The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US, Inc. announces new Site Selection Direc

Sept. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc. (GACC South), is pleased to announce the hire of Jim Blair, who will join the organization at the beginning of October as the Managing Director of GACC South Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the GACC South. The position became available in April of 2012, when the former Site Selection Director announced his decision to move back to Germany. The GACC South Services, LLC’s service portfolio consists primarily of site selection projects for mid-sized German companies.

Jim Blair was previously the Director of Foreign Direct Investment at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Jim arrived in Atlanta in 1983 to work for a large regional bank which is now Bank of America. He moved to Brussels in 1988 to manage Georgia’s European Office and returned to Atlanta 18 years later with extensive experience in economic development and international business. After serving these last 7 years as a Business Development Manager, Senior Project Manager and most recently as the Director of Foreign Direct Investment, Jim will bring a unique range of skills to the new position. Upon accepting the job, Jim told Martina Stegmeier, President & CEO of the GACC South, “I am terribly excited about working for the GACC South and looking forward to providing depth and vigor to the Site Selection group.  While my many years of Economic Development experience were spent representing Georgia, I am a son of the Southeast having grown up in Columbia, SC, studied at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and graduated from the University of South Carolina with an international MBA. I am committed to helping German firms discover all that our region has to offer with respect to business location.” Jim has a B.A. with a double major in German and French; he earned his international MBA with specializations in finance and marketing. He speaks German, French and Dutch.

"The complexity of the site selection process requires a partner who is familiar with the U.S. market.  Jim’s depth of experience, leadership acumen, and track record of success are exactly what we need to accompany German companies successfully with their U.S. market expansion," said Martina Stegmeier.


Media Contact:
Stefanie Jehlitschka, Vice President
Director, Marketing Services
Phone: (404) 586-6803
E-mail: sjehlitschka@gaccsouth.com


About the GACC South:
The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States (GACC South) was founded in 1978 to promote and support bilateral trade between Germany and the U.S. The GACC South is located in Atlanta, Georgia and serves the 11 Southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Five local chapters have been established in Charlotte, NC, Greenville, SC, Tampa, FL, Dallas, TX, Nashville, TN, as well as a branch office in Houston, TX, with a focus on the energy sector.

The GACC South is a private, non-profit organization and serves as the official representative of German trade in the Southeastern U.S. It is part of an international network composed of 120 German foreign chambers of commerce and government offices in 80 countries. The GACC South is one of the largest bi-national chambers in the United States.

The GACC South Services, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the GACC South.

Visit  http://www.gaccsouth.com for more information about the chamber.
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