German American Chamber of Commerce to open Florida office in Tampa

TAMPA — Germany invests $4.13 billion in Florida annually, making it the state's second-largest foreign investor. German companies employ 22,000 in Florida. They have the third-largest number of foreign-owned businesses in Tampa Bay, behind the United Kingdom and Canada.

The United States

In the United States, Puccini complained, employees need to be trained afterwards graduation. He acknowledged that cuts to local educational systems and the state university system aren't helping. Part of the solution, he said, lies in local businesses adopting the kind of mentoring programs that are common in Germany, like the program his company offers to high school juniors and seniors. Bauer is based in Odessa and specializes in underground construction, just as pilings, underground walls and basements.

Foreign business is crucial to Florida. The state is sixth in the nation in direct foreign investment and No. 1 in the southeastern United States. More than 1.3 million jobs in Florida are dependent on international trade.