Diplomacy
At the Chamber of Commerce, Andy Beshear met with representatives of businesses for a roundtable discussion and subsequently signed the Chamber’s Golden Book. The governor is a member of the Democratic Party and has been in office since 2019.
In recent years, the engagement of German companies in the USA has significantly intensified. Some companies from the region have already invested in the United States and are based in the state of Kentucky, including the Düsseldorf-based Henkel Group and GOTEC Gorschlüter GmbH from Wülfrath. Furthermore, additional companies are currently establishing themselves in Kentucky. This provides ample reason to engage in transatlantic discussions regarding the economic opportunities and challenges for both sides.
The American delegation was received by IHK Vice President Dirk Lindner and Ralf Schlindwein, Managing Director International of IHK Düsseldorf. The two hosts also welcomed 20 German business representatives from various industries who participated in the roundtable discussion with the governor to learn about current developments in Kentucky. Environmental issues and developments in the automotive and electromobility sectors were at the top of the agenda.
Currently, German companies are benefiting significantly from the incentives of American economic policies. Nine out of ten German companies located there anticipate growing revenues for the current fiscal year, as cited by Lindner in his welcome address, referencing the latest figures from the German-American Business Outlook of the German American Chamber of Commerce. In recent years, Germany has been the third-largest investor in the United States after Japan and Canada.
“The main reason for this strong presence of German companies in the USA is the size of the market. The goal is to be as close to the customer as possible with production and to be able to respond quickly to local market needs,” Lindner said. For companies in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the USA ranks 3rd in exports and 4th in imports among trading partners. In the IHK Düsseldorf district alone, over 400 companies from the USA are located.
Governor Beshear explained in his keynote address on US economic policy his strategy of green transformation and highlighted the opportunities that this presents, especially for German companies.
“I am delighted and grateful for my visit to the IHK Düsseldorf today. The IHK Düsseldorf is one of the largest chambers of commerce in Germany, and we feel honored to have met companies from NRW today that have already made significant investments in Kentucky and make a valuable contribution, for example in the area of job creation for our region,” Beshear affirmed. These opportunities are already being seized. Prime examples include Henkel operating a modern logistics center in Kentucky.
After visiting the IHK, the Governor toured the Henkel plant in Düsseldorf.
The Governor also thanked the US Foreign Service. In discussions with US Consul General Pauline Kao, both sides emphasized the importance of deepening transatlantic relations based on shared values.
The Governor’s visit reflected the strong relationship between NRW and the USA, in line with the slogan “A Perfect Match” that characterizes the NRW-USA Year.
