An economic development delegation from Erftkreis, the economically strongest county in Germany, visited Atlanta last week to learn how Georgia attracts foreign companies to establish a presence here.
Led by Klaus Lennartz, a member of Germany’s federal parliament, the four-person delegation also met with officials of the Georgia Institute of Technology to learn about how academic institutions can help launch private companies.
They also visited the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology (GCATT) in midtown.
The members of the delegation met with Randy Cardoza, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry Trade and Tourism (GDITT), and Edward K. Reedy, director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
The delegation also met with Mike Slawson, general partner of Alliance Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm, and Thomas Noonan, president and CEO, of Internet Security Systems, a software developer, and Sid Brown, a partner with the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.
For more information, call Markus Patzke of the German American Chamber of Commerce at (404) 239-9494; fax, (404) 264-1761.
by Mark Pierson