Sons of Norway is pleased to announce that its CEO, Eivind Heiberg has been named the new Honorary Consul General for the state of Minnesota. The appointment was revealed shortly after 3pm today by His Excellency Ambassador Kåre R. Aas as part of a visit to the Sons of Norway Headquarters in Minneapolis, MN.
“CEO Eivind Heiberg is extremely well qualified to take up the position as Consul General and continuing the excellent work conducted by Consul General Gary Gandrud. The Consulate General in Minneapolis is a key mission for Norway in the Mid-West and it is therefore very important to have the best qualified person to represent Norway,” said Ambassador Aas. “Heiberg has all the qualifications required to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Norway and the Mid-West. I look forward working with and supporting Heiberg in his endeavors.”
To which Heiberg responded “It was an honor to accept this appointment and I look forward to helping build and maintain strong ties between Norway and the upper Midwest. This is an opportunity to capitalize on the synergy that exists between the missions of both Sons of Norway and the Honorary Consulate General for the benefit of the entire Norwegian-American community of the upper Midwest.” The announcement was met with enthusiastic support from Sons of Norway’s International President Jon Tehven who said, “Words cannot express enough how honored I am to have our CEO be the new Honorary Consul General.”
The appointment, which goes into effect this September upon the retirement of the current Honorary Consul General, Gary Gandrud, will make Heiberg the highest ranking consular officer in the upper Midwest. “It was a humbling moment to learn that I was being considered for this position, especially in light of the caliber of my predecessor,” said Heiberg.
As he steps into the role, Heiberg will take on the responsibility of leading an Honorary Consulate General that is responsible for a variety of consular matters, not the least of which is providing information about Norway and Norwegian American Relations. Specifically, Heiberg will be responsible for leading efforts to facilitate the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between Norway and the upper Midwest. In looking forward to September, Heiberg says he is eager to work with the Honorary Consulate General’s staff and continue the great work they have been involved with in recent years.
About Sons of Norway:
Sons of Norway was founded in 1895 by 18 Norwegian immigrants who sought to preserve their heritage and culture in their newly adopted country, while providing financial assistance to local families in times of tragedy and loss.
Since our founding, we have been devoted to directing profits from the sale of financial products back into our communities. Every year, Sons of Norway uses a portion of its profits to support cultural programming and philanthropic endeavors that make our world a better place in which to live.
To learn more about Sons of Norway visit us on the web at www.sonsofnorway.com
About the Honorary Consulate General:
The Honorary Consulate General provides information about Norway, and Norwegian-American relations to the public in the district. We facilitate development of commercial, economic, cultural, scientific and educational relations between Norway and the upper Midwest region. It serves primarily the state of Minnesota, but assists fellow Honorary Consulates in the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
More information about the Honorary Consulate General can be found online at: http://www.norway.org/Embassy/minneapolis/