Background

I was fortunate enough as a kid to live in many different places and got to experience many different cultures. I was born in Sweden and lived in Sydney, Australia and in Tokyo, Japan. Growing up with an American father and a Swedish mother, I got to learn a lot about the Swedish and American cultures. After graduating from high school in 2015 In Gothenburg, Sweden I moved to Philadelphia to explore my roots in the United States.  In 2016, I accepted a scholarship to play lacrosse at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. I am now a senior finishing up my B.B.A. degree in Management.

What did you do prior to working at SACC Georgia?

Prior to working at the SACC Georgia, I had the opportunity to work for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League as a Financial Accounting intern. I worked alongside the executive staff for a professional sports organization and got to see first-hand how teams manage a budget, promote events, and day to day activities for a sport organization.

What would you like to achieve at the SACC? 

I would like to enhance my knowledge about Swedish and American business operations and would like to help the Georgia office attain its goals and promote the SACC’s presence in Atlanta. In addition, help companies here in the area benefit from the SACC’s services and opportunities.

What do you look forward to the most about being a part of the SACC?

I look forward being able to bring my skills that I have learned throughout my young adult life and bring it to a professional setting where I believe I can excel. Having grown up in a bilingual household, I feel like I can relate and can bring a lot to the table at the chamber of commerce and to businesses in the area. I feel like it will be the first time in a long time where I can showcase my skills from my past and incorporate them into this diverse setting.

Serenbe

While Serenbe has certainly shifted to abide by state and federal guidelines due to COVID-19, life in the community hasn't completely shifted from it's normal path. All restaurants and the Inn have remained open,  Although large gatherings and events have been canceled or postponed, Serenbe are still providing residents and guests a respite from urban life with access to the outdoors and miles of nature with virtual tours, stays at The Inn (including increased interest in extended stay rentals and lots of work from home options), smaller group outdoor kids summer camp, goat yoga, horse trailriding and farm tours. 

Consumers are catching up to emerging trends that have now been accelerated due to the pandemic; such as seeking more space, withdrawal from the urban core, access to nature, work from home and slowing down their fast-paced lifestyles. Serenbe's design, which combines permanently protected greenspace with urban amenities, proves to be extremely resilient as consumers are shifting to this new lifestyle. There is ample acres of land to allow all homes direct access to nature, large front porches and sidewalks for connection to neighbours and businesses, and their organic farm is open for drive thru veggie, all while maintaining social distancing. Residents have been involved with projects such as Still Serenbe, a photographic documentation of the community during COVID-19, as well as "porch connects", where neighbours enjoy each other's company from porch to porch and wave and socialize from the sidewalks. While these times are unprecedented and uncertain, Serenbe is staying resilient and strong through a deep community connection with each other and nature. 

A group of neighbours using one of the pocket parks for a cocktail party to stay connected but abiding by during at home and social distancing

KILPATRICK TOWNSEND

In an effort to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, is part of the Georgia Small Business/Nonprofit COVID-19 Remote Pro Bono Clinic that was recently launched.This project helps small businesses and nonprofits in Georgia handle the impact of COVID-19. Through this project, small businesses and nonprofits can receive free consultation from attorneys from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton along with a few other Atlanta law firms.

This new pro bono clinic assists small businesses and nonprofits in Georgia with 25 or fewer employees. These organizations can submit their legal questions using an online form located on the Georgia Bar website (see link below also). Pro bono lawyers with legal subject matter expertise in a selected subject matter will then be matched with a small business to offer a free 45-minute telephone or virtual legal consultation on questions related to:

• The CARES Act (federal relief programs)
  

• Commercial leases (amendments, terminations)

• Employment (furloughs, leases, layoffs, etc.)

• Dissolution/bankruptcy/business closure
• Contracts/force majeure
  
•  Insurance
  

Read more

ELANDERS AMERICAS

Certain critical infrastructure industries have a special responsibility in these times to continue operations. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued guidance and lists to support State, Local, and industry partners in identifying the critical infrastructure sectors and the essential workers needed to maintain the services and functions Americans depend on daily.

