Bionade Goes Midwest
July 15, 2008

Consul General Eric Nelson (front row, left) visited German Parliamentarian Dorothee Bär (third from right) in her electoral district in Lower Franconia.  A former exchange student in the U.S., Dorothee Bär joined the Consul General at Frobenius Gymnasium to promote student exchanges.  The Consul General gave a multi-media presentation and Q&A on the U.S. elections to 150 students. Both Dorothee Bär and Consul General Nelson emphasized the life-changing experience of study time spent abroad.  Later Bär and Consul General Nelson visited Ostheim vor der Rhön, the home of Bionade, a brewed, non-alcoholic, organic drink that has already won considerable market share in Germany and is now entering into a partnership for a green fields investment in bottling and distribution facilities to open in Amana, Iowa in 2010.  The Consul General encouraged Ostheim’s mayor Ulrich Waldsachs (front row right) to pursue a sister city relationship with Amana.

Low in Franconia - high in Bavarian-American relations
May 7, 2008 

Consul General Eric Nelson visited Lower Franconia to speak about the U.S. elections and economy at the Würzburg-Schweinfurt chamber of commerce.  In a meeting with Schweinfurt community leaders supporting integration initiatives, the Consul General heard praise for American efforts to improve dialogue with Muslim communities. During his stay in Lower Franconia, Consul General Nelson also visited the companies SRAM and Horton.  These two U.S. firms are acquired spin-offs from Schweinfurt’s industrial giant Sachs.  SRAM produces bicycle components, Horton manufactures engine cooling systems. Both companies produce mainly for the European market and are engineering centers for their parent firms.