NorCham expands into Michigan
Photo courtesy of Christopher Jakobsen / NorCham Michigan.
The NorCham Michigan board, from left, Christopher Jakobsen, vice president; Dennis Flessland, secretary/honorary consul of Norway to Michigan; Kristine Heggem Brokstad, president; Andreas Bareid, chairman; Rasmus Noraas Bendvold, board member. Not in photo: Christoffer Heggelund, treasurer. They are standing in front of Michigan Central, Detroit’s iconic landmark, which has been revived after decades of decline by Ford and reopened in 2024 as a cutting-edge hub for mobility and autonomous technology.
Michael Kleiner
Business & Sports Editor
The Norwegian American
The NorCham family is growing. The new “sibling” is The Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce Michigan-NorCham Michigan, which is in its infancy at barely 3 months old. They are eager to get their ecosystem in gear.
“We welcome every Norwegian and Norwegian American business that wants to be part of this ecosystem,” said President Kristine Heggem Brokstad via Zoom from Detroit. “We were aware of the longstanding presence of Norwegian chambers of commerce in major U.S. cities. It was about time that Michigan got its own chapter because many Norwegian businesses have their eyes on Michigan and many Norwegian businesses are here. The state has a lot of imports from Norway and exports to Norway. We’ve received a warm welcome from the entire NorCham community. We are collaborating frequently. We’ve been through the phase of just getting to know our partners, having meetings with Norwegian businesses, and formulating our program for this year, to provide a value proposition for our members.”
The excitement is shared by NorCham.
“NorCham USA, alongside the presidents of our chapters nationwide, is thrilled to officially welcome NorCham Michigan into our growing network,” said Idar Voldnes, president of NorCham USA and the Washington, D.C., chapter. “Under the leadership of President Kristine Heggem Brokstad, the Detroit team brings a wealth of experience and a proven commitment to serving the interests and needs of our members. We are excited about the opportunities for collaboration and growth that lie ahead as we continue to strengthen our collective impact.”
Michigan is the first new chapter since D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Los Angeles split away from Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce in 2023 to create NorCham and the first new chapter since Los Angeles in 2020.
There are just over 76,000 Norwegian Americans in Michigan and over 403,000 Scandinavian Americans as of 2024.
In an October 12, 2024 article, The New York Times recounted Detroit, for more than 50 years, was a depressed city, suffering urban decay with many boarded-up buildings, 40% of street lights not functioning, a reputation as the murder capital of the United States, had a two-thirds loss in population, and became the first major American city to declare for bankruptcy protection.
The city has undergone revitalization under 10-year Mayor Mark Duggan, with construction of office buildings, hotels and restaurants where once boarded-up buildings stood. Since 2015, Detroit has provided grants to over 170 small businesses, enabling them to launch. For the first time since 1957, the population increased in 2023.
“There’s a positive vibe and atmosphere in Detroit,” said Brokstad. “Just during the two years that we’ve lived here, we can see a real difference and an improvement in the city. There’s a lot of investments from local and international investors. The New Lab community and startup ecosystem here is truly special.”
New Lab is a “global venture platform for critical technology startups,” which originated in New York but opened its second American location in Detroit in 2023, “as part of Ford’s billion-dollar mobility innovation district…(building) a state-of-the-art center for mobility tech.”
Brokstad grew up in a town outside Oslo. She has a bachelor’s degree in international management and is a political scientist with a background in business. Brokstad worked for Norway’s largest business interest group for employers, NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise), and briefly for Tesla. She and her husband and NorCham Michigan board member, Rasmus Noraas Bendvold, moved to Detroit two years ago, when he was tasked with opening the first international office for a Norwegian robotics company, Wheel.me. Previously, she lived in New York and Oregon.
“Although I had my initial doubts moving to Detroit, I was also happy to move back to the United States,” said Brokstad. “I’m very fond of the country and culture. I’m very happy to be able to experience the Midwest.”
The Norwegian businesspeople found they shared the same problems when they came to Michigan to set up their businesses. There was no guidance or network to assist them. Wouldn’t it be beneficial if they could share lessons learned with newer businesses?
“We were a group of Norwegian businesspeople who casually talked about this idea of forming a Norwegian chamber of commerce here for well over a year,” said Brokstad. “It would have been much easier for all of us to establish ourselves here if we knew each other, had a support system to point us in the right direction, give us the connections that we needed, and to share the knowledge, contact points and best practices. During last summer, we had the first business meetings around this idea and took the first steps in establishing the nonprofit organization.
“We want to be the contact point for new business coming here, but we also want to support the Norwegian businesses that are already established here. Being a political scientist and having my passion at the intersection between business and politics, I really wanted to take the lead on this. In time, we would also like to be a source of information for Norwegian interest groups that want to know what’s going on in the United States. from the Norwegians living there.”
An important supporter has been Dennis Flessland, honorary consul for Norway to Michigan for over 20 years and an attorney, who’s on the board. In 2012, he received the King’s Knight First Class of the Order of Merit.
“He’s really happy to have a group of young Norwegian businesspeople bringing this initiative forward,” said Brokstad.
“We’re in the startup period where we have gotten to know the whole NorCham network. We’ve also been invited to the annual strategy meeting at the consulate in New York. The Norwegian Consulate General Heidi (Olufsen) is super positive about our establishment. She visited Michigan in the spring and got a very positive impression of Detroit.”
Brokstad notes the pro-business attitude of the political leadership and their support of international investment and businesses that are landing in the city and state. Shared interests in many sectors open the possibilities for collaboration.
“Building on its leadership in the automotive industry, Detroit is rapidly emerging as a hub for electric vehicles, battery technology, robotics, and advanced manufacturing,” she said. “The state of Michigan is also playing an increasing role in renewable energy and clean technologies, driving the shift toward a more sustainable future. Michigan’s strong healthcare sector and world-class research institutions create ample opportunities for collaboration. The state’s growing demand for critical minerals, essential for battery production, and its strategic location along the Great Lakes, a key hub for maritime logistics, present promising avenues for trade and partnerships with Norway’s industries.
“Detroit hosts three big trade shows every year, including the North American battery show. We have already been contacted by Norwegian battery companies interested in establishing a presence in Detroit. The other big trade shows are Detroit Auto Show and Automate, the largest robotics and automation event in the Americas, with Detroit and Chicago alternating as host cities. It focuses on automation technologies, including robotics, vision, motion control, and more. Those three trade shows are a testament to the region’s three big strengths. These common interests create opportunities for partnerships and economic growth between the two regions. We believe it will strengthen over time.”
With Michigan onboard, NorCham’s influence covers the United States, stretching from the East Coast (Washington, Philadelphia) to the middle of the country (Michigan, Chicago, Minneapolis), to the West Coast (Seattle, Los Angeles). Flights from Detroit to Chicago are 68 minutes, to Minneapolis just under two hours, opening Midwestern collaboration opportunities.
Promotion about the assets in chapter cities is needed in Norway.
“All of the chapters are trying to spread that knowledge,” said Brokstad. “Where does it make sense to establish operations if you’re interested in expanding into the American market? Having that close collaboration as a nationwide chamber of commerce network is really valuable. We also have a great relationship with official Norway, the embassy, the consulate, so they can also point people in the right direction. Official Norway doesn’t have any presence here or in Chicago, so NorCham Michigan and NorCham Chicago are filling the gaps between the coasts. The Foreign Affairs and Innovation Norway are very present on the coasts. There are also many interesting things happening in the Midwest for Norwegian business.”
Visit the website: norchammichigan.org.
This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of The Norwegian American.