Elanders Americas supports customers operating in critical infrastructure industries, as designated by the DHS. As part of the supply chain supporting those industries, Elanders Americas will remain operational to provide the products and services necessary for their customers to support critical infrastructure needs.

For more information click HERE

GATC

Gatc LP helps international companies to enter and expand into the U.S. market. Their services include U.S. market entry, full back office operations and infrastructure including warehousing and shared office space in Atlanta. During the COVID-19 crisis, the office has been quite empty, and people have mainly been working from home.

Gatc LP recently asked their employees how they feel about the remote working during the last few weeks. Their experiences were quite contrasting! Most of the respondents were missing face-to-face communication with teammates and clients and were already waiting to get back to the office.

Read more here: https://www.gatclp.com/en/news/remote-working-during-corona-crisis  

ODGERS BERNDTSON

Odgers Berndtson has partnered with U.S Civilian Corps to identify and mobilize healthcare workers in response to the COVID-19 Crisis

​By combining an AI-powered talent search platform with a volunteer-led project management capability, they can rapidly deploy healthcare professionals nationwide to where they’re needed most

The coalition provides healthcare personnel, lessons learned and access to a community of federal and state crisis leaders tackling this pandemic.

Read more here

SINCH

In sectors including travel, healthcare, financial services, and cloud communications, among others, are engaging in transactional and engagement activity. Sinch has powered communications sent by air and travel companies as they make sure their customers are safely returned home and their future booking inquiries settled. 

There have been enormous communications challenges for global healthcare organizations as they reprioritize and reallocate resources in real–time. But some are succeeding. For instance, a national healthcare system sent over 100 million messages in March, providing personalized customer care enabled by Sinch. 

Read more here

IMPROFY

Improfy has modified their ‘small business project’ to help you manage your business through the outbreak of the Coronavirus, pro bono, free-of-charge.

The new features are a re-focused SWOT analysis with consideration of the challenges the Coronavirus could bring your business. The strategy and action plan will guide you on how to get through these hard times. The vision paints a bright future which your firm will reach once the challenge of Covid-19 is over.

Their free analysis and advice will give you the confidence, motivation and power to guide your business effectively through this troubled season.

https://improfy.com/crisis-management/

PROMINATE

Prominate Inc. has been able to pivot and retool their business model thanks to their branding teams and nimble sourcing team in Asia. They are now selling PPE products to their US and global clients as face masks and hand sanitizers along with social distancing will be part of our new abnormal lives.

Prominate has new German and Australian ownership as of late 2019 which have allowed access to additional resources and knowledge base. They have launched Zinc Protect for their loyal and global customer base:

www.zincprotect.com

Prominate is delivering 135,000 disposable face masks to a larger industrial client here in Atlanta in the next 2 weeks so that their service techs can visit clients and so that their staff can go back to their offices.

For more information about PPE products contact: 

Andi.Harrison@prominate.com 

www.Prominate.com

Susanna Lindholm (Business Development & Marketing at gatc LP)

Susanna Lindholm has arrived from Finland to Atlanta to support SACC’s member company gatc LP in Business Development and Marketing. She answered some interview questions to introduce herself, her quite versatile international background, and SACC’s J1 visa program:

Welcome to Atlanta, Susanna! Can you tell something about yourself?

Kiitos! I’m Susku from Finland and arrived in Atlanta in mid-March. I have a master’s degree in Business Management and I’m interested in international business. My hobbies are gym, ballroom dances, travelling and different cultures. I’m turning 30 in June and hope that the Corona situation would calm down a bit by then!

Do you have previous work experience?

Yes, 7 years. I have worked in the industries of accounting and HR services, technology, forest industry, construction, real estate, international relations, politics and public sector. I came to Atlanta with a J1-trainee visa, but I’m older and more experienced than a typical recent graduate.

