The American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region will celebrate its 15th year in Atlanta as it recognizes outstanding Israeli companies and business deals of 2006 at its annual Eagle Star Awards Gala Tuesday, May 29.

In its sixth year, the gala will be held for the first time at the Coca-Cola Co. headquarters on North Avenue from 6-9 p.m.

During the event, the chamber will give out a “Company of the Year” award to an Israeli business in the Southeast that has performed strongly and a “Deal of the Year” award to an Israeli company and a Southeast-based company that have established a successful business relationship in the past year.

The chamber will also honor Larry Cooper, a physician specializing in oncology who is president of local investment firm Bentley Investments Inc. Dr. Cooper will receive the “Chamber Founders Award” for his efforts to promote Israeli-American business, especially in the life sciences sector, according to chamber President Tom Glaser.

And Delta Air Lines Inc. will also be honored with a “Community Partner Award” for the company’s continued support of an Israeli-oriented business community in Atlanta. The airline’s support has been especially significant since it opened a direct route between Atlanta and Tel Aviv, Israel, last year.

“The establishment of the non-stop Atlanta-Tel Aviv flight is maybe the single most important thing that’s happened in the Israel-Southeast business relationship in the past 15 years. And we’re going to recognize that,” said Mr. Glaser, who has been president of the chamber since its inception.

In an interview with GlobalAtlanta, Mr. Glaser was also enthusiastic about the chamber’s increasingly close relationship with Coca-Cola, which recently sent some of its executives on a business trip to Israel with Mr. Glaser and other chamber representatives.

Coca-Cola’s country manager for Israel, Richard Izsak, is scheduled to give the keynote address for the Eagle Star dinner. From Israel, Mr. Izsak manages the company’s business planning and strategy direction across 43 countries in Eurasia, including India, Russia and Turkey, in addition to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. He is expected to speak about the company’s activities in the region during his presentation.

Also expected to attend the awards gala dinner are the judges who selected the recipients of the “Company of the Year” and “Deal of the Year” awards.

They are Mark Braunstein, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Patient Care Technologies Inc.; Larry Benvineste, dean of the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and Craig Lesser, managing director of the international public affairs group of McKenna Long & Aldridge and former commissioner of the state’s economic development department.

For the “Company of the Year” award, the judges reviewed applications from three finalists: Baran Telecom Inc., Delek U.S. Holdings Inc. and Vyyo Inc.

Based in Omer, Israel, Baran Telecom is global provider of engineering, technology and construction solutions with an office in Cumming. Baran’s Southeast region revenue grew by 120 percent in 2006, according the chamber.

Delek, of Netanya, Israel, has its U.S. headquarters in Franklin, Tenn., where it runs a diversified energy business with operations throughout the Southeast.

Vyyo operates in the broadband access and wireless Internet industry from its U.S. headquarters in Norcross. It has completed major deals with Cox Communications Inc., Arcadian Networks, and StarHub Ltd., creating significant job growth in both the U.S. and Israel, according to the chamber.

Outstanding deals of the year that are up for an award are those between Rehovot, Israel-based Integra 5 and Knology Inc. of West Point; GammaCan of Kiryat Ono, Israel, and Life Therapeutics in Clarkston and d&a hi-tech information Ltd. of Israel and GeoSpatial Metrics of Suwannee.

GeoSpatial and d&a worked together to develop a Web-based, three-dimensional map to showcase the Atlanta area and its technology companies for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Life Therapeutics and GammaCan are up for the award for their work to create an innovative anti-cancer product designed to help late-stage malignant melanoma patients.

And Integra 5 and Knology are candidates for the “Deal of the Year” award for selling Integra 5-developed voice, video, data and mobile communication technologies in the Southeast.

Award winners will be announced during the Eagle Star Gala.

To attend the event, which starts at $75 per person, register online.

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Eagle Star Awards Gala

Tom Glaser (404) 843-1416.