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Virtual Tour 2024 - Alabama
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Beginn
25.09.2024 · 09:30
Ende
25.09.2024 · 10:30
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Known as the Heart of Dixie, Alabama's economy thrives on many industries.

Home to major auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Honda, and Hyundai, plus an extensive network of parts suppliers, Alabama is a hub for car-making.

Headquarters of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and aerospace leaders like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus, Alabama continue growing their presence in the space sector. With IT firms like CGI, DST Health Solutions, and Intergraph, Alabama's tech sector is rapidly expanding.

Alabama is also the top producer of fertilizers, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and other chemical products. The chemicals industry is a major employer. Timber is one of Alabama's most lucrative exports, buoyed by the state's thriving forestry industry.

With a skilled workforce, excellent transportation infrastructure, low costs, and pro-business policies, Alabama provides advantages that attract investment and enable companies to thrive.

Redner

Christoph Doerr

Director, European Office | Alabama Department of Commerce

Christoph Doerr brings over two decades of expertise in the automotive, aerospace, and machine tool sectors, with 15 years in CEO positions. His career spans both American and European operations, including the launch and management of a greenfield company in Alabama from 2005 to 2012. In 2017, Doerr established the consulting firm "Innoteque Solutions," aimed at helping innovative companies introduce their products, ideas, and processes to the market. Since August 2019, he has held the position of Director for the European Office of the Alabama Department of Commerce in Stuttgart, Germany, leveraging his extensive international experience.

Sebastian Thole

Chief Executive Officer | Winkelmann Flowforming

Sebastian Thole is the CEO of Winkelmann Flowforming, headquartered in Ahlen. He leads a global business unit with 8 locations across the United States, Europe, and Turkey. Under his direction, the company serves diverse sectors including Mobility, Aviation, Space, Defense, Industrial, and Oil & Gas, with a growing focus on Hydrogen applications. Winkelmann Flowforming specializes in advanced metal forming techniques, incorporating processes such as flowforming, heat treatment, machining, welding, and assembly. Sebastian positions the company as the world's leading "metal forming specialist" for a wide range of applications across these industries.

Rouven Vierfuß

Managing Director Ovens Business Unit Cooking | Miele & Cie. KG

Rouven Vierfuß, 41, is the Managing Director of Ovens at Miele's Business Unit Cooking. He oversees the plant in Oelde, where he is fully responsible for the development and production of built-in ovens and combi steam ovens. Rouven has been with Miele since 2009, gaining diverse experience across various plants and positions within the company. He holds a degree in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering from TU Braunschweig.

Ellen McNair

Secretary of Commerce | Alabama Dept of Commerce

Ellen McNair began her tenure as Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce on Jan. 1, 2024, having been appointed by Governor Kay Ivey.

McNair formerly served as the chief economic development officer for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, where she was a member of the negotiating team that brought Hyundai Motors Corp. to Montgomery. While at the Chamber, she successfully located 600 national and international projects with a combined capital investment exceeding $8 billion, resulting in the creation of almost 30,000 new jobs for the community. The Montgomery Chamber’s Corporate Development Division was named a Top 20 Economic Development Organizations in the U.S. by Site Selection Magazine four times during her tenure.

She holds the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) by the International Economic Development Council, making her one of a handful of economic development professionals in Alabama with this designation.

Mrs. McNair has previously worked for the Alabama Department of Commerce as project manager and as director of research. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. Earlier, Mrs. McNair had worked in television news in Huntsville. She is a graduate of Auburn University and a native of Boston.

Mrs. McNair is a past president of the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) and an active member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). She is a recipient of the David R. Echols Distinguished Service Award for exemplary achievement in economic development in Alabama. She is active in her church and many civic organizations.

Mrs. McNair is the first woman to be named as Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, the first woman CEcD in Alabama, the first woman president of EDAA and the first woman to lead a major metro area’s economic development effort in Alabama.

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