BUSINESS

From software to fashion jewelry,
Kalamazoo's Meged International imports
exclusively from Israel.

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

ilk and Honey
Challenge is a com-
puter game that
quizzes players on
the shaping of
Zionism from ancient times to
the present.
Hebrew Wordmaster is a
computer course for begin-
ning students who want to
expand Hebrew vocabulary.
The two games — along
with other Tekoa software
packages, jewelry, glass and
perfume bottles — have been
popping up on shelves of
local Jewish bookstores like
Borenstein's and Spitzer's
courtesy of Meged Interna-
tional, a Kalamazoo-based
manufacturer of Israeli pro-
ducts.
The software teaches his-
tory, Bible, laws and
customs, geography and re-

"Our families were
looking for a
business that
would enable us to
connect Israel with
the United States."

Larry Lando

ligion through drills and
games. The series, called
Havruta, is named after the
traditional study method of
Jewish religious academies.
Such products come from
Israel to the United States
through a venture of two
cousins, Israeli Brad "Tzvi"
Lando, 33, and Larry Lando,
41, who lives in Kalamazoo.
The business grew out of
talks started four years ago
between the cousins, who
saw each other about once a
year when Tzvi Lando would
return to his hometown of
Kalamazoo to visit family
and friends.
Larry Lando says, "We
considered marble for con-
struction use and silver and
gold jewelry."

When they started two
years ago, the Landos chose
jewelry as their product of
choice. Since, they have
expanded the business to in-
clude glass and consumer
goods, as well as Judaica
items and tablewear.
The Lando families have
always been supportive of
Judaism and Israel. In 1972,
when Tzvi Lando made
aliyah, Larry Lando started
to get active in the syn-
agogue community.
Now a father of three,
Larry Lando became the ad-
viser for the Kalamazoo
United Synagogue Youth
chapter in the early 1970s.
Today, he is president for
Michigan Region United
Synagogue of America. He
also has served on the re-
gional youth commission for
USY and has been national
chairman for Kadima USY,
the overseeing organization
for middle school young-
sters.
Meanwhile, Larry Lando
was working with another
family business, Atlas Con-
tainer and Paper Brokers —
a company he still manages.
The cousins figured their
respective areas of expertise
might work well as a joint
venture.
They have faced tough
beginnings, starting their
venture during trying econ-
omic times.
"It was the worst time to
start a business," Tzvi Lan-
do says. "We have good stuff
to sell and many unique
items. But the market is
difficult with the recession
the way it is. In the next five
years, the economy will get
better."
In their first year of busi-
ness, Meged sales figures
reached $125,000, Larry
Lando says. Despite the
economy, sales for the first

Israeli artist Mt Hieman (right)
sorts through earrings and
necklaces for export, with
husband, Domar.

five months of the year have
convinced the Landos that
sales will double to $250,000
by year's end.
"If we continue bringing in
unique items and working
well with Israel, we should
do quite a lot better," Tzvi
Lando says. "We have a lim-
ited Jewish market — book-
stores, gift shops and muse-
ums — but we will aim for
the general mass market
with jewelry and glass."
Shortly after arriving in
Israel, Tzvi Lando launched
a small company manufac-
turing jewelry for export. He

faced several problems. But
what he remembers most is
that Israelis feared doing
business with Americans as
much as Americans feared
working with Israelis.
"The more experience I
got, the more I realized there
was a need for an American
company to work jointly
with the Israelis," Tzvi Lan-
do says. "We couldn't build a
market base in the United
States. We had problems
with manufacturers and
with Americans who didn't
want to deal with us.
"Every Israeli believes if

something sells in Israel for
$10, it will sell in America
for $20," Tzvi Lando recalls.
"The truth is, the item
would be worth $5 in
America. I've had to explain
this over and over."
Tzvi Lando has learned the
Israeli market, handling
shipping and manufacturing
and finding new products.
Larry Lando knows how to
market and network in the
United States. He takes
charge of shipping and
handling
They have pooled their
resources, constantly eyeing
many prospects. Currently,
the company represents five
Israeli manufacturers —
selling the Havruta Judaic
computer encyclopedia,
glass vases (some sold locally
at Steve Coden's florist
shop) and Israeli Alit
Hieman's handmade jewelry.
Their newest products are
the popular educational-
software packages, in which
the computer becomes a
partner in study.
Jerusalem Kaleidoscope
provides a guided tour of sites
in the ancient city. My Israeli
Atlas explores Israel through
maps and drills that high-
light archaeological and
religious locations through-
out Israel's history.
David's Harp explains
Hebrew psalms in English.
Because of Meged's joint
venture, a Jewish lexicon
and other informative pro-
grams on Jewish holidays
also are available.
With their business part-
nership, the Lando cousins
now get to visit one another
much more often. Larry
Lando now travels to Israel
about three times a year;
Tzvi returns to the United
States about four times a
year.
"Our fathers (the late
Herman and Irving) were
brothers," Tzvi Lando says.
"Larry and I have trust in
each other." ❑

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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