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SABC Spring Newsletter 2020 Rödl & Partner is the prime sponsor of this newsletter COVID-19 UPDATES:  On tax impacts of COVID-19 and related new legislation and relief for tax payers, please visit www.roedl.us and navigate to the TRENDING section to find useful articles and information, updated daily.  Please contact us for any questions on how your business may be affected! As an integrated professional services firm, Rödl & Partner is active at 111 wholly owned locations in 50 countries. Rödl & Partner USA has specifically tailored our accounting, auditing, tax and business consulting services to the unique needs of your foreign owned business in the United States of America. For more than 40 years our core practice has been serving the accounting and tax needs of primarily German speaking and other foreign owned “Mittelstand” companies operating in the U.S. As the preferred accounting, auditing, tax and business consulting professional services firm of German speaking entities, you will benefit from the extensive experience of our U.S. certified public accountants as well as our bilingual staff of professionals, many whom also carry international certifications (StB, WP, CA). We are operating out of eight U.S.-offices and serving clients all over the country.  Message from the President of the Swiss American Business Council To Our Members and Friends, The SABC hopes that you are all safe well during these difficult times. Hopefully our sheltering in place will produce the desired results and we can all get back to a presumably new normal soon! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s edition of the National Day celebration at The Mid-America Club. While it was to be held on July 30th, the actions to organize the event would have to be done now and due to the uncertainty going forward we could not take on the risk of cancelling the event closer to that date. We are still hoping to hold our annual Christmas Party in December but are taking a wait and see posture at this time. I will let you know as to the Christmas Party’s status at a later date. We, of course, still wish to engage with our members and I am pleased to present to you our Spring Newsletter for 2020. Further, I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to Rödl & Partner for being the newsletter’s prime sponsor! Please stay safe and healthy! Thomas W. Soseman, President WEBINAR ON APRIL 22, 2020 COVID-19 insights USA: Economic outlook and support for Swiss subsidiaries in the US. What’s the current impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy, what support can Swiss subsidiaries request and how will the situation affect bilateral trade?  Take part in our webinar and get a practical overview from USA experienced companies and experts. The economic impact of coronavirus is increasing worldwide. The global economy is faced with global supply bottlenecks due to closed borders, large unemployment numbers and precautionary travel and work regulations have come into force almost all around the world.  During the webinar «Economic outlook and support for Swiss Subsidiaries» on April 22 at 4.00 pm, you will learn first-hand from the Swiss Business Hub USA and our experts about the current situation in the US and how the so called «CARES Act» can provides fast and direct economic assistance also to Swiss subsidiaries in the US. In addition, we will hear from the Head of the Economic Section of the Swiss Embassy in Washington.  More information about the event can be found here. Make sure to register today to stay informed! Charter Flights between Europe and the US At Fracht we realize the current reduction of flights to and from Europe has great effects on space availability and therefore also price pressure on the market.   We feel the following information is of potential great value to you as you work on a continued uninterrupted supply chain to service your clients.   Therefore - to accommodate our many valuable clients on this Transatlantic Trade lane the Fracht Group has made  commitments with various airlines to a weekly airfreight service between the US and Europe   Our US and European organization will arrange for the pick up or onforwarding to offer the Door to Door service.   If you like more information about this service please do not hesitate to contact us. Steptoe Provides Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center Businesses responding to the COVID-19 outbreak and implementing measures to help protect and support their employees and their operations can find CARES Act legislative updates, COVID-19 international trade updates and regulatory updates at the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center (https://bit.ly/2XfsdIn) created by Steptoe & Johnson llp. Steptoe's cross-disciplinary team of lawyers can help with the countless issues that companies are now navigating. Companies of all sizes and in all industries will face extraordinary hurdles with business continuity, supply chains, policy considerations, and more. Steptoe lawyers are ready to help deal with these unique circumstances and move forward. In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington.   