Experiences From the First George C. Marshall U.S. - Austrian Visitor’s Program

The first George C. Marshall Austria - U.S. Visitors Program was held in Austria from October 7 - 14 with a focus on “Environmental Technology,” and it was judged to be a great success. First announced during a meeting between Federal Chancellor Schüssel and U.S. President Bush at the Vienna EU-U.S. Summit held in June 2006, the program’s goal is to invite ten to twelve representatives from the U.S. government, the U.S. Congress and selected universities to visit Austria for one week.

Austrian Suppliers Present their Products and Technologies in the Mecca of the Automotive Industry
Innovative, cost-saving products and solutions are still very much in demand in the U.S. automobile industry. “As suppliers, newcomers should fill all orders placed by U.S. customers in Europe before they attempt to enter the U.S. market. This will give them the best chance for success here. A local presence in the country, whether by means of a subsidiary or service outlet, is essential and indispensable,” reports Franz Rössler, Austrian Trade Commissioner in Chicago, summarizing the main impressions of an Austrian delegation who participated in a field mission trip at the beginning of October. The automotive fact-finding mission, organized by the Austrian Trade Commissions in Chicago and Toronto, provided the opportunity to meet with some of the most important buyers representing the North American automobile industry and profit from an exchange of experiences with colleagues.

Thomas Vanek, Austria’s most valuable and successful player in the U.S. National Hockey League (NHL), is living the American dream. At age 14 he emigrated to Canada to play hockey. After playing junior hockey for the Sioux Falls Stampede, Vanek became a standout player for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Today, he is one of the top players of the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL and an integral part of the Austrian national hockey team.
Thomas Vanek was born on January 19, 1984 in Baden bei Wien. He grew up in Zell am See and Graz, where his father played professional ice hockey. Although he now lives in Minnesota, his ties with Austria remain strong as his family and friends still live there and help remind him of home with a constant supply of pumpkin seed oil from Styria.

In the early 20th century, when skiing was in its early stage of development,  Austrian skiers, with their pioneer spirit and love of adventure and challenge, were strongly welcomed in the United States. Whether as racers, instructors, developers of new skiing areas or coaches of some of America’s top ski teams, they introduced Americans to the art and enjoyment of skiing as a recreational sport, and in the process, brought Austrian Alpine culture to America. These ‘Austrian Alpine ambassadors’ became defining figures in the history of skiing in North America and their names are associated with some of America’s finest resorts, such as Sugar Bowl, Stowe, Sun Valley, Aspen, Vail and Jackson Hole.

U.S. Olympic Committee Ski Coach of the Year

Over the past half century few coaches in America have had such an impact, nationally and internationally, on alpine ski racing as Erich Sailer. As a junior coach for fifty-one years, he has coached over 25,000 young skiers and U.S. Ski Team members, many of whom have competed with the National Team in World Cup competitions and in the Olympics. During his coaching career, Erich Sailer founded four popular and effective racing programs at four different locations: at his home resort of Buck Hill, Minnesota as well as at ski racing camps, such as Mt. Hood, Oregon, Red Lodge, Montana, and Hintertux, Austria. Erich Sailer, who was recently inducted in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame, has inspired dozens of world-class competitors to become coaches.

Susan Rasinski McCaw, who has served as U.S. Ambassador to Austria since 2006, will be ending her ambassadorship at the end of the year. During her term in office, which she described in leaving as one of the “most rewarding” experiences in her life, Austria held its second EU Presidency in the first half of 2006. She recalls the EU-U.S. Summit in Vienna in June 2006, hosted by Austrian Chancellor Schüssel with U.S. President Bush as guest, as one of the highlights of her tenure.    

Former Austrian Defense Attaché to Washington, Brigadier General Guntmar Heck was recently awarded the “Legion of Merit.” (It is the highest decoration of the US armed forces that can be bestowed upon a foreign officer). The award was presented by U.S. Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw on November 6 in the presence of  high-ranking representatives of the Austrian Ministry of Defense and the Austrian Foreign Ministry.  The American Ambassador honored the Brigadier General for his many years (1998 - 2007) as Austrian Defense Attaché at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and thanked him for the outstanding cooperation with the Pentagon and U.S. Armed Forces.

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Anthony McLeod Kennedy was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria. The award honoring his longstanding involvement with Austria, was recently presented by Ambassador Eva Nowotny.