The Chamber is pleased to welcome Pratt & Whitney as our new beneficiary corporate member. Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of civil and military aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines and space propulsion systems. The company has more than 600 customers in 140 countries that operate Pratt & Whitney's large commercial engines powering more than 30 percent of the world's passenger aircraft feet. The commercial aircraft engines includes engines for the well known Boeing 747, 757 767 and 777 and Airbus A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A380 aircrafts, and Pratt & Whitney Canada has produced more than 60,000 engines which power corporate jets, regional aircraft and helicopters around the globe.

Pratt & Whitney's military engines are used by nearly 30 customers and include the F135 engine solution for the F-35 Lighting ll Joint Strike Fighter that will replace Norway's current F-16 military aircraft.  [more]

The Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Inc. in Washington, D.C. (NACC MA) is pleased to announce that Ms. Kirstin Gotthardt has been appointed as the Chapter's new General Manager effective February 1, 2009. Ms. Gotthardt has lived in suburban Washington for many years and served fourteen years for the Norwegian Trade Council (NTC) at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Gotthardt’s role at NTC as Project Advisor to Norwegian companies in their effort to do business with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank will provide NACC MA with valuable experience and an ability to enhance its business focused strategy, while serving current and new members as the organization moves into a new era in 2009.  [more]

Government contracting readiness was in focus on the Chamber's first 2009 event. With an annual federal government procurement budget of approximately $500 billion USD and a new administration likely to prioritize expanded federal spending in areas such as clean energy, infrastructure, defense realignment, and continued focus on homeland security, the government market warrants serious consideration for firms seeking expansion. Combined, all of the 80,000 purchasing units within the federal, state and local governments purchase for over USD 4 trillion in products and services per year and they are always looking for the best value, ideas and pricing. The global recession makes the government market even more interesting with the huge amount of money being allocated to project to reduce unemployment and stimulate the economy.  [more]