Indiana is putting out the welcome mat for German business investment.

The new Indiana-Germany Business Council will pick up where the state’s economic development office leaves off. Chair Andrea Richter-Garry says the nonprofit group will build cultural and educational connections with German companies.

She says the council will act as a liaison to German companies who visit Indiana for trade shows, or who are directly considering the state for new operations. Richter-Garry says the council will connect companies with government officials and business leaders and serve as a clearinghouse for questions.

Indiana is already home to more than 100 German companies, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has an office in Berlin. Germany is Indiana’s fifth-largest trading partner, accounting for four-percent of Hoosier exports.

Governor Holcomb went on two German trade missions in his first three years in office, and is hinting at a possible third.