In this issue:

January 2006

Having successfully navigated the Christmas Season, we have now safely passed through January. We do not know yet what will characterize the coming year; almost all of 2006 lies before us, with all of its possibilities. While we do not yet know what the Big Story of 2006 will be, most of us probably already have an inkling what our own individual stories will be in the coming year.

In most cases, and for better or worse, we are authors of our own stories – we are far more in control over our lives than we tend to think. We may wish each other a Happy New Year, but in order to have one, we must craft our own story during the year in the best way we can. The fact that we have the ability to do so is one of life’s great gifts.

So, while we wish the members of the Danish American Chamber of Commerce a happy year 2006, we know that it lies within the capability of each one of us to make it so.

GODT NYTÅR!

Meetings in the Chamber

Christmas Luncheon
On Friday, December 9 th – along with the winter’s first snowstorm, the annual DACC Christmas Luncheon took place in the beautiful surroundings of the Harvard Club of New York City. Many a Viking defeated the snow and attended the cocktail reception and luncheon. The former DACC President, Werner Valeur-Jensen, gave the members the benefit of his observations on a series of subjects, which along with the large number of door prizes contributed to the festive atmosphere. Our new Consul General struck a more somber note, but stayed within the central theme of the Christmas Season by describing the plight of the homeless children in South America. He named one charity that is working to alleviate the problem in Mexico City, “ Hogares Providencia” .

The Danish American Chamber of Commerce would like to give special thanks to Maersk Inc. for sponsoring the reception and to SAS and Icelandair for their generous donations of round trip tickets to Denmark as “mandelpræmier”.

Other generous contributors, listed below in alphabetical order, were:

Aigner Chocolates, Carlsberg, CB Richard Ellis, Copenhagen Bakery, Corporate Calm, Eitzen Group, Erik Bagger, Hummel, Leisuretime Bowl, Maersk Inc, Majesty Inc., Malena Belafonte, Nordea, Normann Copenhagen, Royal Copenhagen, Saga Furs, Svenska Handelsbanken and Ugly Duckli.

The United Nations Summit & Reform of the UN
On Tuesday, November 22, 2005, the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish Chambers of Commerce held the second of their occasional series of panel discussions by the Nordic Permanent Representatives to the United Nations on current issues facing the UN. The American- Scandinavian Foundation was co-sponsor and hosted the event in its Victor Borge Auditorium.

The topic of the evening was “The United Nations Summit and reform of the UN”, with each of the panelists addressing a separate subtopic: Ambassador Anders Lidén gave description of the of the general situation at the United Nations and its background, Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark described the establishment of a Peace building Commission, Ambassador Hjálmar W. Hannesson of Iceland addressed the issue of reform of the Security Council, Ambassador Johan Ludvik Løvald of Norway informed the audience on the establishment of a Council on Human Rights, and Ambassador Jarmo Sareva of Finland made a presentation of the UN budget as well as the current status of UN management reform.

After the presentations, there was a lively session of questions and answers, which continued into the following reception Scandinavia House’s Volvo Hall.

 

Danish Diplomat in a War Zone
On Wednesday, October 26th, fresh out of Baghdad, Torben Gettermann, the new Consul General in New York, gave a presentation on his years in Iraq. Torben Gettermann was the Danish Ambassador to Iraq for two years before coming to New York. He arrived in Baghdad shortly after the war in 2003 amidst exploding bombs and chaos on a mission to carve out a place for Denmark, both politically and on a more practical level in terms of setting up the first Danish diplomatic presence since 1991.

Meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Per Stig Møller
On Wednesday, September 21st Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Per Stig Møller, was the guest speaker at September's second DACC meeting. In his speech and Q&A round, the Minister touched upon various relations between Denmark and the US such as trade, the trade balance, politics and the economy as well as such issues as double citizenship and the lack of the right to vote in Danish elections for Danish citizens living in the US.

Five Years in Washington
On Friday, September 29th Danish Ambassador to the United States Ulrik Federspiel, on his way to Denmark to take the job as the Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Denmark, was the guest speaker at a DACC luncheon at the New York Athletic Club. Ambassador Federspiel, who was in a position to gain a unique perspective on the politics and economy in the nation's capital over the last five years, shared with the DACC his Washington experiences and his views on the future of Danish - U.S. political and economic relations.

