THE OLD EAST GERMAN STATES WILL HAVE THE BEST COMMERCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ALL OF GERMANY IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, DR. IMMO STABREIT, GERMANY’S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. TOLD GLOBALFAX BEFORE GIVING A LUNCHEON ADDRESS IN ATLANTA MAY 6.

A PRIME BENEFICIARY WILL BE THURINGIA, THE SMALLEST OF THE FIVE FORMER EAST GERMAN STATES, AND THE ATLANTA-BASED INTERNATIONAL AND CONSULTING FIRM EAGLESMITH PARTNERS, INC., HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY TLW, THURINGIA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, TO ATTRACT U.S. INVESTMENT THERE.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT TLW IS TRYING TO CREATE JOBS IN THURINGIA, SAID PETER MANOWN, THE PRESIDENT OF EAGLESMITH PARTNERS, AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROVIDED SUBSTANTIAL INCENTIVES TO INVESTORS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ACHIEVE THIS GOAL.

THURINGIA’S APPEAL AS AN AREA IN WHICH TO INVEST IS MULTIFACETED INCLUDING ITS LOCATION BETWEEN FRANKFURT AND DRESDEN, THE PRESENCE OF WELL-KNOWN UNIVERSITIES IN ERFURT, WEIMAR AND JENA, AND THE EFFORTS OF NEW ENTERPRISES TO RESUSCITATE THE REMAINS OF CARL ZEISS, THE TECHNOLOGY CONGLOMERATE IN JENA THAT PROVIDED THE FORMER SOVIET EMPIRE WITH EVERYTHING FROM SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS TO LASER EQUIPMENT FOR TANKS AND GUIDANCE SYSTEMS FOR SPY SATELLITES.

DESPITE ITS SIZE AND RELATIVELY SMALL POPULATION (2.6 MILLION), THURINGIA HAS HEAVYWEIGHT SUPPORTERS IN ATLANTA. CLAUS HALLE, THE RETIRED PRESIDENT OF COCA-COLA INTERNATIONAL WHO CURRENTLY SERVES AS A CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT FOR THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, IS AN ARDENT SUPPORTER OF THE STATE AS IS PAUL ROSSER, WHO HEADS ROSSER FABRAP INTERNATIONAL, WHICH HAS ACQUIRED AN ARCHITECTURAL FIRM IN EASTERN GERMANY AND HAS UNDERTAKEN SEVERAL PROJECTS IN THURINGIA.

DURING A RECEPTION FOR A TLW DELEGATION IN ATLANTA LAST MONTH, MR. HALLE GAVE AN UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL IN WHICH HE PRAISED THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE WORKERS AND CITED THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION RATES OF A COKE PLANT IN WEIMAR.  I HAD HOPED THAT SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES HAD BEEN IN PLACE AT THE TIME THAT THE COCA-COLA COMPANY HAD MADE THEIR FIRST STEPS, HE SAID.  BUT WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN THOSE STEPS ANYWAY, EVEN WITHOUT THE INCENTIVES.  I URGE PEOPLE NOT TO LOOK JUST AT THE INCENTIVES BUT RATHER TO SEE THE ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY THAT THAT MARKET PRESENTS, ESPECIALLY FOR CONSUMER GOODS COMPANIES.

THE RECEPTION FOR THE DELEGATION, WHICH WAS LEAD BY DR. STEFAN FEUERSTEIN OF THE TLW, WAS HELD AT THE SWISSOTEL AND WAS ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE.  SOME 15 ATLANTA COMPANIES, MOSTLY IN HIGH-TECH INDUSTRIES, HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN THURINGIA TO EAGLESMITH PARTNERS, WHICH HAS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF FACILITATING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR AMERICANS IN EUROPE AND VICE VERSA.

THE FIRMS’ GERMAN PARTNERS ARE WALTER SCHMIDT, AN ENTREPRENEUR FROM WEINHEIM AND DR. CLAUS D. ADLER, AN ATTORNEY IN HEIDELBERG. SINCE IT WAS LAUNCHED IN 1992, THE FIRM HAS MATCHED FEDERAL EXPRESS WITH A GERMAN PARTNER; ASSISTED BLIMPIE IN PREPARING TO ENTER THE EUROPEAN FAST-FOOD ARENA; AND LOCATED U.S. REAL ESTATE PROJECTS FOR FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS.

IN ADDITION TO REPRESENTING THE U.S. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS FOR THURINGIA, EAGLESMITH PARTNERS INC. IS COORDINATING JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS BETWEEN THE GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND JENOPTIK GMBH, THE HOLDING COMPANY OF MANY OF THE CARL ZEISS OPERATIONS IN FORMER EAST GERMANY, WHICH IS HEADED BY DR. LOTHAR SPATH, A FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF BADEN-WURTTEMBERG.

AN INVESTOR SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THAT (THE FORMER EAST GERMAN STATES) WILL HAVE AN EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE, SAID AMBASSADOR STABREIT BEFORE THE LUNCHEON SPONSORED BY THE SOUTHERN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. IT WILL EVEN BE BETTER THAN THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IN THE WESTERN PART.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT PETER MANOWN AT  (404) 952-2335.