December

On Thursday, December 11 the French-American Chamber of Commerce, the German-American Chamber of Commerce and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce hosted their Holiday Euro Networking event. The event was held at the German Christkindl Market in the warming tent from 6 to 8pm. Over 35 guests enjoyed hot cider, hot wine and beers, specialty hors d'oeuvres from Germany and interesting networking.

November

The 10th Annual Beaujolais & Beyond Festival took place on Thursday, November 20 at the Mile High Station in Denver.  Over 500 people attended and enjoyed food from 25 of Colorado's finest chefs, 41 French wines, aerial performances from Aerial Dance Over Denver and live music from Georgann Low & Trio Nuage.  In addition there was an extensive silent auction and a culinary competition.  The competition was split between a judges choice and a people's choice. 

Winners were:

Judges Award:
Best Appetizer = Cade Nagy - Catering by Design
Best Entree= Said Benjelloun - Palais Casablanca Authentic Moroccan Cuisine
Best Dessert = Eric Phillips - Ameristar Casino

People's Choice Award:
Best Appetizer = Jean-Luc Voegele - Westin Tabor Center
Best Entree= Cade Nagy - Catering by Design
Best Dessert = Katherine Keeley-Pappas - Katherine's French Bakery

Thank your to our sponsors, all the participating chefs and wine vendors as well as our silent auction donors.  

October

The FACC hosted a Meet Our Members Networking Reception on October 14 at The Velvet Vine.  Monia Sabathier from White Toque, one of our corporate members, gave a brief presentation about the company followed by a sampling of various dessert petit fours.  Around 30 people attended and enjoyed a glass of French wine, a variety of appetizers and desserts and of course - Networking!

August

Almost 15,000 members of the media from around the world attended the Democratic National Convention. On this occasion, FACC was thrilled to welcome several French media representatives by hosting a breakfast roundtable on August, 28th. This meeting was generously sponsored by Hogan & Hartson LLP. We were honored to also welcome Louis Giscard d'Estaing, son of the former French President, Congressman, Vice-President UMP and President of Groupe d'Amities French American.
The US correspondents from Le Monde, Les Echos, RTL, Le Point and France Amerique were among the participants. The French journalists learned about the economy of Colorado, the major industries, the French business community and the activities of our Chamber. CH2MHILL and Prologis, American companies with significant operations and projects in France, were also part of the lively discussions.

Over 50 people attended the August 19 Euro Networking event at JaJa Bistro in Downtown Littleton. The event was co-sponsored by the German-American Chamber of Commerce and attracted members of other international groups including the the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce and the British-American Club. The appetizers were very authentic and included a house made terrine, jambon-fromage & merguez pastry puffs as well as bite-size mousse au chocolat tarts. Guests benefitted from a beautiful evening and stayed well past 8:00 conversing over cocktails on the outdoor patio.

July

On July 23rd, the FACC co-hosted a lunch with the CSIA. Véronique Péquignat, manager of International Business Investment for AEPI at the Grenoble-Isère/France Economic Development Agency, visited Colorado as part of her US tour to share business connections as well as to develop conduits for international expansion. Véronique provided CSIA members with an overview of the IT sector in her region. The key points she discussed were, industrial leaders, clusters, R&D, and universities.

On July 22nd – July 23rd, the FACC welcomed a French delegation from Grenoble (Rhone-Alpes). Dr Jean-Pierre Joly, head of the Department of Solar Technologies at INES (French National Solar Institute), attended the Nano Renewable Energy Summit as a keynote speaker and Véronique Péquignat, manager of International Business Investment for AEPI at the Grenoble-Isère/France Economic Development Agency visited Colorado to share business connections as well as to develop conduits for international expansion or business interests. Véronique met the members of CSIA (Colorado Software & Internet Association) and provided them with an overview of the IT sector in her region.

June

On June 19 we hosted a Meet our Members networking event at the Alliance Francaise. Guests enjoyed a brief presentation by two of our members: The Alliance Francaise and Denver International School as well as wine and delicious crepes fromAlain Verrati with Crepes 'N Crepes. We took advantage of the beautiful summer evening and held the event outside on the back patio. People gathered around Alain as he made custom crepes and networked in a casual, fun environment. Jean-Francois Duclos from the Alliance Francaise and Kelly Lutz from the Denver International School we busy answering many questions throughout the evening.

