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German Businesses and Investment in Charlotte USA

Charlotte USA has long been among the most favored areas for German companies to locate in the United States. The region itself, settled in part by German immigrants and including many German place-names among its cities and towns, has historical links to Germany as well as modern ones.

There were 162 German-owned firms in Charlotte USA in 2006, by far the largest number (22%) of all foreign firms. 113 of these companies were located in Mecklenburg County (65%), named for the Mecklenburg-Strelitz region of Germany. Other counties with a significant German presence include Iredell County, NC and York County, SC, with 10 German firms, respectively. Catawba County and Gaston Counties, NC, had 9 and 8 German firms, respectively. The German firms in the region come from all over Germany, but there are especially strong concentrations of companies based in Bavaria and the North Rhine region. The most strongly represented industry sectors are advanced manufacturing, such as plastics, metals, and automotive parts.

In addition to an attractive cost of doing business, a skilled and available workforce, and a high quality of life, German firms are drawn to Charlotte USA for its outstanding infrastructure. This includes the largest consolidated rail system in North America and several major interstate highways, linking the region to North American markets, and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, linking the region to the world. Charlotte-Douglas, the nation’s 10th busiest in 2006, offers daily non-stop flights to the German cities of Frankfurt and Munich. Altogether, the airport offers 630 daily flights to 127 destinations, including non-stop flights to Canada and Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United Kingdom.

Interstate I-85 is an important industrial thoroughfare, linking many population centers from Alabama through the Carolinas to the Northeast. This corridor, especially as it runs through North and South Carolina, has become a premier destination for automotive suppliers. BMW’s North America assembly plant, located in Greer, South Carolina, anchors many other auto supply companies, with a strong German presence. The Charlotte USA region is home to three Freightliner (Daimler) facilities, and is also the epicenter of the auto racing industry in the U.S., with the headquarters of most Nascar teams and suppliers. This adds to the strength of the region as an automotive sector powerhouse. .

Charlotte is an international city. Corresponding to the rise of international business in the region has been the rapid growth of an international population, including several thousand German nationals. At last count, there were at least 2,500 German-born residents in Charlotte USA, over 20,000 European-born residents, and over 160,000 residents born somewhere outside of the United States.

To serve this growing international community, the Charlotte area offers a German school, along with 7 other international schools. At West Mecklenburg Academy of International Language and the Smith Academy of International Language, students can take all of their classes in German, if they choose. Additionally, the Charlotte area is home to several German and international organizations, including a German honorary consulate, the International House, the Mayor’s International Cabinet, the German-American Chamber of Commerce, the European – American Business Forum, the German-American club of Charlotte, and even a church with services in German as well as English.