November 2022

AGP German-Style Homebrewing Beer Contest & Lunch in Northport

Join us for a fun German lunch and help us select the best German-Style beer homebrewer on:

Saturday, November 5, 2022

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Rolf's Deli, Northport

You can taste (and vote for) 4+ German-style beers brewed by dedicated homebrewers. The homebrewers will be competing for bragging rights as the winner of our very first German-style homebrewing competition. 

Your ticket also includes a WUNDERBAR German sample platter with tastes of Schnitzel, Bratwurst, Curry Sausage, Frikadelle, Fleischkäse, Bratkartoffeln, Sauerkraut and Traditional Pretzel with Beer cheese dip. German beer and other beverages can be purchased separately. 

All participants get to vote for the “AGP People’s Choice 2022” and at 1 p.m. an official panel of guest judges will select the “AGP Best in German-Style Homebrew 2022”. Our guest judges represent:

• Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
• SWJ Technology
• Black Warrior Brewing 

We can't wait to see who the winner will be! Rolf's Deli will have German goodies available for purchase to take home. 

AGP The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall Webinar

November 9 marks the 33-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. Join us on:

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Zoom Webinar

We have invited a group of Germans to discuss what they recall and their personal experiences on the events from when the Berlin wall was built in 1961, during the Cold War, and after the wall came down in 1989. 

The construction of the Berlin Wall was started in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The wall was a guarded concrete barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989 and cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany.  

Joining the conversation will be: 

• Trudy Clements, Retired German Teacher
• Maike DeMaria, Owner/CEO, Capabilitix LLC
• Thomas Kislat, German American Chamber of Commerce South
• Jana Woodruff, German Realtor, RealtySouth

Dr. Angela Ferguson, Executive Committee member, VP of Culture for the AlabamaGermany Partnership, & Assistant Professor of German at Samford University, will be the moderator for the conversation. 

AGP German Holiday Goose Dinner is BACK! 

Back by popular demand! We have partnered up again this year with German General Manager Jörg Wesche of the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook (Birmingham) to create a German Holiday Dinner. Join us: 

 Thursday, December 1, 2022

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m 

Grand Bohemian Hotel 

Mountain Brook/Birmingham

Please join us for a festive evening in the Grand Bohemian Hotel's Private Dining Room with a three-course menu perfectly accompanied by beer and wine. The Chef will prepare a traditional Goose Feast for you.

Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:

German Ambassador to the U.S. visits Alabama

Last month Governor Kay Ivey and Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield meet with German Ambassador Emily Haber, French Ambassador Philippe Etienne, and German Consul General for the Southeast Melanie Moltmann. Many topics were discussed including economic ties between the countries. 

The Ambassadors also met with local business representatives in Montgomery to learn more about what makes Alabama such an attractive investment location. At the City Hall, they talked with Mayor Steven Louis Reed and representatives from both parties. On the agenda: many of the topics that Americans and Europeans care about, from jobs to education to safeguarding our democracies and achieving social justice. Before leaving the capital they visited the Legacy Museum which displays the history of slavery and racism in America.  

Their visit to the State of Alabama continued to Airbus in Mobile where they meet with Airbus Americas Chairman & CEO Jeff Knittel. The Ambassadors began their visit with a breakfast hosted by Airbus and local business and political leaders before departing for the U.S. Manufacturing Facility’s Delivery Center, where they met with VP & General Manager Daryl Taylor. The visit continued with a brief tour of an aircraft slated for delivery, followed by tours of the A320 and A220 assembly lines, giving the diplomats an opportunity to chat with employees and get an up-close and personal view of the construction of a plane.

Germany trade mission offers new possibilities for Alabama firms

By AlabamaWorks

Photo Credit: Made in Alabama.

Team Alabama’s first overseas trade mission in over three years successfully connected a diverse group of growth-minded state companies with counterparts in Germany, potentially setting the stage for new opportunities and partnerships.

Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the five Alabama companies on the mission operate in fields including the life sciences sector, microgrid power systems, next-generation EV charging strategies, and international project management services.

“Trade missions like the one to Germany have long been an important component in our strategy to strengthen Alabama’s international business ecosystem and uncover new trade and partnerships for our companies at home,” Secretary Canfield said.

