APRIL 2016 NEWSLETTER

 

CHAMBER NEWS

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The Chamber Chairperson Ms. Ofra Strauss
and the Chamber team, Ariela and Oded
wish you and your family a HAPPY PASSOVER.
 

Chamber Annual General Meeting

At a well-attended Annual General Meeting of the Chamber held on April 6th, 2016, the participants elected a new board.
Ms. Ronit Benbasat-Rom previous Chamber CEO, and new board member, reviewed last year's activities and highlighted the positive financial results and the increased Chamber activities.
The meeting was followed by the first meeting of the new board who re-elected Ofra Strauss as the Chairperson of the Board.
 

Oded Rose appointed Chamber CEO

Dear Members,
I am delighted to have joined the chamber on April 1, as its CEO. I have served previously for a short time on our Board and know how much work is done by the Chamber team and its Board.  It is a privilege to work alongside all of you and serve our members.  I see this as a unique opportunity to contribute to the vastly important and strategic relationship between the U.S. and Israel.

I take this opportunity to thank former CEO Ronit Benbasat-Rom for her leadership and achievements in the past three years and wish her well in her new position in industry.

I have over 30 years' experience in the Israeli and the U.S. markets and know firsthand some of the issues facing our members in the bi-national business arena.  Nevertheless, my goal is to reach out to each of you and work together to address current issues you are facing with the aim of removing obstacles and helping in every way to create new business opportunities, and increase bi-lateral trade between Israel and the U.S.
I take this opportunity to wish you, your families and colleagues a HAPPY PASSOVER.

I look forward to a productive and enjoyable working relationship with all of you.

Oded (O.D.) Rose
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M: 054-4674629
 
 

Meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Muniz

Chamber Chairperson Ofra Strauss as well as the Chamber team along with Zvi Rome, Chairperson of the Chamber's Energy Committee participated in a breakfast meeting hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel welcoming  U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Muniz.  Mr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Energy, Shraga Brosh, Chairperson of the Manufacturers’ Association, U.S. Embassy Officials  and Israeli business leaders from the energy industry who attended the meeting discussed the importance of the mutual relationship of both countries in the energy field in general and integrating new technologies related to the recognition of cyber threats worldwide.   
 

Special Meeting with Seven U.S. Lieutenant Governors

The Chamber team participated together with representatives of Israeli business organizations in a special meeting which was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in honor of U.S. Lieutenant Governors:  Carlos Lopez Cantera (Florida); Kim Reynolds (Iowa); Jeff Colyer (Kansas); Mark Hutchison (Nevada); Dan Forest (North Carolina); Dan Patrick (Texas) and Rebecca Kleefisch (Wisconsin) who also serves as Chair of the Republican Lieutenant Governors’ Association.  At the meeting, whose aim was to strengthen economic and business collaborations with Israel, the guests presented their states and expressed their desire to attract investments into their states with the purpose of creating jobs, and the benefits that are available within each state.

Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon visits Israel

The Chamber team participated in a business meeting with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and his delegation who visited Israel in order to enhance the business relation between Missouri and Israel.  In his speech the Governor stressed the benefits his state could provide Israeli companies and called on them to invest and operate in Missouri.  Four Israeli startup companies presented their technologies and discussed the potential to operate in Missouri (where one of them is already based). 
The meeting was organized by the Director of the State of Missouri Israel Trade & Investment Office, Mr. Elysa Rapoport,  

United Launches a New Direct Flight - Tel-Aviv-San Francisco

On April 1, 2016, United Airlines, a Chamber’s Diamond member, inaugurated a direct, non-stop flight between Tel Aviv and San Francisco. The flight will initially operate three times a week and is later planned to increase to five times a week. “We’re very excited about introducing nonstop service between Tel Aviv and San Francisco with the customer- pleasing Dreamliner,” said Avi Friedman, United’s Managing Director of Sales in Israel and Chamber Board member. “This is a response to demand from our customers for direct flights to one of the United States’ most popular business and tourism destinations, with the added benefit of convenient onward connections from our San Francisco International hub.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said that the new line would strengthen the ties between the two countries. “These flights will facilitate technology exchanges between hi-tech firms on the West Coast of the United States and the start-up community here in Israel, as well as people-to-people engagement between Israelis and Americans,” he said.

Cisco Completes Acquisition of Leaba Semiconductor

On March 4, 2016, the Chamber Diamond member Cisco completed the acquisition of Leaba Semiconductor, a venture-backed silicon talent company headquartered in Caesarea, Israel.  Leaba is an Israeli firm with a strong and successful track record of designing leading edge networking semiconductors that provide innovative solutions to address significant infrastructure challenges.
This acquisition furthers Cisco’s integration of Israeli technology into its market leading product lines. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco paid $320M in cash and assumed equity awards, plus additional retention based incentives.  The Leaba team now reports into Cisco’s Core Hardware Group, led by Senior Vice President, Ravi Cherukuri.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 

Registration for the 2016 Summit is still open
 
We are pleased to advise that, to date, over 25 people representing over 15 companies  have confirmed their participation as part of the Israeli business delegation to the 2016 SelectUSA Summit, headed by U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro.  The 2016 SelectUSA Summit will take place on June 19-21, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Thanks to our Chairperson Ofra Straus’ involvement, Erez Vigodman, CEO of Teva, Diamond member of the Chamber, will be a speaker at the summit's opening event.
The conference will feature investment opportunities for global investors in every part of the United States. High-profile business and government leaders will share their insights on the latest innovations and investment trends.
Participants will include international and domestic companies of all sizes seeking to establish or expand operations in the United States.  Economic developers from state, regional and local levels will also be in attendance, ready to facilitate and generate business investment.
The Summit will include an exhibition hall where U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs) will be present, displaying the advantages of their locations and connecting with international investors.  Participants will also be able to enroll in the SelectUSA Academy, a pre-Summit orientation that covers the fundamentals of investing and promoting investment in the United States.

2016 Membership Renewal

Members who have yet to renew their membership for 2016 are invited to do so at their earliest convenience. Furthermore, you are invited to join the leading companies in Israel that already take part in our exclusive programs – Diamond, Platinum and Gold.
To join our exclusive programs,  please contact the chamber.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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America House, 35 Shaul Hamelech Blvd, P.O.B. 33174 Tel Aviv 6133101, Israel

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