May

On Friday, May 16, over 150 people attended our 2nd Annual L'esprit de France Gala Benefit Dinner. Guests enjoyed an an exquisite five-course gourmet meal paired with French wines, remarks by our Guest of Honor, David Appia, Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs at the French Embassy in Washington DC as well as our Special Guest, Claudine Pépin, television host and daughter of acclaimed chef and food writer, Jacques Pépin.

Bill Clarke was the MC for the evening and guests enjoyed being greeting by a curious mime as they perused the Silent Auction offerings.

Sarah Jane McMahon with the Central City Opera sang two beautiful arias and Angelica Daneo gave us fascinating insights into the upcoming exhibits at the Denver Art Museum . The newest initiative of the FACC, CORA - Colorado Rhone-Alpes- Economic Development Network, was discussed and the ice sculpture centerpieces showcased some of the similarities between our two regions.

We also presented two awards for contribution to French-American business to Rick Spear , president of Leitner-Poma of America and Robert E. Joyce , President and CEO of Wheelabrator Group.

Thank you to all who participated. A portion of the funds raised from the event will be used to provide scholarships to international business students.

Our Sponsors for this event were: Wheelabrator Group, Holland & Hart, Invest in France Agency, Bank of the West, Central City Opera, Davis, Graham & Stubbs, Dish Network, Keyria, Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, Amelie Company, Wells Fargo, Belvedere's of Cherry Creek, Decor 'N More, L&M Pressworks and PSAV Presentation Services. 

April

On Wednesday, April 16 the French-American Chamber of Commerce, the British-American Business Council and the German-American Chamber of Commerce held their first Euro Networking event of 2008. The event was held at Translations Gallery in the ArtDistrict on Santa Fe . Over 35 guests enjoyed French wine, good company and hors d'oeuvres from La Baguette de Normandy.

March

The French-American Chamber of Commerce with support from the Invest in France Agency held a panel presentation titled "Doing Business in Europe" on Thursday, March 20 at the Warwick Hotel. Nearly 40 people were there to hear the panel of four experienced businessmen: John Blayney, Senior Vice President - International Relationship Manager at Bank of the West, Christopher Mesnooh, Partner with Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP, Michael Riegel, Senior Vice President at CH2M Hill International and Xavier Therin, Director of Operations and Manufacturing at Lafarge North and South America. The speakers talked about their experiences, opportunities and challenges they face in doing business in Europe. Guests enjoyed a wonderful reception with wine, cheese, fruit and gourmet hors d'oeuvres after the presentation.

The newly appointed French Ambassador to the US, Pierre Vimont, came to Denver for the first time in mid-March. On Wednesday, March 19th , FACC and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted a business breakfast . Representatives from companies such as CH2M Hill, Quark Inc., Wheelabrator Group, Washington Group International and Prologis had a chance to have open discussions with the Ambassador regarding doing business in France.

Also on March 19th, The Denver Forum and the Denver World Affairs Council in collaboration with FACC held a luncheon in honor of Ambassador Vimont who spoke about France and the US in a time of Change.

On Monday, March 10 the French Embassy Trade Office with support from FACC held an exclusive Trade Members Only Wine Tasting at the Oxford Hotel. Over 80 wine retailers, distributors and wholesalers were in attendance to sample wines from 11 different French winemakers from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence and more.

February

The FACC held a Meet our Member Reception on February 7 at Amuse by Michel in downtown Denver. Greg Dean , Attorney at Mullin, Dean & Heimos LLP, spoke to us about tax differences between the US and France. There were some great conversations about buying, selling and renting property in France as well as working and living in either country and paying income tax. Guests enjoyed a wide array of gourmet tapas and networking after the presentation.

On February 21, in collaboration with the Alliance Francaise, over 200 guests enjoyed tasting six wines from various regions of France, paired with exotic chocolates for the French Wine & Chocolate Tasting held at the Reed Photo Gallery & John Fielder's Colorado. A special Armagnac tasting was held along with great atmosphere of art, live music, wine complements and a special appearance from Julie Pech, the chocolate therapist.

January

On January 22, The World Trade Center and the Consular Corps of Colorado in collaboration with the French American Chamber of Commerce presented the 9th Annual International Business & Rodeo Day at the National Western Stock Show. It was a chance to meet over 200 people from our region who are involved in international business and to support Colorado's efforts to shape our image as a recognized global community. Guests enjoyed complimentary drinks and a western buffet at a private reception in the National Western Club, a reserved seat at the rodeo and full-day access to the exhibition floors.