News from the Chamber

With a new year follows a renewal of membership, so we would like to ask you to please take a few moments to fill out the form either electronically or send it by mail with payment to the DACC office. Please be advised that our membership fees have gone up somewhat as a result of an increase in events and services so that an individual membership is now $100, a corporate membership is $500 and a sustaining membership is $1,500. DACCNY Members are also urged to look around their circle of business contacts and acquaintances and encourage those who might be interested in joining our chamber to contact the DACC office.

As a new service to the members of the Danish American Chamber of Commerce New York it is now possible for members to post job listings on the DACC website. The service is listed on the front page of the website. Please send your ad to daccny@daccny.com and let the DACC help you find your next colleague or employee.

The DACC members who were lucky to win Spareribs from Majesty Inc. at the Christmas Luncheon are kindly reminded to contact the DACC office to make an appointment for pick-up before February 17th. The ribs are kept in the freezer at the Consulate and cannot stay there after this date.

The Danish American Chambers of Commerce in the United States will soon have a joint website leading its visitors to their specific chamber(s) of interest. The website, which is currently under construction, will be www.dacc-usa.com.

Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S now in New York

The Danish engineering company Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S - headquartered in Denmark close to Copenhagen - has recently opened a representative office at the Royal Danish Consulate General in New York City. Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S is a traditional consulting company with more than 45 years of experience. Traditional in terms of offering consultancy within the areas of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering services towards the building industry.

During the past years, Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S has succeeded in pursuing a new strategy focusing on development of services in the planning phases, overall monitoring, project management, risk management and value engineering. The new strategy has created a growth within the company, which now employs more than 200 people.

Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S will pursue two strategies in the United States:

To bring the Leif Hansen services and knowledge to Danish companies based in the US.
To bring US knowledge and/or designs across Europe and to Denmark.

Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S offers the following services to companies in the United States:

Civil engineering - advanced structures
Mechanical and electrical engineering - indoor climate/environment
Energy optimization and monitoring - cost reduction
Real estate consultancy - relocation
Health planning and hygiene
Project management for the building sector
Time, cost and budget monitoring

In the first years, Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S will be working closely together with the Danish Consulate General. Both partners hope that they will succeed in bringing Danish engineering expertise to US customers as well as US design to Denmark.

In order to strengthen the efforts of Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S, partnerships have been assessed with several US companies. Within the next two months, the first Danish engineer from Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S will start working with an alliance partner located on Manhattan.

Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S is part of the Leif Hansen Engineering Group, which comprises a total of five subsidiaries. The Leif Hansen Engineering Group has six offices in Denmark and is moreover contributing to projects in Norway, Latvia, Egypt and China.

Should you wish further information, please do not hesitate to contact:

Jacob Sondrup Bachmann, Commercial Affairs Officer:
The Royal Danish Consulate General, New York
Tel.: + 1 212 223 4545

Peter Nielsen, Sales Director
Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +45 44 85 86 87 - www.leifhansen.dk.

Lars Kragh, Executive Director
Leif Hansen Consultants and Planners A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel.: +45 44 85 86 87 - www.leifhansen.dk.

Nordic/Baltic/US Almanac

An almanac containing Nordic/Baltic/US business and cultural directories including more than 4,000 entries of companies, organizations, and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic as well as a score of articles on a wide array of topics illustrating the depth of the relations between these Nordic/Baltic countries and the United States has seen the light of day.

The Almanac should give greater visibility to the extraordinary connections, both historic and contemporary, between the five Nordic and three Baltic countries and the United States. The volume's origins stemmed from conversations the editor and publisher had, in Washington, D.C. early in 2005, with Ambassadors from most of the Nordic countries, including the then-Danish Ambassador Ulrik Federspiel who is now back in Copenhagen as Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Current Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen has written a beautiful letter of introduction to Denmark. Several of the Ambassadors urged that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania be included, given the successful efforts their Nordic neighbors had made to include them in the Baltic Conference and the EU, and the growing economic interaction among the eight countries. Further, the Baltic countries had also had strong connections with the U.S. While all these countries, and their diplomatic representatives, constantly work as advocates for their respective governments, industries and culture, rarely is the spotlight put on the community of countries, their common interests, and their combined impact on the United States. The Nordic-Baltic-US Almanac remedies this deficiency in a comprehensive, colorful and personal way.

