Mission Statement

Welcome to the Scandinavian American Business Forum (ScanAm) – a networking initiative that integrates public and private, regional and global interests. ScanAm’s mission is to create a forum for promoting closer cooperation between cities and regions in Scandinavia and the United States.

Our aim is to provide the ultimate resources for connecting Scandinavian regions, companies, organizations and individuals with Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region. We leverage the power of social networking combined with public and private business development initiatives in order to bring people together and make ideas flourish.

ScanAm is a non-profit organization registered with the State of Pennsylvania. Our headquarters are in Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the United States. Click here to learn more about what Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region have to offer.

Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that includes Denmark and the Scandinavian Peninsula's two nations, Norway and Sweden. Finland and Iceland are often considered a Scandinavian country in common English usage. Low corporate taxes and stable political and social climate make Scandinavia a popular place to relocate and invest in. Even in the current economic decline, Scandinavian countries remain strong and relatively rich due to their valuable natural resources, renewable energy leadership and tourism industry.

DENMARK
Denmark's mixed economy features efficient markets, above average European living standards, and high amount of free trade. Denmark ranks 16th in the world in terms of GDP per capita and 5th in nominal GDP per capita. Main exports include: Machinery, animals and foodstuff, chemicals and oil and gas.
FINLAND
Finland has a highly industrialized free-market economy with a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as France, Germany, Belgium or the UK. The largest industries are telecommunications, electronics, machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products, forest industry and chemicals.
ICELAND
Strong economic growth has led Iceland to be ranked first in the United Nations' Human Development Index report for 2007/2008. However, Iceland has been hit especially hard by the ongoing late 2000s recession, because of the failure of its banking system and a subsequent economic crisis.
NORWAY
Norwegians enjoy the second highest GDP per-capita (after Luxembourg) and third highest GDP per-capita (PPP) in the world. The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Norway is the world's third-largest natural gas exporter and seventh-largest oil exporter.
SWEDEN
The World Economic Forum 2009-2010 competitiveness index ranks Sweden the 4th most competitive economy in the world. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance.