ChamberBrief

October 2008

German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc - GACCoM

Content:

• Upcoming Events: CEO Speaker Series with Audi in Rosemont, IL, YEC Monthly Stammtisch at NEW LOCATION, Annual Executive German Wine Dinner, Christkindlmarket Chicago 2008
• GACCoM Consulting Services: GACCoM Assists Companies in the New Federal States and East Berlin with US Market Entry, VHP 2009; GACCoM at Global Connect in Stuttgart
• Green Corner: Green Building Innovation Delegation in Chicago
• Career Services: Submit Your Resume in Our New jobXchange Database, Take a Look at Current Openings
• Transatlantic Program: TAP 2009 Application Deadline: Oct 24, 2008; New Renewable Energy Focus; Alumni Reunion at German Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Jan 16, 2009
• Photogallery: Pictures from our Past Events, including GACCoM's IMTS Reception, GACCoM's Green Building Innovation University Seminars, etc.

Upcoming Events

CEO Speaker Series: Johan de Nysschen - Audi of America

What:

GACCoM is very pleased to announce the next CEO Speaker Series luncheon on Wednesday, October 15th.  GACCoM is thrilled to have Audi of America’s top executive Johan de Nysschen talk about the development of clean diesel and what needs to be done to promote this technology in the US. Mr. de Nysschen will also discuss how the financial crisis is affecting the automotive industry. Hearing one of the world’s major carmakers’ top US executive speak about these topics will be especially relevant in the current market atmosphere. Wim van Acker, Managing Partner with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, will moderate the Q & A session.

Topic: Engines of Independence – Bringing Clean Diesel to the US

Date: Wednesday, October 15th 

Time: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

Location: Hotel Sofitel Chicago O’Hare, 5550 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018  

Cost: $70 for members, $80 for non-members  

Monthly YEC Stammtisch at NEW LOCATION

Date: Wednesday, October 15th

Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location: Berghoff in Downtown Chicago , 17 W. Adams Street,  Chicago, IL

It’s Stammtisch time on Wednesday, October 15^th at our new Stammtisch spot.  Please join us at the historic Chicago German American bar and restaurant, The Berghoff.  The Stammtisch is an informal monthly get-together of the Young Executives’ Committee (YEC). Your GACCoM Staff goes early to reserve tables, but most people begin to arrive at 6 pm.

The Bar at the Berghoff is close to the Jackson stop on the Red and Blue Lines and only blocks from Union Station and Ogilvie Center for you Metra riders.

Everyone is welcome at Stammtisch – members, friends, interns, visitors – the more the merrier!  We hope you will be able to join us this month for “ein Bierchen” and some “Gemütlichkeit”.  No registration necessary. Feel free to contact us at 312-644-2662, if you have any questions.

Annual Executive German Wine Dinner 2008

Please join us for one of GACCoM's signature events. Learn more about German wines, enjoy fabulous food, take in the magnificent view and mingle with the German American business community. Space is limited so register today!

What: 7-course menu paired with Germany's most famous wines 

Date: Friday, November 7, 2008

Time: 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Location: The Mid-America Club at the Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph St., 80th Floor, Chicago, IL

Cost: Members: $140, Non-Members: $155, Table Price: $895 (table of 6)

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please download our sponsorship form here or contact Lauren VanderBerg at vanderberg@gaccom.org or call 312-494-2176. Please register by October 31st. 

Spätlese Sponsors:

Additional Supporters:

Great Lakes Wine Company; The Mid-America Club; Schott Zwiesel

Christkindlmarkets Chicago and Oakbrook 2008
 

The perfect place to get in touch with the Holiday spirit is at the Christkindlmarket. The Oakbrook Christkindlmarket will be celebrating its second year at the Oakbrook Center Shopping Mall in Oak Brook, IL. The market opens its doors November 1 and will run through November 16, 2008. Admission is always free. The market will be open daily: Mon. - Thurs.: 11am - 7 pm, Fri. - Sat.: 11 am - 9 pm, Sun.: 11 am - 6 pm.

The 13th Annual Christkindlmarket Chicago follows on the heels of the Oakbrook market. The vendors in the red and white striped huts surround the Picasso on Daley Plaza, welcome visitors starting November 27 through December 24, 2008. The Plaza will transform itself into a little piece of German holiday tradition. Visitors from all over the world flock to the market to enjoy unique shopping and tasty delicacies. Admission is always free and everyone should rush to the market to get in the spirit of the season!

What: Christkindlmarket Chicago 2008  

Dates: November 27th through December 24th

Times: Open Daily (Sun. - Thurs.: 11 am - 8 pm / Fri. - Sat.: 11 am - 9 pm )

Special Hours: Thanksgiving Day, November 27th and Christmas Eve., December 24th, the market will close at 4 pm

Location: Located in the heart of Chicago on Daley Plaza between Washington, Clark & Dearborn Street

Cost: Admission is Free!

For more information on both Christkindlmarkets, please visit http://www.christkindlmarket.com.

