Klaus Becker
Klaus Becker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 4, 1953 |
| Nationality | German, American |
| Spouse | Concha Becker |
| Awards | Global Service Award, Rotary International, Charlotte City Club, The Global Leader Award, Entrepreneurial Trailblazer Award, Entrepreneur of the Year in North Carolina (Ernest + Young) |
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".