SAYING I DO
Changing perceptions is no small undertaking. It starts with building relationships one at a time, project by project. But without tapping into larger audiences through the media, the effort will fail, said Ezra. In Egypt and other Arab countries, businesses often controls the media, raising additional challenges. In the United States, Israeli marketers compete for coverage with an informationally overloaded public and 24-hour news.
The consulate’s office in Atlanta is taking a multipronged approach to engage the public through politics, the press, and religious and academic communities. It brings Israeli speakers and cultural groups such as the Israeli Philharmonic to southern campuses, and it works closely with local businesses to promote business oppor tunities between Israel and the South. For example, both Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia are leading delegations to Israel this fall to explore economic development oppor tunities between their states and Israel in aerospace, defense, life sciences, telecommunication and software.
"Israel is the powerhouse of the Middle East, and Atlanta is the gateway to the South," making business between the two a natural, said Tom Glaser, head of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce’s Southeast Division.
Already economic activity between Georgia and Israel is booming. Exports from Georgia to Israel in 2004 totaled $172.6 million. Israel is now the state’s 22nd largest
trade partner. Since 1991, the value of Georgia exports to Israel has reached almost $1.4 billion, and Georgia is home to more than 45 Israeli companies, according to
Glaser. Joint ventures between Georgia-based companies and Israel include that between Resolute Networks, an Israeli company with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, and Arris, a manufacturer of broadband network system products in Suwanee. These companies are developing a product providing voice and data services to businesses over existing cable lines, a potential $9 billion market. McKesson Corporation, which provides integrated solutions for medical specialties such as radiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology and cardiology, recently acquired Medcon, a healthcare IT in Israel with expertise in Web-based cardiac imaging, for $105 million, strengthening its leadership role in the marketplace. Likewise companies with roots in Atlanta, including BellSouth, Coca-Cola and Home Depot, have established presences in Israel. Amdocs, an Israeli company now based in Atlanta, handles monthly billing for BellSouth customers.
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