GACCoM Consulting Services

GACCoM Offers German Companies Assistance in Entering the US Market  - VHP 2009

GACCoM is currently working on a project to assist companies in the new federal states and east Berlin with US market entry.  This Vermarktungshilfeprogramm (VHP) is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The program is open to small- to midsize German companies that are interested in entering the US market or even expanding within it. Any companies that are interested in participating in this program, please contact Virginia Attaway at attaway@gaccom.org or call 312-494-2163.  More information about the VHP 2009 can be found here (in German).

If you do not match this profile, but are interested in US market entry, please contact us anyway. We have access to other subsidized programs, or can help companies individually with their US market entry strategies. We also offer the service for US companies to find German business partners. For more information, please click here.

GACCoM at Global Connect in Stuttgart  - Nov 11-12, 2008

Virginia Attaway, consultant at GACCoM, will be at the Global Connect Forum for International Contacts and Investments in Stuttgart on November 11-12, 2008 to advise companies on market expansion in the US. The Global Connect is the forum that provides information on the economic and political situation, fiscal and legal framework or the structure of the financial sector in a particular target market. Discounted tickets are available through GACCoM. Please contact Virginia Attaway at attaway@gaccom.org or call 312-494-2163 for more information.

Green Corner

November 10-14: Green Building Innovation Delegation

GACCoM will bring a delegation of innovative German companies who specialize in energy-saving technologies and expertise for commercial and residential buildings to Chicago in November. The delegation’s purpose is to generate discussion and cooperation between German green building suppliers and their U.S. counterparts, by introducing their technologies to leading U.S. architects, construction firms, and suppliers in the industry.

Incorporated in the week will be a full-day conference with leading US and German experts, 1-on-1 partnering meetings with companies in the delegation, a high-level roundtable discussion, and an evening networking reception. For conference and reception details please see below, and check for updates on our website soon at www.gaccom.org.

Conference Speakers include: 

• Lt. Governor Pat Quinn (invited), State of Illinois
• Stefan Behnisch, BDA, RIBA /  Christof Jantzen, AIA, LEED, Behnisch Architekten, Stuttgart, Germany and Venice Beach, CA
• Prof. Manfred Hegger, University of Darmstadt
• Scott Mueller, Eclareon GmbH, Berlin

If you would like to know more about the delegation or are interested in setting up meetings with the German companies, please contact Mark Tomkins, Director, Consulting Services, at tomkins(at)gaccom.org or call 312-494-2172.

GACCoM Career Services

Our Career Services specialize in matching bilingual job seekers (German/English) from a wide range of fields and experience levels to vacant positions at our client companies throughout the United States. The cornerstone of our service is the large pool of bilingual professionals that is constantly expanded with new resumes from qualified candidates and managed to provide the most accurate and up-to-date profiles of job seekers.

Job seekers with a strong academic background and preferably those with bilingual language skills (German/English), please submit your resume to our new online jobXchange database.

Current Openings at Client Organizations:

• Purchasing Manager for German subsidiary, bilingual (English/German)
  Industry: Manufacturing. Location: Vernon Hills, IL (north of Chicago)
• Senior Technical Consultant – Java Specialist in Chicago
  Industry: Software Development. Location: Chicago and Midwest

• Tax Advisor and Corporate Auditor
  Industry: Accounting/Auditing. Location: Downtown Chicago
• Administrative / Executive Assistant
  Industry: various. Location: Chicago area
  

Current Openings at GACCoM:

• Part-time Staff Accountant (Bilingual in English/German)
  Industry: Consulting. Location: Downtown Chicago
• Full-time Renewable Energies Project Manager with 2-5 years of work experience
  Industry: Consulting. Location: Chicago (incl. travel Midwest)

Transatlantic Program 2009 – Training the Future

Latest News: 

• Deadline for the application process for the TAP 2009 is Friday, October 24, 2008
• New focus in 2009 on renewable energies. German companies have become international technical leaders in this field. Qualified participants will be eligible to be placed as interns in cutting-edge companies. Visits to companies and organizations in the area of renewable energies will also be featured.
• The highlight of the 4th Annual TAP Reunion is the official reception at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. by invitation of the German Ambassador to the U.S. and official Patron of the Transatlantic Program, Dr. Klaus Scharioth, on January 16, 2009.

We would like to express a special thank you to our ongoing supporter the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), and our corporate sponsors, KOMET of America and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. The academic component is conducted in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the internship placement we work with our partner InWEnt in Germany. Also, a special thanks goes to the Goethe-Institute in Chicago, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the American Association of Teachers of German for their continuous support in promoting the program among US universities and colleges. 

For more information please visit www.transatlanticprogram.org or contact Sabine Klensch, Manager Career Services and Transatlantic Program at klensch@gaccom.org or call 312 494 2166.

Past Events - Photogallery

To view pictures from our past events, such as GACCoM's IMTS Reception, GACCoM's Green Building Innovation University Seminars, and many others, please click here.