On February 26, 2015 the American Chamber of Commerce in
Germany e.V. (AmCham Germany), BridgehouseLaw LLP and Rueckel&Collegen
hosted the 6th Annual AmCham
Business Day at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, USA, recognizing 29
students of 9 US-Universities who participated in the US-German Internship
Program to intern with a company in Germany for three months, and introducing
this year’s internship round.
The main goal of the event titled “Market Place Germany –
Your Business Choice in Europe” was to present the outstanding investment and
business opportunities that American companies have in Europe, particularly in
Germany, as well as to enhance the transatlantic relationship between the US
and Germany.
During the afternoon session, ten representatives from
various companies and organizations held presentations at the Goizueta Business
School at Emory University, sharing their business experiences in and/or with
Germany. The introductory speeches and welcome address were held by Dr.
Christoph Rueckel (Senior Advisor, AmCham
Germany Southeast USA; BridgehouseLaw LLP; and Rueckel&Collegen), Mr.
Thomas Wuelfing (Deputy Consul General,
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Southeastern U.S.)
and Mr. Andreas Povel (General Manager, AmCham
Germany). For the first time in the history of AmCham Business Days held
since 2009, the keynote speaker, Dr. Carlhans Uhle (Managing Director, IMG-Investment and Marketing Corporation
Saxony-Anhalt), was a representative of one of the new German Laender,
Saxony-Anhalt. This year’s special guest and speaker was Ambassador John C.
Kornblum (Senior Counselor, Noerr LLP).
Other speakers of the event were Mr. Alexander Privitera (Director of the Business and Economics Program, American Institute for
Contemporary German Studies), Prof. Dr. Torsten M. Pieper (Asst. Prof. of Management, Kennesaw State
University), Flemming B. Bjoernslev (President
& CEO, LANXESS Corporation), Dr. John D. Gatto (President & CEO,
NRW.INVEST (NORTH AMERICA) LLC), Ricardo (Ric) Hubler (Senior Director, Metro Atlanta Chamber) and Ms. Stefanie
Jehlitschka (Vice President, German
American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc.).
During the following panel discuss moderated by Mr. Ben
Brumfield (Digital Reporter, CNN Atlanta),
the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and to enhance the discussion.
The Dinner Reception included speeches held by Mr. Kevin
Glass (Headmaster, Atlanta International
School), Torsten Janssen (Chartered
Accountant & Partner, Ebner Stolz GmbH & Co. KG) and, again, by
Ambassador John C. Kornblum, dealing with the importance of international
education and global internships in today’s business world.
The evening program
ended with a an introduction of the US-German Internship Program (for
more information, go to: http://www.amchaminternship.org/)
by Monika Schulte (Chair Advisory
Counsel; AmCham Internship Program; and German Professor, Piedmont College)
and the speeches of 5 students from different universities who just returned
from Germany a few months ago. They talked about both the professional experiences
they gained during their internship with a German company and their cultural
experiences they made living abroad for 3 months.
Despite bad weather conditions, over 130 people attended the
event: both students and faculty members from the participating universities of
the internship program and representatives of over 35 different companies
participated that day.
The 6th Annual AmCham Business Day turned out to
be a successful event, thanks to the generous help and support by various
companies, schools and other institutions. Many thanks to this year’s platinum
sponsor IMG-Investment and Marketing Corporation Saxony-Anhalt, and to other
supporters, such as the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, NRW.INVEST
(NORTH AMERICA) LLC, Inc.; Piedmont College; Porsche Cars North America, Inc.;
Ebner Stolz GmbH & Co. KG; Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP; The Coca Cola
Company and UPS.
