Gov. Jim Pillen on Monday delivers a keynote at the International Cattle & Pig Event at EuroTier, an international trade fair for animal agriculture. (Courtesy of Governor’s Office)
Written by CINDY GONZALEZ
Nebraska Examiner Press Release
LINCOLN—Gov. Jim Pillen and a state delegation will finish a weeklong trade and diplomatic mission to Central Europe on Thursday. The mission will include visits to businesses in Germany that have ties to Nebraska.
While in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, the Husker group is to meet with officials of Bayer, a global enterprise that operates crop science facilities across the Midwest, including a major research station in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.
The group also scheduled a stop at Evonik, a global company that develops specialty chemicals for a variety of industries. It has produced lysine, an animal feed additive, in Blair, Nebraska, since 2000.
“We’re showing our appreciation and discussing how each company can have a greater impact in our state,” Pillen said in a media release. “Two things are very clear from our time here. First, everyone we’ve met in Germany absolutely loves the people in Nebraska. Second, they can’t talk enough about how much they love our melt-in-your-mouth Nebraska beef!”
The group’s time in Germany is the second phase of the mission and follows three days in the Czech Republic.
Pillen met Monday with Stephan Weil, minister-president of the Niedersachsen Government, to explore opportunities to grow trade. Niedersachsen, also known as Lower Saxony, is a federal state in northwestern Germany.
While in Lower Saxony, the state delegation visited the headquarters of Continental (ContiTech), which has a major manufacturing plant in Lincoln. It makes belts for lawn mowers, snowblowers and combine headers, as well as other products. The business also has extensive operations in Norfolk, where it manufactures industrial and hydraulic hosing.
Delegates met Wednesday with CLAAS leaders to discuss how the state can best support the German manufacturer’s continued growth in Nebraska. Since 2001, CLAAS has produced its LEXION combine harvesters in Omaha.
Matt Ristow, president of CLAAS Omaha Inc., participated in the meetings, as did Theo Freye, retired CEO of CLAAS KgaA, who now leads the Nebraska Department of Economic Development trade office in Germany.
“This trade mission is a beneficial exchange,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz. “We’ve been able to share some things from Nebraska while also learning from our German counterparts. For example, German manufacturers excel at connecting young people to great careers through apprenticeships. We’re going to bring this lesson home to make Nebraska’s economy stronger.”
The delegation also connected with Albers Beef, a leading German company specializing in the distribution of food products, including Nebraska beef.
“There is a busload of people eager to come to Nebraska to see firsthand how we do things,” said Jim Ramm, a cow-calf producer from Holt County and board member of the Nebraska Beef Council. “They’re deeply impressed by how we care for our cattle herds.”
Germany is tied with Japan as the top source of foreign direct investment into Nebraska, accounting for 27% of FDI into the state, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
