Sherwin Pomerantz, President
Ben Dansker, Vice President
Seth J. Vogelman, Trade Director
Allen Gorin, Senior Investment Strategist
Suzanne Selengut, Marketing Consultant
Michael Platt, Business Development Associate
Jonathan Sternberg, Business Development
Haneen Matar, Trade Specialist
Berat Pehlivanoglu, Istanbul Office Director
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Tully Friedgut, Agricultural Consultant
Sherwin Pomerantz, President, immigrated to Israel in 1984 from Chicago, where he was president of Controls for Industry, Inc. Prior to founding Atid E.D.I., he served as vice president of Luz Industries Israel Ltd., where he had senior management responsibility for operations, policy development, public relations, administration and international relations. Sherwin currently serves as Chair of the American State Offices Association (ASOA) of Israel. He is a member of the Management Committee of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce and the Israel Life Sciences Industry association. He also serves as a member of the Board of the Committee for the Economic Growth of Israel. Born in New York, Sherwin earned a B.S. from New York University, an M.S. from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northwestern University. Sherwin is fluent in English and Hebrew.
Ben Dansker, Vice President, was born in Boston and worked in urban and strategic planning for U.S. health care and information systems sectors. After immigrating to Israel in 1984, he worked in business planning and financial analysis for a solar energy company. Ben's expertise includes project planning, strategic planning, economic analysis, organizational development, business plan preparation and business writing. He has extensive experience in all facets of managing small to mid-size organizations. Ben received a B.A. from Emory University and an M.A. in urban planning from Harvard University. Ben is fluent in English and Hebrew.
Seth J. Vogelman, Trade Director, coordinates local office activities for the states of Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and New Mexico. He was instrumental in creating a national and regional marketing system for the promotion of American exports in Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Persian Gulf and the Palestinian Authority. A native of New York, Seth holds a B.A. from Montreal's McGill University. Seth is fluent in English, Hebrew, German & French, and has an excellent working knowledge of Arabic.
Allen Gorin, Senior Investment Strategist, oversees investments, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures between North American investors/companies and Israeli firms. A lifelong entrepreneur with a wide variety of professional experience— real estate investor and developer, builder, university instructor, columnist, and inventor — his forte is looking at transactions from many perspectives and crafting simple but creative solutions to problems. Allen founded and directs Idahoans United for Israel, which closely networks with other coalitions with similar interests (e.g., AIPAC, CUFI). Allen’s public policy work has been priceless in giving him the skills to bridge political, religious, and cultural differences in pursuit of a common goal.
Allen holds a B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, and an M.A. from Northwestern University, specializing in Public Affairs and Communications. An avid athlete who applies sports lessons such as teamwork and discipline to the business world, he lives with his family near Boise, Idaho.
Suzanne Selengut, Marketing Consultant, serves as the marketing manager for "Invest in Israel," the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor's program for the advancement of international investment in Israeli industry. Her primary tasks include strategic planning, market research, public relations, writing and online projects involving Israel's varied business sectors. Prior to joining EDI, she worked as a marketing professional for public sector and non-profit organizations, including the Jewish Federations of North America. Suzanne holds a BA in English and Political Science from Queens College-CUNY and an MA in English Literature from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is also a journalist and translator, and is fluent in English and Hebrew.
Michael Platt, Business Development Associate, is responsible for trade, market and business analysis. In this capacity, his primary tasks include targeting potential trade leads, writing feasibility studies, conducting market research and assessment, arranging strategic business meetings and facilitating communication between companies. He also handles the firm's IT needs, including managing the internal database and website. Michael holds a B.A. from Brandeis University with a major in political science and minors in Computer Science and Near Eastern & Judaic Studies. In addition, he completed both the M.B.A. program, focusing on Marketing, as well as the Urban Policy & Planning Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is particularly interested in advancing public policy and management. Before joining EDI, Michael served the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) as a program analyst, policy consultant and IT assistant. Michael is fluent in English and Hebrew and has a working knowledge of Spanish.
Jonathan Sternberg, Business Development, assists in the development of opportunities for EDI’s client states, as well as a myriad of special projects. His primary responsibilities include cultivating trade leads, organizing trade missions, developing export interests, as well as market research and communication facilitation. Jonathan holds a BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with majors in International Relations and Business Management and a minor in Asian studies. Jonathan is also a recognized culinary and wine critic with over 80 articles published both in Israel and abroad. Before joining EDI, Jonathan spent a year traveling throughout South East Asia and India. Jonathan is fluent in English and Hebrew.
Haneen Matar, Trade Specialist, works with our U.S Clients, focusing on Arabic speaking countries. Haneen has recently completed her B.A. with honors in Business Management & Communications. She is now working on her M.A. in Marketing and Finance at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Once this is done, Haneen wishes to complete a doctorate in Marketing. She is also a community volunteer coordinator with disadvantaged youth. An avid reader, she also enjoys swimming and music. Haneen is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and English.
Berat Pehlivanoglu, Istanbul Office Director, principal of Pehlivanoglu Financial Services Ltd. of Istanbul. The former business development officer of a US investment bank in Istanbul and former managing partner of Arend Industrial Consultants, Berat specializes in financial advisory services, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, project management and sales channel management. He holds degrees from Bogazici University (Roberts College), Istanbul, Turkey.
Tully Friedgut, Agricultural Consultant, spent 15 years as the Senior Agricultural Specialist in the Office of Agricultural Affairs of the Foreign Agricultural Service at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. He has over 30 years of experience in agricultural economics, foreign trade and trade policy as agricultural economist and foreign marketing specialist. He has vast experience in trade policy analysis, market development, international trade statistics management, agricultural sector development and planning, and project feasibility studies. His overseas experience in East, West and Southern Africa, the Far East and Central America makes him a valuable asset to the EDI team. A native of Canada, Tully holds a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Manitoba and a B.A. and Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.