EDI’s President and Vice President Visit the US

EDI President Sherwin Pomerantz and Vice-President Ben Dansker travelled to the US during March 2011 to meet with clients and make some critical economic presentations to US groups.

In Oklahoma, the pair met with newly installed Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Dave Lopez, who came into his job from the industrial sector at the behest of the new Governor Mary Fallin.  Sherwin and Ben provided the Secretary with an overview of the economic potential of the Middle East and Israel for Oklahoma manufacturers and urged the Secretary to consider the following activities in FY 12: (a) Trade Mission to Israel to be headed up by Governor Fallin; (b) Business Forum featuring 6-8 Israeli companies making presentations to an Oklahoma audience by videoconference. 

Meetings were also held with newly installed Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Jim Reese and his staff to discuss Oklahoma’s potential participation in Agritech 2012 in Israel next spring. 

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, meetings were held with Deputy Secretary of the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Barbara Brazil, who joined the Department recently from Intel’s largest US fab production facility located in Rio Rancho, NM.  Discussions centered around coupling New Mexico’s high tech sector with that of Israel. 

In Chicago, in addition to meeting with the Illinois Department of Community & Economic Opportunity, Ben and Sherwin conducted a seminar on Doing Business in the Middle East for close to 50 company representatives gathered at the Rosewood Restaurant in Rosemont, IL just outside of O’Hare Airport.  The session was crafted in cooperation with the International Trade Association of Greater Chicago. 

In Washington, DC, Sherwin and Ben had a number of meetings related to the new Israel Initiative of the US Chamber of Commerce.  In that vein, they met with Josh Kram of the Chamber and later with Christopher Hull and David Wurmser of Baron Public Affairs.  Discussions centered around how EDI, with its 20 years of experience in the Middle East, can be of assistance to these groups as they strive to increase the economic activity between the two countries.  

In Pennsylvania, a meeting was held with State Sen. Mike Brubaker, Chairman of the Senate International Commerce Caucus to discuss, among other things, the oil shale activity in the north of the state and Israel’s technological developments that can be accessed to deal with water related issues in that sector.