Germany is the largest foreign investor in the Pittsburgh Region. Seventy German owned companies operate approximately over 140 establishments in Southwestern Pennsylvania and employ approximately 11,000 individuals.

• Of the seventy German owned firms in the region, 43% are based in NorthRhine-Westphalia.

The region is a popular destination for German companies to establish North American or U.S. headquarters operations. Companies include Auma Actuators, Almatis, Bayer Schering, Draeger Safety, Neugart, ProMinent and Veka. In 2004, Lanxess selected Pittsburgh as its North American headquarters operation after a multi-market search, while US Filter moved its headquarters to the region from California in the wake of its acquisition by Siemens. Most recently, in 2005, the German web-based retail firm Spreadshirt chose to relocate its North American headquarters to the Pittsburgh region.

• Among the largest firms from the NorthRhine-Westphalia region are Bayer, Hochtief (Turner Construction Company), Veka, Inc., Lanxess and Flabeg Corp.

Twelve of the 20 largest companies in Germany have a presence in the Pittsburgh region.  Those with the largest presence include Bayer, with over 2,600 employees, Siemens with approximately 1,300, and Hochtief with 780. Also maintaining a significant presence are Veka and BASF, with 475 and 250 respectively.

Germany is Pennsylvania’s seventh-largest market and one of seven markets with greater than one billion dollars in exports. Exports to Germany grew 11% from 2005 to 2006.

The region has continued to see investment by German companies.  In recent years, at least eight German companies have invested in the region. In addition to previously mentioned Lanxess, US Filter (Siemens), and Spreadshirt, the Aldi Group and the Carl Schenck Group have both have established new operations. Medrad, a subsidiary of Bayer Schering, is investing $75 million to build new headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the region, while BASF has expanded its presence via acquisition. Siemens has been particularly aggressive, acquiring US Filter, Wheelabrator Air Pollution Control and Robicon, where they recently announced a 145 job expansion.  With the acquisitions, Siemens operates 16 establishments in the region. 

Germany is also an important market for local businesses. Among the Top 50 locally based companies, 18 maintain a physical presence in Germany. Not only does this include manufacturers such as Alcoa, Allegheny Technologies, Heinz and Kennametal, but information technology companies (Ansys, Ansoft and iGate) and life sciences companies (Medrad and Respironics).

Germany appreciates the intellectual capital of the Pittsburgh region.

• In 1990, the Carnegie Bosch Institute was established as a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and the Bosch Group.  Funded by a major endowment by Robert Bosch Corporation, the Institute's mission is to support, educate, and develop globally minded managers through research, conferences, and executive forums.
• In 1999, Bosch established its first North American operation devoted exclusively to research and development opening one of two Research and Technology Centers North America (RTC) in Pittsburgh to research sensor and communication technologies.
• Bayer, Lanxess, and Siemens operate major research and development centers in the region, focusing on polymers, plastics, industrial chemicals and energy conversion at their local North American Headquarters.
• Partnerships between Pittsburgh’s many Universities and German institutes of higher education abound. One such partnership, the International Center for Advanced Communication Technologies, formed in 2004 between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Karlsruhe, is forging new territory in the design of electronic language translation devices.
  

The Pittsburgh region’s strong ties to Germany extend beyond the business community into its neighborhoods. Germany represents the most common ancestral ties for the area’s residents, with over one fourth claiming some German ancestry.

In 2007, the world famous Munich brewery-restaurant company Hofbrauhaus plans to open a 17,000 ft. facility in the Southside Works along Pittsburgh’s waterfront.

Pittsburgh's Teutonia Mannerchor is a cultural center for the region's German community.  Established in 1854, the dining and social club has over 1,500 members today. 

Among the notable Pittsburgh natives of German decent are baseball great Honus Wagner, ketchup magnate H.J Heinz, and steel tycoon Charles Schwab.

German is one of 26 cultures represented in the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.