As a lead up to the first ever SACC Summit, Currents is running an interview series to shine light on each of the regional chambers by profiling a few of the dozens of amazing volunteers that donate their time to SACC every year. Each of the interviewees is one of the experienced and hard working people that make our network tick, but still only represents a small fraction of the talent that SACC has at its disposal. If you are interested in joining your local SACC chamber, check out their website, reach out to a board member, and get involved.
Name: David W. Engstrom
Chamber: SACC-Philadelphia
Joining SACC-Philadelphia was a natural fit for David Engstrom, who currently serves as President of this Chapter. David is a second generation Swedish American. His paternal grandfather was born in Sweden and immigrated to America in the early 1900s. David’s mother’s family is also Scandinavian and immigrated to the U.S. from Norway in the early 20th century. He is proud of his Scandinavian heritage and is passionate about supporting Swedish business and culture. David is a business lawyer who practices law in the Philadelphia office of Thorp Reed & Armstrong LLP.
As President of SACC-Philadelphia, David enjoys working with Swedish companies in promoting their products, services and business values. He recently organized a business panel and networking event in Philadelphia on the topic of “Scandinavian Business Values” which featured business leaders from several Swedish companies with U.S. headquarters in the Philadelphia region, including SCA Americas, SKF USA and QlikTech. David also finds great pleasure in working on trade missions and assisting Swedish companies with opening an office in Philadelphia or making connections with potential business partners in the Philadelphia region. SACC-Philadelphia assisted Specops Software in opening its U.S. head office in Philadelphia last year.
Flag of Philadelphia
Part of what makes SACC-Philadelphia unique is the deep historical connection between Philadelphia and Sweden. Philadelphia was part of an original Swedish colony called “New Sweden.” The 375th anniversary of the founding of the Swedish colony will be celebrated in Philadelphia in 2013. The flag of the City of Philadelphia is blue and yellow to commemorate the original Swedish colonization of the area.
David notes that SACC-Philadelphia members are an incredibly tight knit bunch and welcome anyone who has an interest in promoting the exchange of trade and culture between Sweden and the Philadelphia region. David looks forward to the SACC summit and views this meeting as a great opportunity to network with and strengthen connections with SACC colleagues at other Chapters throughout the United States.
For more information on SACC-Philadelphia:
http://sacc-philadelphia.org/
For more information on SACC-USA
www.sacc-usa.org
SACC Summit 2012: a reunion of the SACC network founded in 1988.
SACC Summit is the first annual gathering of all the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce in theUnited Statessince the network’s founding in 1988. The program includes a conference during that day addressing everything from SACC’s role in Swedish-American trade promotion, to methods of serving and empowering members, to daily chamber operational efficiency. In the evening, H.E. Ambassador of Sweden Jonas Hafström has invited SACC and the Swedish consuls for a barbeque. Day two consists of a luncheon on Capitol Hill hosted by SACC-USA in partnership with the Swedish Congressional Caucus. SACC Summit will provide unparalleled opportunities for the SACC regional chambers to learn from and network with each other while solidifying SACC as the place where Swedish-American business comes to meet and develop transatlantic trade.