If you have questions about the CARES Act legislation or other COVID-19 legislative or regulatory developments, contact SABC board member Will Turner. Will has more than 20 years’ experience advising domestic and international companies in a wide range of industries on U.S. commercial and transactional matters. BIG KAISER Presents Fourth Annual Donation to NRL Hoffman Estates, IL – Customers and partners of BIG KAISER teamed up to generate a $7,283 donation to benefit the National Robotics League (NRL). The amount is nearly 10 percent more than last year and the fourth year-over-year increase in NRL funding from BIG KAISER. The donation is a 2% match of all qualified orders from NTMA and AMT member companies during the final two months of each calendar year. Manufacturers placed orders for cutting tools, tool holders, workholding and tool measurement systems, earning funds for the NRL at the same time.  “We need to get involved at every level to grow the next-generation workforce. Our company does that by partnering with local schools, our community colleges and the trade associations,” says Chris Kaiser, CEO of BIG KAISER. “NRL is just one more way for us to engage kids and promote careers in manufacturing.” “We’re not just fighting a skills gap in our workforce, we have an ‘interest gap’ too. The NRL helps create excitement about manufacturing technology and STEM careers,” says Roger Atkins, President at NTMA. “We appreciate BIG KAISER’s continued support year over year, and of course all of the NTMA and AMT members who participate in the program to support the NRL.”  The National Robotics League (NRL) is a manufacturing workforce development program of the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA) where students design and build remote controlled robots (Bots) to face-off in a gladiator-style competition. Through the manufacturing process of Bot building, students’ imaginations are captured as they design, build and compete with their own robotic creations. Through this hands-on effort along with industry partnerships, students gain practical knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) – all essential skills for manufacturing. Learn more at www.GoNRL.org. BIG KAISER is a worldwide leader in high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the metalcutting industry that guarantee extreme accuracy and repeatability. Our products are of the utmost quality; manufactured with materials and craftsmanship that enable superior performance. As a member of the BIG DAISHOWA Group (Osaka, Japan), BIG KAISER has grown into a well-recognized global tooling provider, with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, contact BIG KAISER, Hoffman Estates, IL at 224-770-2999, e-mail bigkaiser@us.bigkaiser.com or visit www.us.bigkaiser.com. The Rollomatic Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Kane as COO for both entities, Rollomatic Inc and Strausak Inc. Joe Kane will continue to hold his position as President of Strausak Inc. The combined companies will further fill out their global presence in providing top solutions for precision tool grinding. Joe will continue to be based in the company's North America office located in Mundelein, IL. In this position, Joe will oversee all areas related to the operation of the two companies. He will personally manage the combined team of applications engineers and he will provide leadership and training to the field service manager, parts & logistics manager and the customer solutions manager and their respective teams. The day-to-day running of the company, IT/IS and facility will also be the responsibility of Joe. “Joe’s impressive track record working as President of Strausak Inc. and his ability to communicate and relate to people make him the ideal leader. Such qualities are key to expanding the brand name and drive the ever-evolving new technologies of the companies. We fully expect that his talents will support the profitable growth of the Rollomatic and Strausak business”, said Eric Schwarzenbach, President of Rollomatic Inc. Mundelein, IL. Joe has been President of Strausak Inc. for 2 1/2 years where he successfully focused on accelerating Strausak's innovation and customer-focused applications in the precision grinding space for the cutting tool industry. Prior to joining Strausak Inc., Joe spent over 14 years in the manufacturing & quality industry where he began as a Metrology Technician with the United States Marine Corps. He later translated these skills and expanded his career into product and sales manager positions where he set up distribution & service channels throughout North America for CNC machine tool companies specializing in automated, turnkey solutions for production machining. Tornos, a global leader in the production of Swiss-type automatic lathes and multi-spindle machines, started in 1880 and marked the beginning of Swiss-type lathe technology. Backed by a 100-year legacy of expertise, attentiveness to detail, innovation, and reliability, Tornos offers unique solutions to customer challenges and applications in a wide range of market segments, such as, Automotive, Medical, Micromechanics, and