Wiesloch in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is a small town with a population of just 30,000, but is home to two world-class companies: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, and SAP are headquartered nearby. This is where Juergen Kretz grew up – with one brother, his father an architect and his mother a housewife. After the tenth grade, he went to the United States. Juergen Kretz wanted to spend his high school year in Louisiana: The spectacular Gulf of Mexico awaited him, as did lively New Orleans, where jazz and blues emanated from every nook and cranny.