Company representatives began the mission in Munich with business appointments arranged by the U.S. Consulate and facilitated by the Alabama District Office of the U.S. Export Assistance Center and Commerce.

The group then traveled to the IHK Schwaben in nearby Augsburg for the 11th installment of the E.U.-U.S. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Best Practices Workshop, where several Alabama representatives made presentations during panel discussions.

Kirk Atkinson, president of Adah International, an industrial engineering and project management services firm, said the trade mission unearthed new possibilities for his Birmingham company.

“The Made in Alabama team put together an immersive trade mission for us in Germany. We not only met but also began collaboration with new German customers and partners,” Atkinson said.

Read more Made in Alabama



AGP Attended the GACC South Annual Dinner in Atlanta

The AlabamaGermany Partnership was proud to represent Alabama with members from the board and membership at large at the German American Chamber of Commerce's Yearly Gala in Atlanta this past weekend. A wonderful gala with more than 400+ from the German American business community in the South. 

GACC South Transatlantic Electric Mobility Forum

The United States is undergoing an Electric Revolution. The Biden Administration has set a goal for half of all car sales to be electric or hybrid by 2030. To support such an ambitious goal, both federal and private sectors are heavily investing in the development of sustainable electric infrastructure throughout the country. The Southeast and its automotive corridor are at the forefront of EV research and development, manufacturing, and investments. 

The GACC South is hosting the Transatlantic Electric Mobility Forum, funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, to highlight and discuss the exciting expansion of the electrification of transportation in the Southeast. This in-person conference will feature expert keynotes from both sides of the Atlantic, presentations by German EV-related companies, and networking with important stakeholders in the region.

Conference Highlights: 

• Current e-mobility developments & projects in Tennessee and Alabama
• Expert Speakers from Germany & the US 
• Excellent Networking opportunities, free breakfast, and lunch included
• EV Solutions made in Germany 
• Panel Discussions 

Learn more about the GACC South event here. 



News from Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International 

Piece of the Berlin Wall at the Southern Museum of Flight 

A historic section of the Berlin Wall is on display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham. A symbolic reminder of the German reunification. Please enjoy the Museum's November newsletter writeup:

Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:

Welcome New AGP Member

Please help us welcome our new member:

CORPORATE - ASSOCIATE

BLG Logistics, Inc. 

Thomas Burke

Vice President of Sales, Pricing & Marketing

BLG Logistics combines American innovation with German engineering to power logistics efficiency for your company.

BLG Logistics, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BLG LOGISTICS GROUP, a world leader in third-party logistics services. They provide unique value-added solutions to highly technical clients. They utilize their international experience, innovative technology, and developed workforce to bring the best of global logistics right to your doorstep.

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.

Learn more at: www.blg-logistics.us

CORPORATE - ASSOCIATE

ACT Automotive, n.a. llc

Gregory Labelle

Managing Partner

ACT Automotive has been serving to Automotive and Domestic Appliances sector since 2005 and designing and producing welding jigs, checking fixtures, automation assembly lines and special machines. Meanwhile also manufacturing riveting machines and resistance welding machines under MACTERA trade mark.

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.

Learn more at: www.actautomotivena.com

St. Martin's Day - Lantern Fest in Tuscaloosa

German American Apprenticeship Conference 2022

The German American Chambers of Commerce Apprenticeship Conference and Award will be held in Atlanta, GA on November 10. Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the conference program will focus on workforce development strategies and key projects.

A high point of the event will be the GACC Apprenticeship Award ceremony during which one company will be honored for their leadership and innovation in workforce development excellence in their implementation of a German-certified apprenticeship program in the US. The award honors their investment in education and the creation of valuable career pathways. 

Target audience: educators (technical college representatives, high school college and career academies); manufacturers (C suite, HR, plant managers); economic developers; political stakeholders.

LEARN MORE! 



Diversity Visa Green Card Lottery Deadline November 8, 2022

This year’s Diversity Visa Green Card Lottery for Fiscal Year 2024 (“DV-2024”) runs from October 5, 2022 to November 8, 2022.  

Under this program, and as in previous years, a certain number (up to 55,000) of immigrant visas (green cards) are made available to eligible individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States who meet the minimum educational requirements. 

Entries for the DV-2024 Lottery MUST be submitted electronically on the Dept. of State’s website found here during the above-referenced processing period. Application instructions and additional information can be found here.

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