The Finnish American Business Council of the Greater Washington Area

Chairman's Message

I was honored to take over as the new chairman of the The Finnish American
Business Council of the Greater Washington Area this year from Tapani Kaskeala. In its five-year history, FABC has been active in the Washington region business community, serving as a platform to bring together individuals and organizations to promote Finnish-American business.

We at FABC are looking forward to continue organizing high-quality events, presentations and discussions on current topics that have specific interest for Finnish firms doing business in the United States and for US firms doing business in Finland, or who are interested in starting such ventures. The economic base and industrial structure in the Washington region continues to diversify across many sectors, including software, biotechnology, management consulting, technology-based manufacturing, retailing and of course government contracting in all fields, not to mention the presence of several international development organizations, including the World Bank and IMF. Opportunities for building Finnish-American business partnerships keep growing and more firms find that there are many lucrative opportunities to be uncovered.

FABC, the Washington region’s equivalent to other Finnish-American chambers of commerce operating in the US, has a narrower niche to fill than many other chambers of commerce. This is due to the versatile presence of active Finnish-related organizations and activities in the region. We at FABC consider this an asset, as our focus on activities to promote business and related knowledge is more easily defined. At the same time, we are looking forward to strengthening our ties with other chambers operating in the United States and learning from their successes to apply them in Washington.

I invite you to participate in FABC’s activities and events, and I extend a special invitation to people that have not yet been involved with our activities. New people and good ideas are always heartily welcome!

Kimmo Kartano