February 2007 News
Merage Foundation
Executive Leadership Program Begins Feb 18th
February 18th
will mark the beginning of the 5th Merage Foundation Executive
Leadership Program in Irvine, California.
15 Israeli marketing executives selected through a competitive
application process, have been chosen to attend the program which provides each
of them with a two week , intensive practicum on how best to enter the US
market with their products and technologies.
In addition to lectures and discussions, the Foundation also arranges
for the participants to meet potential business partners during their visit to
the US. The program is underwritten by
the Merage Foundation for US-Israel Trade and EDI represents the interests of
the Foundation in Israel.
EDI at Dubai Wood
Show
EDI, in its
capacity as regional trade and investment representative for the Pennsylvania
Department of Community & Economic Development will participate in the
Pennsylvania booth at the Dubai Wood Show scheduled to begin on February 27th
in the UAE. Pennsylvania is a major wood
exporter and the show represents an opportunity for the state’s wood producers
to showcase their products and make business connections. A recent article in the press has pointed
out that Dubai is now a major center of the wood trade.
Life Sciences
Mission to Oklahoma & Indiana
EDI brought a
group of five Israel life science companies to Oklahoma and Indiana during the
week of January 21st to meet potential business partners, investors,
research associates and distributors there.
The mission, whose participants were in Oklahoma City for two days and
Indianapolis for another two days, was promoted in the name of the Oklahoma
Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Israel Exchange and the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation, all of whose interests EDI represents in this
region. Co-sponsors of the mission
include the Israel Life Science Industry Association, the Israel-America
Chamber of Commerce and the Israel Export and International Cooperation
Institute.
USA Partnering
Event Held in Tel Aviv
EDI, in its role
as Chair of the American State Offices Association in Israel, organized an
event on January 30th in Tel Aviv to advise local companies of the
benefits they can expect if they locate in states represented in Israel. Planned jointly with the Manufacturer’s
Association of Israel (MAI) and the Israel Export and International Cooperation
Institute, the seminar featured an address by US Ambassador to Israel Richard
Jones, as well as greetings from Gidi Laks, a member of the Board of Directors
of the MAI. All 14 of the US states with
representatives in Israel participated and more than 70 Israeli companies took
part.
Measuring Impacts in the Nonprofit
Sector
EDI partner Ben Dansker recently returned from a series of meetings in
the US on behalf of a client, the Mandel Foundation, including meetings in
Washington and New York and at Princeton and Harvard Universities on the
topic of how the nonprofit sector can measure its outcomes and the achievement
of its goals and objectives. Given the growth of nonprofit sector
this topic has begun to get a lot of attention and given EDI's large nonprofit
and government client base, the topic is particularly important to us in our
work.