State of the GACC - Colorado Chapter
Dear members and friends of the GACC-CO;
Many of you will have heard by now that we have recently reorganized the board of directors of our Chapter and that Jesse Young has been elected president at a special board of directors meeting succeeding Allen Salzmann. Concurrent with this change, two board members resigned; we regret their loss and appreciate their service to the organization. Subsequently, as noted in today’s press release available on www.GACC-CO.org under news, the board stepped back in self-examination and determined it to be in the best interest of our membership to expand the board from 11 to 13 members. Your current board is a blend of German and American business minds with over 150 years of experience. We want to add to that and are in search of candidates to fill the open board positions along with filling our treasurer position, all from within our current membership. Interested members should contact any current board member with nominations. Find the board on the Web at http://www.gaccco.org/menu2/about-us/index.html.
The Economy
The excitement of success, as it relates to the German American Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Chapter, is coming in from all directions! We start with the very good news that the German economy is showing strong signs of improvement. A survey released earlier this month showed consumer sentiment in Germany had risen on World Cup fever, warm weather, and an improving job market. German banks came out of the recent “stress tests” with excellent results. As the German economy slowly improves, we will continue to see an increase of Colorado based companies making entry into Germany. U.S. exports are increasing, and we insist that Colorado based companies get more than their fair share of business in the German marketplace.
In parallel with better economic news, we continue to see German companies exploring, researching, and, more often, making the decision to call Colorado their American home. Companies in the field of renewable and sustainable energy are particularly interested in our state. We are not surprised by this given the many things in our favor: sun and wind, state and local government emphasis on renewable industry companies, home of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, attention to government subsidies, and our highly educated workforce. Let’s not forget that company executives that spend any time at all in Colorado fall in love with the beauty, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities.
Cultural Events
Before we look into the future of our chapter, let’s recap the 2010 Biergartenfest. This year’s 14th Annual Biergartenfest was a big success. We had record attendance, listened to music from Steve Rock’s Tanzkapelle, enjoyed German food from our great member Helga’s Deli, successfully inaugurated a new children’s games arena, and, of course, quaffed more beer and schnapps than Morrison has seen in quite some time. As we begin to discuss our business focus as a Chamber, please never assume that we are giving up on these wonderful social events. On the contrary, we feel the board must balance the business and cultural aspects of the Colorado German community, and we welcome that challenge. Next steps culturally include participation in the Colorado European Festival on August 28, German Day in Colorado from October 1 to 3, and other events that present themselves.
Looking Forward
Your German American Chamber has been busy recently planning the rest of 2010. After discussion with many members, we are planning a variety of interesting and useful luncheons, meetings, and collaborations building on prior efforts. You will see more business theme luncheons, renewed efforts surrounding the “Treffpunkt Business”, and much more emphasis on ways that we can add value to your membership. “Treffpunkt Business” is a component of our business development committee, and meets every third Thursday at 6 pm. Think of it as an international leads group, and our feedback has been very positive. Yes, members have received business as a direct result of attendance!
We continue to work with our sister chambers to bring you Euro-networking, which has had very strong attendance. Our relationship with the World Trade Center is strong, and we plan to meet soon with the new executive director at the WTC. We also have plans to work with some of the domestic chambers of commerce in Colorado, offering them our international know-how. And we are taking steps to reach out to more businesses and potential members in our region.
Contact Us
Finally, we appreciate your input and feedback regarding anything that the chamber does. In the future, we will strive to be an open organization, committed to full disclosure and to the needs of you our members.
Viele Gruesse,
Jesse D. Young Martin Meier
President Vice President
