Editor’s note: The event was rescheduled from its original date on Oct. 6 due to inclement weather. 

The College of Charleston School of Business, School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs, Career Center and German department have partnered to host the first-ever German-American Business Summit on Feb. 2. And, the timing could not be better.

According to the South Carolina Department of Commerce, German corporations have invested more than $4.1 billion in South Carolina from 2011 to 2015 and are now responsible for 27,000 jobs in the state. With German industry focusing many of its efforts in Charleston, local jobseekers would be wise to start thinking Deutsche — and the German-American Business Summit is the perfect opportunity to do so.

“It’s been a secret for far too long here in the Lowcountry that proficiency in German and knowledge of German culture are extremely lucrative assets for those pursuing careers, and advancement, with industry in the state and globally,” says Morgan Koerner, Ph.D. chair of German studies department.

Made possible with help from the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States, the summit connects executives from Charleston’s leading German corporations with students, alumni and job seekers in the CofC community.

Attendees can look forward to a job and internship expo, where big names such as Mercedes-Benz Vans, BMW, Bosch, IFA Rotorion, KION, Hubner, Continental Tire, Zeltwanger LP and Kuehne + Nagel and Stoebich Fire Protection will be in attendance.

The summit also boasts an impressive lineup of speakers including Antonio Tills, Ph.D., dean of the School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs; Alan Shao, Ph.D., dean of the School of Business; Robin Mishra, Ph.D., minister counselor from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany; and Sam Moses, Esq., of Parker Poe Attorneys and Counselors at Law.

Moses, whose firm represents many of Charleston’s foreign manufacturing operations, sees a tremendous opportunity for public-private partnerships with German industries in Charleston. “With its exceptional German program, high-ranking globally-oriented School of Business, and strong liberal arts mission, the College of Charleston is the ideal place for a further expansion of those productive relationships,” he says.

The event, which lasts from noon until 5 p.m. in the Stern Center Ballroom, concludes with a panel session on workforce needs in South Carolina, followed by a networking reception for select attendees.

For more information about the event, click here.