In addition to the Almanac's listing of some 3000 companies operating in both directions across the Atlantic, the volume also focuses on joint scientific and educational ventures, and on reciprocal cultural influences. There is pointed acknowledgement of the contributions of each Nordic and Baltic nation to the U.S. in many spheres. One of the leading articles was provided by the late Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist who tells of his Swedish origins and points out the contributions of a number of other Nordic-Americans to the development of many areas of American life. Portraits are also provided of individuals who are still making real impacts on the U.S. cultural scene, including those with Danish origins such as Viggo Mortensen, Lars Ulrich, and Peter Martins. Indeed the Danish elements of the Almanac are numerous and fascinating. Ambassador Petersen, in his greeting, includes a poem about America by Hans Christian Andersen. Tivoli Gardens and the Pantomime Theatre are charmingly described and colorfully illustrated, and the Danish town in California, Solvang, will come as a surprise to those who do not already know about it. The Nordic-Baltic-US Almanac gives all the countries their due, of course. Altogether it treats this special community of nations in a way that is found almost nowhere else.

The NORDIC-BALTIC-U.S. ALMANAC: TRANSATLANTIC CONNECTIONS 2006-2007 will be published in early 2006. This elegant, colorful 320-page Almanac, full of graphics and photography, brings to the foreground the principal elements of the historic and contemporary relationships between the Nordic and Baltic countries and the United States. The elements include diplomatic, business and trade relations; cultural institutions and interactions; and educational and scientific cooperation. The Almanac's most extensive Directory identifies almost 4,000 thousands of institutions and entities that exemplify the varied connections that show the continuing and growing links between the U.S., the five Nordic and three Baltic countries.

Nargis McGuinness
Executive Director

TV2 Sputnik

Danish Broadcasting Company, TV2, has made a generous offer to the members of the DACC. On a trial basis DACC members can watch Danish television programs at www.tv2.dk through TV2 Sputnik free of charge. Username and password will be e-mailed to DACC members shortly. After the free trial period, the charge for this service will be:

24 hours: DKK 20
1 month: DKK 49
3 months: DKK 139
6 months: DKK 269

Denmark is Scandinavia's Most Successful Country for Attracting FDI

Data from Ernst & Young collected for Realkredit Danmark shows that some 60 foreign companies started up new firms in Denmark in 2005. This is the highest number so far recorded, and makes Denmark the most successful country in Scandinavia for attracting FDI.

Sune Worm Mortensen, chief economist at Realkredit Danmark comments: "Denmark is without doubt the country which is currently most used for investments. It can be seen directly from the number of new companies that foreign firms start up in Denmark". Denmark's attractiveness is also visible in the national accounts. Sune Worm Mortensen says: "From the figures calculated by the Bank of Denmark we can see that foreign investments totalled DKK 148 bn (USD 23.7 bn) in 2004, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations. We are still lacking the figure for the last quarter of 2005, but everything points to a year that will beat all records".

Foreign investments for 2005 are forecast to be approx. DKK 185 bn (USD 29.6 bn), corresponding to a 25% increase on last year's figure.

UN Organization Moves to Copenhagen in 2006

For the first time ever, Copenhagen will be home to the headquarters of an entire UN organization. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and more than 120 staff will move from the Chrysler Building in New York to Copenhagen this year. UNOPS is a self-financing entity of the UN whose services include turnkey management of client operations and advisory services for operations management. Despite its relatively small size, the Danish capital ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of UN organizations and staff located in the city.

Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Development Minister comments: "The choice of Copenhagen shows that Denmark is a strong partner for the UN, and it gives Denmark an even better platform for our viewpoints in the UN. It also positions Copenhagen as an international metropolis".

Strong American Interest in Danish Acoustics

It is a Danish tradition to love music, sound and high fidelity. Danish design and manufacturing

prowess in audio dates back to the 1920's, and some historians even trace the origins of the modern electrodynamic loudspeaker to Danish engineering innovations. Denmark's formal research traditions in acoustics can be traced back to the early 1940s.

For almost a century, Denmark has built a strong position in acoustics and electroacoustics around well-known companies such as Brüel & Kjær, Bang & Olufsen, Kirk, Oticon, Widex, Danavox, GN Resound, Peerless, Vifa, Scan-Speak, Jamo, Dantax and others. Several of the products of these companies are related to sophisticated concepts in acoustic communication, and reducing the noise load on people. Human perception of speech and sound, general research on hearing, hearing loss, loudness, annoyance, tranducers and related topics have become increasingly important, and in these areas the Danish acoustics cluster is among the world's best.

2005 was the year when American companies showed a very strong interest in Danish acoustics, highlighted by two major mergers - Klipsch audio acquiring Danish Jamo, and Tymphany merging with Danish Sound Technology.

