FACC Chicago is proud to be a member of

Dear all,

With winter entirely upon us, one would expect to see a decline in activity at the FACC-Chicago. I certainly did. But our community has proven once again to be dynamic and hearty in the face of even the most extreme weather conditions! And for that, I am grateful and pleased that you value our events.

A particularly well-attended event was the General Assembly on January 30.  We had a fantastic turnout with almost the entire Board of Directors in attendance. And, we welcome two newly elected board members: David Zaslavsky from Ernst & Young, and Robert Barrett, Esq., a partner at the law firm Bell, Boyd and Lloyd. They are both long-term and active members, who have presented themselves to be more involved in the direction and support of the Chamber’s future.

On Friday, March 14, for the 16th consecutive year, we will hold our Gala, La Nuit des Etoiles. This year, our  gala is generously sponsored by Veolia Environnement and will again be hosted at Sofitel Water Tower. We have the great honor to celebrate in the presence of His Excellency, Pierre Vimont, Ambassador of France to the United States.

While we can easily anticipate the same level of elegance, service and quality of cuisine we always receive from Patrick Filatre’s team at Sofitel, there are a couple fundamental changes to the evening’s agenda. Rather than celebrating an Executive of the Year, we will celebrate our distinguished honoree, Philippe Chalmin, Ph.D., who will share his very well studied insights (see below) on perhaps the most crucial challenge of our time: the environment and the role of industry in preserving our planet. 

Also, the format of the evening will allow more time for you to network and socialize. Simply put, we can expect less talking, more dancing!   

Our Honoree

Throughout the evening, we will be honoring Philippe Chalmin, Ph.D., noted speaker on environmental issues, who will make a presentation of prospective solutions to the increasing scarcity of resources.

Dr. Chalmin is a graduate of the HEC business school and holds the title “professeur agrégé” in history as well as a doctorate in economic history from the Sorbonne University.

Since Dr. Chalmin’s founding of the CyclOpe commodity research institute in 1985, he has served as Chairman of the Institute and General Editor of the commodity yearbook of the same name, which is now translated into English and published by the United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as the “United Nations World Commodity Survey”.

He is the Chair Professor of Economic History at Paris-Dauphine University, and has also served as a member of the World Bank’s International Task Force (ITF) on commodity markets and of the group of “eminent persons” set up by UNCTAD on commodity stabilization programs. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Council of Economic Advisers (Office of the Prime Minister) and of the French Ministry of Agriculture’s think tank. His consulting service and expertise have recently been sought by the World Bank, European Commission, ITC and a number of private and semi-public partners and international corporations.

We are truly thrilled to honor Dr. Chalmin at La Nuit des Etoiles!

Our Sponsor

Veolia Environnement, the World Leader in environmental solutions and sustainable development, is our primary sponsor for La Nuit des Etoiles 2008.

Veolia Environnement is a Global 200 company with over 320,000 employees and operations in 64 countries on every continent of the globe.

Veolia’s four complementary services are committed to protecting our planet’s natural resources for future generations, while providing essential services for everyday needs.

Looking back at the General Assembly

The General Assembly was held January 30th, at the Sofitel.

We were delighted that so many of our members were able to attend the meeting! As you know, your participation is essential to our success.

We would like also to welcome the two new Board Members that have been elected at this occasion:

· Mr. David Zaslavsky, from Ernst & Young, and

· Mr. Robert Barrett, from Bell Boyd & Lloyd.

It was a pleasure to see you all!

Don’t miss our most popular networking event this month!

Tuesday, February 12th at Noon in the Café des Architectes at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower (20 East Chestnut, Chicago)

FACC members will meet for our monthly exclusive networking opportunity and enjoy an off-the-menu meal prepared by the Café des Architectes.

RSVP before noon on February 11. We hope to see you there!

Jean-Marie Benard, Laurent Chevreau and Marcel Theboul

Our series of Business Breakfast Seminars co-sponsored by the Invest in France agency continues, with an attendance that keeps growing!

Our monthly business seminars are organized in thematic series to give members a chance to learn from experts on French and American business practices. Over an elegant breakfast and in an intimate setting, attendees benefit from maximum interaction with the presenters and other guests.

Mark your calendar for February 27, 8-10 am

"Enhanced European Logistics:

Benefiting from French Infrastructures" 

D.R. Robinson, Managing Director of

Operations & Logistics Strategies

Newmark Knight Frank

Each seminar in the series is held once a month from 8-10 a.m. at the Sofitel O'Hare: 5550 N. River Road in Rosemont. They are free to FACC members and $20 for non-members.

The Sofitel is offering free parking for all participants in their lot (the entrance is on Bryn Mawr). 

Please make reservations at information@facc-chicago.com or 312-578-0444.

February 27 Breakfast Business Seminar

· Brill Street + Company

Mr. Gilles Tanneur

Ms. Nancy Lerner

· Kroll Inc.

Mr. Tom Sterner

Mr. Michael Fellner

· Lalique

Ms. Flavie Ospina

· Sodimate Inc.

Mr. Patrick Esor

· Top Shelf Import

Mr. Jean-Denis Courtin

· Ms. Elke Rehbock

· Mr. Philippe Blanchard

· Mr. Yves Aumont

Focus on : S.O.Clé, Our newest service for member businesses

We are very happy to introduce S.O.Clé!

What is S.O.Clé?

S.O.Clé (Services Opérationels Clés en main) is an non-sector based incubator for French businesses implanting in Chicago. The program offers participants a complete range of services crucial to launching a subsidiary abroad. Small to medium-sized French companies can benefit from the unique bi-cultural professional environment provided by the Chamber. Mentorship pairings, special seminars and plug-and-play office space downtown are among the S.O.Clé offerings. The common hosting environment and activities organized especially for participants are specifically designed to encourage a dynamic exchange of experiences -- both American and French -- between participants.

What are the services provided by S.O.Clé?

· Mentorship Program: Participants will be paired with a French executive to advise and orient the participant in the US marketplace.

· Seminar Series: Seminars planned for S.O.Clé companies will address the specific situations presented to newly established French subsidiaries. Topics will either directly address immediate business imperatives, or provide information on strategic growth.

· Networking Services: Events specifically for S.O.Clé companies will either have speakers, or be in relevant locations, and will always include members of the French-American business community.

· Referral of Services: The Chamber will assist S.O.Clé companies in finding service providers and resources to maximize potential for success.

· Recruiting Services: As needed by the S.O.Clé companies, FACC will provide recruitment services including free job posting on our site, and can conduct preliminary candidate review and interviews for their staffing needs.

· Administrative Support: S.O.Clé participants will have access to bi-lingual and bi-cultural administrative assistance. FACC will be a primary resource as participants encounter needs for research as well as local and regional knowledge.

Meet our first S.O.Clé Participant!

The FACC is happy to welcome Sodimate, our first participant in S.O.Clé.

Sodimate is a company leader in bulk powder discharge and conveying systems, created in 1976 and based in Sartrouville, in the Parisian suburbs.

Sodimate is specialized in designing and manufacturing bulk powder handling equipment. They have installed about 4000 systems all over the world. Their products are utilized mainly in the environmental field but have other industrial applications as well. Sodimate is unique in that it integrates standard equipment to conceive highly specialized adapted installations. Those systems have application in activities such as:

· Environment - Water treatment (W&WWTP), desalination, flu gas treatment, sludge stabilization

· Industries – agro-food, chemical, mining, paper, metal…

Sodimate’s new U.S. subsidiary (Sodimate Inc.) is now launched in Chicago, and is represented by M. Patrick Esor, General Manager - North America.

I invite all of you to take a look at the video of our president, Bernard Quancard. In the video, Bernard talks about the organization he runs, SAMA as well as discusses the trends in Major Account Management.  It is very informative, and gives you another perspective on our popular president.

In the spirit of sharing information about members’ activities, I encourage all of you, to contribute information about your business and profession. Please feel free to send us articles you’ve written or updates about employment (promotions, change of companies, etc) and we will be happy to share your news with our community.

Bien Cordialement,

Genevieve M. Gandal

SAMA interviewed by Selling Power

Our President Bernard Quancard, who is also President and CEO of Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA) since 2006, was recently interviewed by Selling Power.

Selling Power features daily reports on successful leaders on the web, and has published a series of videos regarding the importance of strategic account management.

SAMA is a knowledge-sharing organization devoted to developing, promoting and advancing the concept of customer supplier collaboration through communities of practice. It is dedicated to the professional development of the individuals and companies involved in the process of managing national, global and strategic customer relationships, and to enabling members to create greater customer value and achieve competitive advantage accordingly.

You can watch as Mr. Quancard discusses his company, the role of strategic account management and customer driven innovation at

http://www.sellingpower.com/video/index.asp?date=1/30/2008.