Electronics. Each Tornos facility is strategically placed to best serve our customers. Tornos has a global presence in over 80 countries, including two strategic locations in the US - TTUS headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois, about 4 miles from O’Hare International Airport, and the Northeast US facility in Brookfield, Connecticut, located between New York City and Hartford Connecticut. In North America, Tornos is represented by sales distributors, strengthening our team to provide our customers with quick response times and exceptional in-house Application Engineering & Local Service Support. Tornos Technologies US offers technical expertise, training, maintenance and more to ensure continuous machining and peak productivity on our world-class equipment. Tornos Group appointed new management to lead Tornos North America, Naiane Nunes. As the new General Manager of Tornos Technologies US Corporation and Business Development Manager for the Brazilian Market, she has a track record within the organization for delivering results. She is business driven with key strengths that include working with various cultures, negotiation, customer relations, and team organization.   German International School Chicago Receives Full Accreditation The German International School Chicago (GISC) has achieved full accreditation through the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). GISC pursued ISACS accreditation to demonstrate compliance with the ISACS Standards for Membership and their willingness to commit to a seven-year cycle of continuous improvement. ISACS evaluated all aspects of GISC’s curriculum, program, and operations. ISACS accreditation is an objective, independent, and reliable validation of a school’s perfor-mance. It is recognized by the U.S. Government for certification by the Immigration and Natu-ralization Service for foreign students and for access to military academies and programs. Uni-versities and colleges throughout the country recognize ISACS accreditation, and ISACS is rec-ognized by the College Board as an accrediting body for secondary schools located in this re-gion. To achieve ISACS accreditation, GISC first provided written evidence of compliance with the ISACS standards. Thereafter, the school undertook a three-year process that included data col-lection and analysis, organizational self-reflection, and a site visit by a group of specially trained volunteer peer reviewers who confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with Board trustees, faculty, staff, and parents. ISACS is a membership organization of more than 235 independent schools in the Midwest re-gion whose mission is to lead schools to pursue exemplary education. ISACS accomplishes this mission through its accreditation program, professional development offerings, consulting ser-vices, research and resources, and collegial community of independent schools. GISC is a private, nonprofit IB World School offering a bilingual, international education to over 150 students from Preschool through Grade 8. Low student-teacher ratios enable students to learn in a supportive and individualized environment. GISC prepares students to become well-rounded, creative, and responsible global citizens. The current student body represents 43 na-tionalities with over 30 languages spoken at home. GISC is a highly open-minded, diverse, and international learning institution with a strong sense of community. Non-German-speaking stu-dents are welcome to apply through Grade 2. Applications for the 2020-2021 school year are now being accepted. Media Contact Katharina Pohl Director of Marketing & Admissions German International School Chicago 1726 W Berteau Ave Chicago, IL 60613 773-857-3000 kpohl@germanschoolchicago.com www.germanschoolchicago.com       EROWA Technology, Inc., based in Arlington Heights, IL., is a full service supplier of palletization and automation systems for the North American manufacturing market. Our goal is to provide complete turnkey solutions for precision parts handling through most any group of manufacturing processes (from one type of machine to the next). We are capable of providing a simple manual palletization system or a fully integrated, custom designed workholding and automation system to meet the current needs and expectations of our customers. In the market segments of precision mechanics, tool- and mold-making, as well as chip-cutting production, we offer concepts and products that provide customers with considerable optimization possibilities throughout the whole range of machining processes. Primarily, we achieve this through comprehensive knowledge of the application of our products, through individual and customized consultation, and through the use of our Flexible Manufacturing Concept (FMC), which cover the following four areas: - Standardization (tooling system, tooling technology) - Organization (setting-up, presetting and measuring technologies) - Automation (loading/unloading technologies) - Integration (process sequence, process control and planning technologies) EROWA Technology, Inc. 2535 S. Clearbrook Dr. Arlington Heights, IL 60005 www.erowa.com info.usa@erowa.com