Klipsch Audio Inc. Buys Danish Speaker Company Jamo

In February 2005, legendary US loudspeaker maker Klipsch Audio Inc. purchased the brand name and key assets of Danish speaker company Jamo A/S, bringing together one of the top audio brands in Europe and the number one speaker brand in the United States. The acquisition immediately expanded the global footprint of Klipsch Audio, Inc. and improved the operational cost structure of both subsidiaries. Jamo, recognized for its technological innovation and Danish design, is a premier European speaker brand that also has significant distribution in Asia, including 135 company-operated retail stores in China. "We acquired Jamo as part of our strategy to accelerate global growth with multiple brands," commented Fred Klipsch, chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Klipsch Audio, Inc. "We will maximize our resources and buying power to benefit both Klipsch and Jamo. We are pleased to have such a quality Danish brand as part of our family of products."

Tymphany Corporation merges with Danish Sound Technology

In March 2005, US-based audio technology innovator Tymphany Corporation merged with Danish Sound Technology (DST). The combined company will focus on advances in audio sound generation, drawing on one of the largest audio engineering teams in the world. The merged company will combine the assets of Tymphany Corporation and the Scan-Speak, Peerless, Vifa, and Logic brands from DST. "Audio engineering expertise and discipline have been the hallmarks of DST product lines for over 70 years," said Tonni Birk Sorensen, DST Managing Director. "Denmark is famous for its passion for quality audio, and its history of audio engineering excellence. DST is a central player in that tradition, dating back to the very beginnings of electrodynamic loudspeaker manufacturing. The strong tradition within the field means that Denmark today has the world's best engineers within acoustics," commented Kenneth L. Kantor, Tymphany Chief Technology Officer.

Nargis McGuinness
Executive Director

Form
Electronic sign-up

Spring Meetings in the Chamber

Meeting with the New Ambassador to the US, Friis Arne Petersen
On Monday, February 13th 2006, the new Danish Ambassador to the United States Friis Arne Petersen, who is the former Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Denmark, will be the guest speaker at the year's first DACC meeting.

The Ambassador will share with the DACC members his view on the Danish-US political partnership, Denmark in a global world, Danish economy, and Danish exports to the US.

Location: New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Dress code: Business attire
Attendance fee: $65
Reception: 12.00 - 12.30 pm, Luncheon 12.30 - 3.00 pm
Reception sponsored by the Royal Danish Consulate General

Nordic Nights
Scandinavia House - in co-operation with the DACC will host a Nordic networking event with other Nordic Chambers of Commerce in late February/early March. Final date tba

Attendance fee: There is no fee for this event, and there will be a cash bar

DACC workshop with consultant Bonnie Haber, Corporate Calm
On Wednesday, April 5th 2006, R. Bonnie Haber from consultancy Corporate Calm LLC will discuss and work with DACC members on selected issues relating to Danes doing business in the United States.

In order to design the meeting so that it focuses on the issues/problems that DACC members encounter in their work life, we ask you to please fill out this questionnaire and send it anonymously to:

Questionnaires sent to the DACC office will be forwarded to Corporate Calm. Please rest assured that all information will be handled with strict confidentiality and used solely to design the content of our meeting.

An example of an issue to be discussed could be the role cultural differences play in your everyday work and how they affect business communication and relations. Digging a bit deeper the cultural differences to be discussed do not necessarily have to represent differences between two national cultures. Within a country there are also certain cultural differences which affect one's role in business whether it be Jutland vs. Copenhagen or the South or Midwest vs. New York, so a Dane in New York City might encounter different obstacles than a Dane working in Dallas, Kansas City or Phoenix.

Location: The Penn Club, 30 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Dress code: Business attire
Attendance fee: tba
Reception: 5.00 pm - 5.40 pm, Workshop 5.40 pm - 7.30 pm, Reception: 7.30 pm - 8 pm

Election of Board Members
A DACC meeting will be held where new board members will be appointed and several positions within the board are to be voted on. For further information, please visit www.daccny.com at a later date.

Viking Bowl
In May DACC members will be invited to an evening of Viking Bowling at Leisuretimebowl by Port Authority on 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. This event will be co-hosted by the American Scandinavian Society and the Danish American Society. Invitations will be sent out in early April.

Sustaining Members' Dinner
In mid-June the year's first Sustaining Members' Dinner will take place at the Consul General's residence. Printed invitations will be sent out to all sustaining members and a few corporate members on a rotational basis.