Going Home
"Who says you can't go home?" -Jon Bon Jovi In January 2017, after consultation with Matt Ballard and the Charleston Area Alliance outreach team, I moved the Made in Germany office from our South Charleston home to the downtown incubator on Smith Street. With a trip to Germany planned to connect the Charleston and Rhein-Ruhr chambers, and close ties to the valley's business development entities, a brick-and-mortar office seemed the next step ...
Striking Iron
"You've got to strike the iron while it's hot." In metallurgy, in business, in life - a phrase that rings true. Iron, in the metaphorical sense and according to Wikipedia, used as an adjective and sometimes as a noun, refers to something stern, harsh, strong, unyielding, inflexible, rigid, sturdy, durable, robust, or hard. Moreover, it is the traditional symbol for the 6th Anniversary - and it so happens that Made in Germany turns six years ...
Out of Many, One
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” -Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus (more…)
DC Elevator Brand Launch
Last weekend, we launched the re-brand of Kentucky's prevailing independent elevator company. In 2016, DC Elevator asked us to match their visual identity to the company they had become in the course of the last 40 years. (more…)
Laying a Foundation
As foreshadowed in Together, we'll go FAR, we were invited to provider leadership on soft business skills and host our workshop on Email Etiquette for the Veteran's Health Administration. The workshop, good for 1 CLP, was well attended, and we received the following testimonial yesterday: "Jens Kiel is an exceptional and dynamic public speaker. He is extremely personable and easy to work with. Between November 2016 and January 2017, Mr. Kiel ...
Together we’ll go FAR
What started about a year ago as an idea, came full circle this week. Made in Germany's Founder and CEO Jens Kiel graduated from Barbara Weaver's 2016 Federal Acquisition Management class as one of 170 graduates in a decade of this demanding but ever useful coursework. The understanding of the FAR, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, builds the foundation for successful Federal Government contracting opportunities. We are thrilled about the ...
Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story
Watching the Hamilton documentary on PBS a few days ago, the hit Broadway musical’s final song title stayed with me. November 2nd marks a special day for me, and one in a particular year. In the Summer of 1986, school summer break had just started for me; my father asked me to teach a two-week course on desktop publishing to the graphic artists of the advertising agency Stamm-Werbung, where he had been CEO for over ten years. At the time, ...
Thank You, West Virginia!
"The title of "U.S. Small Business Administration's West Virginia Small Business Champion of the Year highlights the best of the best among small business leaders, exemplifying hard work, leadership, and dedication, making Mr. Kiel the ideal candidate for the award. We are proud to have him represent West Virginia."
Businessman harnesses German roots in WV
WV State Journal / WOWK-TV 08-20-2015 Jens Kristian Kiel moved to West Virginia not only from a different culture, but a different country. Kiel is the owner of Made in Germany, a marketing and creative strategy firm based in South Charleston. Kiel has lived in the state for several years, moving in 2005 to marry a woman he met online. That woman, Marianna Lyon, had such an influence on Kiel they agreed to begin dating long distance for ...
Happy Birthday, Made in Germany!
We celebrate Made in Germany’s second anniversary today; it’s been 24 months since that memorable trip to the Secretary of State’s office. I remember that it caught a few people by surprise, especially my West Virginia family and my network of collaborators. My Father-in-Law knew of my entrepreneurial roots, and he had been encouraging me for years to put the skillset that I forged in the metropolitan area of Germany’s Ruhrgebiet to ...
