French-American Chamber Marks 40th Anniversary With an Eye Toward the Future

In the 1980s, Atlanta’s international community may have been smaller and more disparate, but in some ways, those were simpler days for binational organizations. 

The expatriate community coveted outward expressions of the strong business connections that were already blossoming with their home countries. 

“Frankly, to compare with today’s market, it was rather easy to be successful,” said Marc Ducloz, who helped found the French-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast in Atlanta four decades ago. 

The chamber celebrated its 40th birthday — complete with a sheet cake — during a reception at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Feb. 13, with its original visionaries and current leaders coming together to reflect on the past and chart emphasize plans for the future. 

Clearly, there was some low-hanging fruit in Atlanta, a market that was just starting to emerge on the international scene under the leadership of Andrew Young, the city’s second Black mayor, who was fresh off a stint as U.S. envoy to the United Nations when he took office in 1982. 

International companies had discovered the centrality of the city for distribution, with its key airport, growing population, low cost of living and proximity to other major markets, Mr. Ducloz said. 

“Everything was ready for launching the French-American Chamber,” he said. 

The first Passport to France gala, Mr. Ducloz added, attracted 500 guests, while the inaugural Beaujolais Nouveau event celebrating wine made with newly harvested grapes from the French region of Beaujolais, held in Mr. Ducloz’s home, drew 120. 

This latent demand, however, was only revealed after a few French and American executives had the courage and foresight to push the relationship forward.

This was a decade before the city hosted the Olympic Games in 1996 — and four years before the French government set up a consulate general in 1989, run first by Consul General Jacky Musnier.  

John Lyons, an Atlanta executive and consultant who served as one of the founders and original board members, said the French-American Chamber’s kickoff event at the Rue de Paris restaurant (now closed) in 1985 was similarly well attended.  

“Everyone was thirsty for international events, and we provided that,” Mr. Lyons said. 

He rattled off a litany of achievements that reverberate still today. 

In the 1980s, a forum between the Lorraine region and then-Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris helped open the door for a Georgia Tech instructional site to be established in Metz, France, in 1990. Georgia Tech Europe now produces cutting-edge scientific research and provides opportunities for young Georgians to spend their freshman year abroad in Europe, among other programs. 

France Atlanta, an annual partnership between the consulate and Georgia Tech focused on science, culture and business, entered its 15th year in 2024, while Atlanta recently re-upped as a La French Tech hub — a designation from the French government of the city’s promise for French firms breaking into the U.S. market. 

Mr. Lyons noted that Robert Banta, a longtime immigration attorney who was knighted by the French government in 2000, helped the French Olympic committee find a temporary home at the same building where the French chamber held its offices during the 1996 games. 

He added that Georgia Power and French utility EDF held one of the first transatlantic video conferences in an age long before Zoom. 

These ties shouldn’t be taken for granted, Mr. Lyons said, which is why for the latter half of its 40-year history, the French-American Chamber has hosted the Crystal Peach Awards gala annually. 

“This is a very important event where we showcase the companies from the United States and the companies from France that have worked hard to create the bridge of economic cooperation between our two countries,” he said. 

Such gestures remain important, said Consul General Anne-Laure Desjonqueres, who congratulated the chamber on its anniversary as newly installed U.S. President Trump continued to threaten tariffs in retaliation for what he has called unfair trade practices by the EU.  

“France and Europe are strong believers in international trade,” Ms. Desjonqueres said, noting that the U.S. is the No. 1 investor in France. “We have new challenges in front of us, and France and Europe also are determined to do what it takes to protect their interests, protect their consumers and businesses.” 

French Sen. Olivier Cadic, who sits in the Senate as a representative for all French citizens living abroad, visited Georgia on a return trip that marked his 574th mission overseas.

On his prior visit to Atlanta, Mr. Cadic met with Georgia Tech experts on cybersecurity, a field on which he has helmed a committee in the French Senate for eight years. 

Speaking just after France’s February Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where 109 billion euros were committed to AI investments, Mr. Cadic said his interactions with American experts had consistently revealed that no country could tackle the global problem of cyber attacks alone. 

Using the fables of 17th-century French writer Jean de la Fontaine, Mr. Cadic warned strong “lion” countries of embracing the fallacy that they can eliminate all reliance on smaller “mouse” partners, pointing to a continued need for mutual assistance.

“Mutual aid is also the spirit of the binational chambers of commerce,” he said, adding in congratulations to FACC President Jacques Marcotte and Executive Director Katherine Lafourcade. 

“Under your leadership, the chamber has strengthened. The success of this evening demonstrates its vitality,” Mr. Cadic said. 

Mr. Marcotte also made a point to thank Delta Air Lines Inc. and its joint-venture partner Air France, which has flown U.S. veterans back to Normandy for D-Day anniversaries during the past few years. Delta has helped fund the chamber through the auctioning of business-class airline tickets, which fetched $10,000 at the 40th anniversary event.  

Both Mr. Ducloz and Mr. Lyons thanked their wives, Margot and Caroline, respectively, for their support in the early years of the chamber. An organization that started out with six board members now has 24 and operates out of offices within Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County.

Mr. Ducloz noted that Atlanta’s international community has flourished and a growing constellation of binational chambers means more competition in the events space. He added that the early emphasis on manufacturing and distribution has given way to high-tech, though some 200 French companies, including many manufacturers, continue to operate all over Georgia.

“The challenge is much bigger, but we are fortunate to have a fantastic team to take us to new heights,” Mr. Ducloz said.

Learn more about the French-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast here and see upcoming events like the March 31 International Francophone Career Fair here.