Howdy from Texas! Did you know that the largest ethnic group in Texas derived directly from Europe was persons of German birth or descent?

We kicked off October, which is German American Month, by welcoming the Economic Development Agency of the State of Thuringia (LEG Thueringen) and a delegation of 10 Thuringian companies to Austin and Houston this week.

Upon their arrival in the Lone Star State, the group was welcomed by Austin City’s Council Member Alison Alter, the Representative of the Governor's office of Texas Philip Rocha III, Germany’s Honorary Consul in Austin Dorothee Mitchell with Southern hospitality and prepared for their trip and doing business in Texas from Paul Skeith, Partner at Richards Rodriguez & Skeith LLP.

In two jam-packed days, the delegation visited not only John Howard at tech giant Dell’s headquarters and the innovation center Ion in Houston but also got a sneak peek at the world's largest Freightliner dealership of our member company Westernstar before it opens to the public.
The delegation also saw how Miro is changing the future of work and team collaboration at their impressive office in Austin and gained valuable insight into the tech landscape of Silicon Hills at Tech Ranch.
Of course, we had to show off our Texas barbecue skills with a feast hosted by our friends at the German Texan Heritage Society in one of Austin's most historic venues.
Although we can't verify if this is certified fact or just another Texas legend, rumor has it that some Germans copied the good name of Weimar, Texas to create their own Weimar back in Thüringen,but we surely met with Weimar’s mayor and his team on our way to Houston.

Last but not least, Germany’s Consul General in Houston Kai Hennig made sure our delegates did not miss the celebration of German Unity Day and invited the group to his reception with more than 200 members of the German American Community in Texas.

The delegation is now trading in their cowboy hats for sombreros as they continue their trip through Mexico with our amigos from AHK Mexico. We bid them adios for now and hope they'll be back y'all real soon.