What is your education?

I have four university degrees. In 2012, I graduated as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Financial Management and worked some years at the largest accounting chain in Finland. After getting to know the job very well, I was eager to study a higher degree and got accepted in the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. I still worked part-time in HR and payroll accounting, but the university opened a bunch of new opportunities. I put my focus on Management and Leadership, International Business, and Marketing. I also completed a Teacher’s degree in Adult Education. In 2019, I graduated as a Master of Science in Business Management.

Did you have international experiences before coming to the U.S.?

I have lived in 7 countries: Finland, Germany, the USA, Belgium, South Korea, China, and India. Why? Because of several student exchange semesters, internships abroad, summer jobs and work. I completed my first Erasmus student exchange in Lüneburg, Germany. That was the best experience I had so far, so I wanted to do more. I completed my second international exchange in Busan, South Korea, and the third one in Münster, Germany. That time I also got interested in International Relations and then moved to India to complete a traineeship at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi. After India, I moved to Manhattan and worked as a Business Development trainee at Amcham (American Chamber of Commerce). We organized many business events in New York. Then I moved to China to work at the Chinese real estate and furniture company Sunon. After China, I moved to Helsinki and started a job as a B2B Sales Coordinator at the construction company SRV. Our team was responsible for marketing and selling office spaces, especially the new skyscrapers in Helsinki. Then last year, I got accepted in the European Parliament’s Communications department and moved to Brussels, Belgium. And from Brussels I arrived in Atlanta and started at gatc LP.

What kind of a company is gatc LP?

Gatc LP is a German-owned company helping foreign companies to enter and expand into the U.S. market. It is like international business consulting, but even more: we establish and operate U.S. subsidiaries of international companies. That means, we offer all necessary services needed to start or to expand operations in the U.S. We run the entire back-office for them, including accounting, administration, HR, marketing, management support, logistics, order processing, and warehousing. We provide a complete infrastructure including office and warehouse space. Usually a client focuses on sales, business development and technical support, while we handle the rest. Our staff acts as their staff, providing a professional organizational structure from day one. Some clients have the whole package and some only some parts. Every client is unique, and the services can be tailored based on the client needs.

What kind of goals do you have for your time in Atlanta?

Learning more about international business. Gatc LP is a great company for that. My second goal is learning languages. Until now, I have tried to learn 10 languages: (Finnish), English, Swedish, German, Russian, French, Spanish, South Korean, Chinese, and a little bit of Hindi. That’s natural after living in 7 countries. My goal here in the U.S. is obviously improving my English, but also Swedish and German. Gatc LP has many German clients and we offer German-speaking customer service. For Swedish language improvement, I lay my eyes on SACC! I would be happy to make new Swedish friends here. I am already waiting for the future events!

What kind of future plans do you have?

My contract at gatc LP is for one year. After that, I’m open for suggestions! Something international for sure. International business is my passion. I would see two possible options: working at an international entreprise or helping international companies through a consulting firm.

Would you recommend SACC’s J1 visa program for companies?

Absolutely! That is the hook to get young, talented, and internationally oriented workforce to your organization. The costs are low but the fresh and innovative ideas are precious input. Recent graduates have up-to-date academic knowledge and the latest technological know-how. With the J1 program, you can attract great, intercultural, young talents.

Anything else you would like to share?

Yes, I have been quite annoyed because of this Corona crisis! I arrived in mid-March, actually on the last day when it was still possible before the ban. That means, I did not have a chance to meet many people in Atlanta yet. Under the current circumstances, I would be happy to make new connections virtually! Feel free to add me on social media channels:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannalindholm/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Susanna_USA

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanna.lindholm.50

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanna_international/

And if you know any company that would be interested in entering or expanding American market and might need help or subsidiary establishing, just ask me: susanna.lindholm@gatclp.com. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and joining SACC events when they start to run again at some point! I wish you all sunny spring days and hope to see you soon!