IN AN EFFORT TO FURTHER CONSOLIDATE THEIR BUSINESS NETWORK THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHEAST, THE AMERICAN-ISRAEL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, INC.-SOUTHEAST REGION HAS MERGED WITH THE ISRAEL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP (IEDP). THE CHAMBER’S OFFICES WILL REMAIN AT 1100 SPRING ST., SUITE 410, ATLANTA, GA. 30309, (404) 874-6970.
THE CHAMBER, WHICH WAS FORMED LAST YEAR AND HAS 170 MEMBERS, HOPES TO SERVICE THE SOUTHEAST MORE EFFECTIVELY BY USING THE STRENGTHS OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION SYSTEM, A PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION WITH A WIDESPREAD PRESENCE IN THE REGION.
TOM GLASER, FORMERLY IEDP’S DIRECTOR, IS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MERGED ENTITY, WHILE JOHNNY IMERMAN, CEO OF MINDIS INTERNATIONAL, WILL CONTINUE AS PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER.
A MAJOR FACTOR IN ISRAEL’S VIABILITY AS A TRADE AND INVESTMENT TARGET IS ITS FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH BOTH THE EC AND THE U.S., ACCORDING TO GLASER, WHO SAID, U.S. COMPANIES CAN REACH 650 MILLION CONSUMERS IN EUROPE, TARIFF AND QUOTA FREE, THROUGH THESE AGREEMENTS, AND WE WILL HELP AMERICAN COMPANIES FIND JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS IN ISRAEL TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL. ISRAEL IS A SMALL ENOUGH COUNTRY THAT WE CAN BE THE LINK BETWEEN COMPANIES HERE AND OUR FRIENDS IN ISRAEL, WHO WHEN PROVIDED WITH COMPANY PROFILES CAN EASILY FIND US APPROPRIATE PARTNERS.
THE IMMEDIATE BENEFIT OF THE MERGER WILL BE THE CHAMBER’S ABILITY TO RELY ON THE RESOURCES OF FEDERATION OFFICES, WHICH HAVE LED THE CAMPAIGN TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO 450,000 IMMIGRANTS THAT HAVE COME TO ISRAEL IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, MAINLY FROM RUSSIA AND FORMER SOVIET STATES.
GLASER SAID THAT THE RUSSIAN IMMIGRANTS PROVIDE AN UNTAPPED NETWORK OF CONTACTS THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES FOR COMPANIES SEEKING TO EXPAND INTO THESE AREAS.