American-German Business Club Munich e.V

Little did they realize their "Luncheon Group" would evolve into a national organization benefiting hundreds of American and German business people in Germany, and significantly promoting international cooperation between our two countries. During the Club's beginning, the Cold War division of Europe was a somber reality, which no one then really imagined could possibly change. Western Europe ended in Germany with defense being a major issue in transatlantic relations. A dramatic change took place after the fall of the Wall, with the main emphasis in America's and Germany's relationship on commerce - strengthened by long-standing cultural ties, and the many Americans and Germans living and working in both countries. The AGBC has enjoyed tremendous growth during the 1990s, with the founding of new chapters and the registration of the AGBC e.V., the association of all national and international AGBC clubs. The AGBC now has approximately 700+ members. These members come from a wide background of professions, including finance, telecommunications, media, entertainment, law, travel, construction, real estate, consultants, defense, language services, insurance, publishing, education, and various marketing and communications services. The AGBC consolidates expertise in American and German business relations. To tap this expertise for members and non-members, the AGBC is compiling a reference database as an online Business Directory for the the benefit of all. With the extent of the policy differences of the new US Admin as compared to those of the Obama Admin, interaction within and across German/American organizations is now even more important. We in the AGBC need to remain politically neutral by charter, but there is much more we are now doing to continue to locally nurture the transatlantic partnerships, especially those related to trade and business. This includes providing forums with other American/German/International networking and educational organizations to promote understanding of the shifts in direction and to identify the underlying opportunities. The national office of the AGBC e.V. administers all activities common to the AGBC Clubs and coordinates information to all the Clubs. It is also the central point of contact for new groups to be incorporated as AGBC chapters into the AGBC. There is a National Board whose elected members include a national president, a treasurer, and several appointed vice presidents. Twice-a-year membership meetings are generally attended by all chapters which are members of the AGBC e.V. The representatives of each chapter authorize a national budget and set AGBC priorities. Each of the AGBC Clubs hold regular meetings at luncheons, dinners, receptions and/or Stammtisch evenings. Personal networking to improve business contacts is a dominant feature at these events, which are also an informal and fun place to meet friends and newcomers alike. Luncheons and dinners generally have speakers with business related presentations and are always informative. All AGBC events are as a general rule conducted in English. The American German Business Club (or AGBC e.V.) is a private, non-profit, international organization, presently consisting of ten AGBC Chapters: Bonn,Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Kaiserslautern, Munich, Saxony, Stuttgart, and Wiesbaden-Mainz. Its activities are designed to strengthen the ties between representatives of American and German business through personal networking in an informal atmosphere. An all-volunteer organization, AGBC provides a forum for the discussion of national and international commercial relations and ideas. AGBC supports free trade, the sharing of ideas benefiting both countries, and personal interaction between business people within Germany. The AGBC is open to all nationalities who support its goals. Larry Schulz