The Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce USA (SACC-USA) is the umbrella organization of the 18 regional SACC Chambers in the U.S. and Sweden. SACC-USA acts as a bridge between the American and Swedish markets, promoting business through industry specific programs and events, corporate programs, trade missions, business matchmaking, and continual networking. SACC-Texas is focused on creating business opportunities between Sweden and specifically Texas, both on an individual and a corporate level, through similar efforts.
SACC-USA and the Swedish Embassy in Washington D.C. worked together in a recent effort to map Swedish business interest in the U.S. With the help from regional SACC Chambers, they made an overview of Swedish impact on each U.S. state, among other things finding that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from and exports to Sweden create at least 11,952 jobs in Texas. Projects like these help illustrate the importance of Sweden-U.S. relations and how we influence each other. Another great example of SACC cooperation throughout the U.S. is the SACC Summit, an annual event where regional SACC Chambers and organizations associated with SACC gather in Washington D.C. to network, exchange experiences and discuss ways to improve our organization.
One of SACC-USA’s main efforts in the U.S. is their SACC-USA Trainee Program through which they provide U.S. companies with Swedish trainees. As a Member of SACC, you get access to the SACC-USA Trainee Program at a discounted price. Companies that have already found their trainee can get help with the J-1 Visa application, and companies yet to find their ideal candidate can get help with both the search and the Visa application.
SACC-USA is a designated J-1 visa sponsor of the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program, which promotes educational and cultural exchange in order to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. In SACC-USA’s Trainee Blog you can read stories from trainees brought to the U.S. through the SACC-USA Trainee Program. As a trainee, you have a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the American market and gain experiences that will benefit you both professionally and personally. (You can read more about my experiences as a trainee to SACC-Texas in Dallas here.) For companies choosing to have an international trainee, it is a great opportunity to bring in new ideas into the company and gain a global perspective. (You can read more about Marcos Chaves of The Design Bureau TODA’s experiences with having trainees here.)
SACC-USA has over 2,300 Members, and as a Member of SACC-Texas, you through us have the ability to utilize this network to help grow your business and create connections that will benefit your career. We are in close contact not only with SACC-USA, but with the regional SACC Chambers, and our goal is to make the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce an organization and a network that benefits Swedish-American business on every level. If you want to find out more about what we can do to help your business, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Sophie Zätterström, SACC-Dallas