German Delegate Visits St. Louis

Visit included roundtable discussion at World Trade Center St. Louis

Metin Hakverdi, transatlantic cooperation coordinator of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany visited St. Louis on July 22 as he is traveling the U.S. to identify economic opportunities and deepen civil society relations. Missouri was the first stop on his tour of the U.S.

While in St. Louis, Hakverdi visited the Gateway Arch and met with several German American organizations, including members of the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities Committee. During the trip, he was accompanied by Max Kanzow, senior policy advisor of the Federal Foreign Office in Germany, Michael Ahrens, consul general of Germany in Chicago and Paul Obernuefemann, honorary consul of Germany in St. Louis. The group met for a roundtable discussion at the office of World Trade Center St. Louis (WTC) with Subash Alias, CEO of Missouri Partnership, David Skrzypiec, vice president of business attraction for Greater St. Louis Inc., Rodney Crim, CEO and president of St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), Tim Nowak, executive director of WTC, and Sean Mullins, director of foreign direct investment at WTC.

He also met with the St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and visited Seyer Industries, supplier of complex aerospace products. While at Seyer Industries, he learned about their apprenticeship program, which is administered through the German American Chamber of Commerce.

“This visit by a high-ranking member of the German government, helps to solidify the existing ties between St. Louis and Germany,” said Stella Sheehan, deputy director of WTC. “It also provides an opportunity to showcase the region’s strengths and raise the profile of St. Louis on the global stage as a potential location for future investment and collaboration, underscoring the growing importance of subnational diplomacy at the local level.”