Huntsville

                               

 

Dr. Meister grew up in Indiana, and, until college, knew no more German than his classmates (Kindergarten; Angst, in those days a recent borrowing still pronounced as in German).  He had a great teacher in college, who sent him to Vienna for spring of his sophomore year.  Meister completed his B.A. in German at The University of Pennsylvania, and his Master's and Ph.D. in medieval German at The University of Virginia.  At various stages in his career, he has taught German to children in middle school, older kids in high school, and, since 1990,  younger and older adults at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. He served as reader for a major textbook through several editions, and, on several occasions, as reader for the ETS Advanced Placement exam.  In 2007 he was listed in Who's Who Among American Teachers and Educators.

 

Reasons for learning German are more subtle than for a language whose native speakers are uncomfortable with English, Meister tells learners.  Few Germans need you to speak German for their sake.  In fact, they don't even need to practice their English on you, though some may nevertheless insist that your relationship with them be grounded in English. So why learn their language when Austrians, Swiss and Germans are so good at yours?

 

Click here for full bio