Klaus Becker
Klaus Becker (born February 4, 1953, in Marburg, Germany) is a German/American businessman, working in the steel industry.
Early life and education edit
Klaus Becker was born in Marburg, Germany in 1953 and grew up in Dortmund, where his father worked as a technician in a steel production company. He graduated from an apprenticeship program as merchant of foreign trade. Traineeships took him to Italy, Brazil, and the US.[1][self-published source] Later, he studied business administration and national economics and received a master’s degree from the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum.[2]
Career edit
Since 1979, Becker has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, working in the international steel trade.[2] In 1991, Becker founded SouthStar Steel Cooperation[3] which became the largest importer of stainless-steel bars in the US within five years.[4][5] It was the fastest growing privately held company in the Southern Piedmont three years in a row,[6] and was 21st in Inc. Magazine's "The Inner City 100".[7] With warehouses in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, and Houston, the company created new supply lines and distributed stainless steel bars from Spanish, Korean, Brazilian and Italian manufacturers.[8]
Currently, Becker owns Nirosteel LLC, an international steel trading company based in Charlotte. Nirosteel imports steel and steel related products into the US, Mexico and several European countries.[9]
Awards edit
Becker was voted Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in North Carolina in 1996,[10] and by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in 1998.[11] Additionally, he has served as president of the N.C. Chapter of the German-American Chamber of Commerce for seven years, from 2004 to 2011.[12]
Personal life edit
Klaus Becker has been married to Concha Becker since 1983. They have a daughter, Fiorella.[13]
Honorary consul edit
In 2013, Klaus Becker was appointed as honorary consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for North Carolina.[14] In this function, he founded the N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation. The goal of the Foundation is to inform about German culture, industry, politics, as well as history.[15] The foundation has promoted Charlotte as a US location for international business, trade, and investment,[16] and Becker continues to engage German and American businesses.[17] He was instrumental in bringing the soccer clubs FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to Charlotte to play against foreign teams in the International Champions Cup tournament in 2016.[18]
References edit
- ^ "KLAUS E. BECKER". KLAUS E. BECKER. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ a b "An Evening with Klaus Becker - German Consul in Charlotte". Wharton Club of Charlotte. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ Spelling, Ian. "Nerves of Steel: His response to disaster? Start a Business". Success. May 1998: 56–58.
- ^ Cary, Michael (December 1998). "Steel Away: German-born Klaus Becker shows his metal in Charlotte by becoming the top U.S. importer of stainless-steel bars". Business North Carolina: 22–29.
- ^ "Klaus Becker: Chairman, SouthStar Steel Corporation, Charlotte, NC". Atlantic Journal of Transportation: 5A. October 27, 1997.
- ^ "SouthStar Steel's continued growth ranks it a three-peat". The Business Journal: 3A. October 7, 1996.
- ^ "The Inner City 100: The first annual ranking of the fastest-growing, privately held inner-city companies in America". Inc.: 82. May 1999.
- ^ "A rising star: South Star Steel". The Business Journal: 3. October 17, 1994.
- ^ "Bloomberg L.P." Bloomberg.
- ^ "Retail Distribution: Why It Is better to Light Thousants of Candles-It All Started with a Kitchen brew of crayons and string". Ernst&Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year Magazine: 37. Fall 1996.
- ^ "Tar Heel Tattler: Steel dealer folds, draws a new hand". Business North Carolina: 14. November 1999.
- ^ "German Diplomat Klaus Becker to Speak at Appalachian's Kristallnacht Commemoration". High Country Press. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Klaus Becker".
- ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "Honorary Consuls - Consulate General Atlanta". www.germany.info. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Klaus Becker: A Hidden Champion Recruiting German Businesses to Charlotte". THE N.C. ZEITGEIST FOUNDATION. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "GERMAN INFLUENCE IN CHARLOTTE".
- ^ "N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation Promotes Appreciation and Exchange Between Germany and North Carolina".
- ^ "German businessman gets an assist with FC Bayern appearance".