Ralph
20.10.2005, 17:09
City really getting down to business with Germany
The Cape Coral business scene is beginning to develop a noticeable German accent.
City officials and business community leaders are excited about the trend and hope it continues.
[...]
"In my office, we find every month at least three investors from Germany are in talking about opportunities they would like to take here," Jackson said.
Cape Coral has proven to be a desirable destination for Germans. More than one in five of the city's inhabitants is of German descent, according to the city, making the Cape home to one of the largest German populations in Florida.
The German-American Social Club of Cape Coral is hosting its 20th Oktoberfest, which is scheduled to take place the next two weekends. [...]
"More German people are coming here. They buy homes," Bajusz said. "Due to the still reasonable conditions, you can still buy a house for a reasonable price here. We expect them to continue to come here."
One German entrepreneur who lives in the Cape is Juergen Hartwich. He has started and sold two businesses and now runs Perfect Home Control, which specializes in prewiring new homes for telephone, Internet and other technologies. He also serves as chairman of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce's European Business Council.
"My original goal was to retire, but then I realized it was not my deal to sit and fish the whole day," he said. "That's why I started a new business."
As his involvement in the business community grew, so did his efforts to help attract more German businesses.
[...]
On top of that, the euro is very strong compared with the dollar, meaning German money can go a longer way in Cape Coral or elsewhere in the United States.
"It's easy to identify the affinity this city has with its brothers and sisters in Europe," Jackson said. "The other thing this city is doing is looking at international investment. We may get that tourist who's a business person who wants to set up a local sales or distribution office. That can migrate into a distribution center with actual inventory onhand. Ultimately, the crown jewel would be if they would establish a headquarters or a regional sales and service office."Quelle: The News-Press.com (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051020/NEWS0101/510200340/1003)
Ralph
The Cape Coral business scene is beginning to develop a noticeable German accent.
City officials and business community leaders are excited about the trend and hope it continues.
[...]
"In my office, we find every month at least three investors from Germany are in talking about opportunities they would like to take here," Jackson said.
Cape Coral has proven to be a desirable destination for Germans. More than one in five of the city's inhabitants is of German descent, according to the city, making the Cape home to one of the largest German populations in Florida.
The German-American Social Club of Cape Coral is hosting its 20th Oktoberfest, which is scheduled to take place the next two weekends. [...]
"More German people are coming here. They buy homes," Bajusz said. "Due to the still reasonable conditions, you can still buy a house for a reasonable price here. We expect them to continue to come here."
One German entrepreneur who lives in the Cape is Juergen Hartwich. He has started and sold two businesses and now runs Perfect Home Control, which specializes in prewiring new homes for telephone, Internet and other technologies. He also serves as chairman of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce's European Business Council.
"My original goal was to retire, but then I realized it was not my deal to sit and fish the whole day," he said. "That's why I started a new business."
As his involvement in the business community grew, so did his efforts to help attract more German businesses.
[...]
On top of that, the euro is very strong compared with the dollar, meaning German money can go a longer way in Cape Coral or elsewhere in the United States.
"It's easy to identify the affinity this city has with its brothers and sisters in Europe," Jackson said. "The other thing this city is doing is looking at international investment. We may get that tourist who's a business person who wants to set up a local sales or distribution office. That can migrate into a distribution center with actual inventory onhand. Ultimately, the crown jewel would be if they would establish a headquarters or a regional sales and service office."Quelle: The News-Press.com (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051020/NEWS0101/510200340/1003)
Ralph