8:30 am - Registration, Breakfast & Networking

 

9:00 am - Welcome and Introduction

• Peter Riehle, Chairman of the German American Chambers of Commerce (AHK USA), Chairman of the Board of Directors, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc. and President & CEO, WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp.

• Peter Heydenbluth, President,Potsdam Chamber of Commerce and Industry

• dr Martin Wansleben, Chief Executive, DIHK

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          _cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_           Opening Panel: Transatlantic Relations

Moderator:dr Melinda Crane, Chief Political Correspondent Deutsche Welle TV, TV producer and journalist

• Peter Riehle, Chairman of the German American Chambers of Commerce (AHK USA), Chairman of the Board of Directors, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc. and President & CEO, WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp.

• dr Thomas Dalstein, President & CEO, BEUMER Corporation

• Daniel Schultze, Managing Director, Tresky Automation GmbH 

 

11:15 am - Coffee Break & Networking

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11:30 am - Investment Location USA: German Business Matters

• Daniel Andrich, President & CEO, RGIT

 

11:45 am - Investment Location USA: A Number of Possibilities

Moderator: Mark Tomkins, President & CEO, GACC Midwest​

• dr Jana Dorband, Regional Senior Investment Specialist, US Embassy Berlin/Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration, Select USA

• Sara Schneider-Hamai, Deputy Director Europe, JobsOhio

• Tricia Brown, Deputy Secretary/COO, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp

• Stephen Heller,Business Development Representative Europe, Minnesota Trade Office,Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

• Sabine Klauer, Executive & Project Assistant, European Representative Office Hamburg, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

• Nicola Michels,Managing Director, Europe Office,Choose New Jersey

• Jan Wiedemann, Director, Indiana Economic Development Corporation & US State of Indiana, European Office, IBR Indiana Berlin Representation GmbH

• Lukas Josten, Director Germany - Missouri International Trade & Investment Office, Missouri Department of Economic Development 

• Sergio Domingues,Managing Director - State of Georgia Europe Office,Georgia Department of Economic Development

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1:00pm - Lunch Break & Networking

 

2:30pm - Workshop Part 1

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Market Entry: What you need to know about US market entry (legal framework)​

Moderator: Susanne Gellert, LL.M., Vice President and Director Legal & Consulting Department, German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

• Anthony Brosnan, Vice Consul, US Embassy Berlin

• Maximilian Conrad, CLO, Statista GmbH

• dr Alexander Imberg, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP

• Hilde Holland, Partner, Wuersch & Gering, LLP

• dr Harald Mollberg, CEO, Speechagain Inc.

• dr Mathias Schulze Steinen, Partner, DLA Piper LLP

 

Market Growth: Sales Strategies

Moderator:  Michaela Schobert, Director, Consulting Services, GACC South

• Achim Brommer, Managing Director / Sales Department, SHW Storage & Handling Solutions GmbH

• Claus Dörner, Sales Director, ALB GOLD Pasta GmbH

• Andreas Essendorfer, Owner and General Manager / COO, Essendorfer Genussschmelzerei GmbH

• Filipp Pachomov, Sales Director, Schmid & Wezel GmbH

 

Industry Topic: Medical Technology

Moderator:  Susanne Rehse, Executive Director, German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Philadelphia

• dr Arne Dethlefs, Head of Production, Garz & Fricke GmbH. 

• Sven-René Friedel, General, Berlin Heart GmbH

• Marco Kalms, Founder & CEO, Kalms Consulting GmbH

• Thomas Weber, CQO, Director Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Löwenstein Medical Technology GmbH + Co. KG

 

3:45pm - Coffee Break & Networking

 

4:15 pm - Workshops Part 2

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Market Entry: How to find the right employees (personnel search, hiring of employees & training)

Moderator:  Stefanie Ziska, President & CEO, GACC South

• Nadine Hellmig, Head of HR International, Gerresheimer Regensburg GmbH

• Ralf Moosmann, Apprenticeship Coordinator Americas, IMS Gear SE & Co. KGaA

 

Market Growth: Production expansion

Moderator:  Gerrit Ahlers, Director, Consulting & Corporate Development Services, GACC Midwest

• Philipp-Michael Kusche, Manager Strategic Marketing and Sales, Körber Logistics

• Manuel Merkt, President & COO, Hermle USA Inc.

• Klaus Schute, CEO, Graepel Loeningen GmbH & Co. KG

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Industry topic: Industry 4.0

Moderator: Kristian Wolf, CEO, Representative of German Business for the Western US

• dr Stephan Beyer, CEO, BigRep GmbH

• Claus Cremers, Sales Representative and Business Development, Siemens MindSphere

• Alexandros Mikros, Leader of Key Accounts, Würth Industry

• David Petrikat, Global Director of Marketing, relayr Inc. 

 

5:30pm - End of the event

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Further speakers will be announced shortly.