ABOVE) Tom Mayer, Nicole Möst, Michael Hutecker, Annett Heslep, Brian Schroeder, Alexandra König, Florian Kastenmeier, Klaus Czeranna and Friederike Nusko met in Mindelheim's town hall for a first exchange of ideas. Christian Heimpel is missing from the picture.

By Marcus Barnstorf with Paula Pyzik Scott

Mindelheim, Germany is the district seat of the Lower Allgaeu–a mountainous region in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is twinned with six European municipalities and is looking to develop the first intercontinental twinning relationship with the Village of Bluffton, Oho

The chairman of the support group, Florian Kastenmeier, contacted the Village in 2024. Grob-Werke, which is headquartered in Mindelheim, has operated a branch in Bluffton since 1983 and is the largest employer in the Village.

In early April 2025, the coordinator responsible for town twinning for Mindelheim, Alexandra König, and members of the board of the Förderkreis met with the CFO of Grob Systems, Annette Heslep, Managing Director Michael Hutecker and Managing Director Brian Schroeder in Frundsberg town to explore the goals and opportunities of transatlantic collaboration. 

"We want to promote cultural understanding and cosmopolitanism," explained Florian Kastenmeier. The exchange among young people from both municipalities in the form of school partnerships, specialists and junior staff is important to him. At the meeting in the town hall, the next steps were developed: "At a virtual meeting with representatives from politics, culture, schools and business, small delegations are to visit each other at the beginning. 

“In addition to funding and funding opportunities, exchange coordinators are to be appointed, a round table is to be founded and citizens of Bluffton and Mindelheim are to be informed and actively involved as much as possible," explains Heslep, who is also a member of the board of trustees of Bluffton University.