•

disigalci°

•

i

Revitalize

The Michigan-Israel Chamber of Commerce has new
leadership, a new name and a new plan.

The Michigan-Israel Chamber's George Herrera, Harold Rossen and Shelly Jackier.

ALAN ABRAMS

Special to The Jewish News

R

L7

eflecting its new sense of
direction, the American-
Israel Chamber of Com-
merce of Michigan is now
the Michigan-Israel Chamber of Com-
merce.
The name change represents far
more than just a cosmetic facelift.
At the Chamber's annual meeting
and elections last month, officials
unveiled a five-year plan calling for
increased membership, financing, net-
working and interfacing with other
chambers, a heightened relationship

with the Jewish Federation of Metro-
politan Detroit, and the generation of
additional business both for Israel and
the Chamber's members.
"We decided that it was time with-
in the Chamber's life to reevaluate
where we were heading and how we
were operating," said Shelly Komer
Jackier, executive vice president. "Our
goal is to make this a viable organiza-
tion providing the services of promot-
ing and facilitating business with
Israel even more successfully than
we've done in the areas of export,
import, investment, R&D and joint
ventures," she said.
The move comes at an opportune

time in terms of the imminent closing
or paring down of Israeli economic
offices in the U.S. because of Israel's
budgetary constraints.
The Chamber hopes to add 125
members in 1998 and attract at least
75 additional members each year
thereafter.
Jackier said the Chamber seeks to
generate $50 million of business with
Israel during the five years by linking
Israeli and Michigan companies.
Another key objective is to acquire
adequate funding for the Chamber,
"so that we're not always at this cross-
roads of not being able to financially
provide, and of not having an eco-

nomic development professional on
staff," said Jackier.
"We also want to create a strong
and active leadership and advisory
board of influential people from the
general business community who
would philosophically and morally
substantiate what we are doing."
The Chamber's new president,
Harold R Rossen, senior vice presi-
dent, investments, for Dean Witter
Reynolds, Inc., hopes to see the
Chamber develop "a more non-secular
slant, where our membership isn't just
people who are waving the flag for
Israel, but people who- are from corpo-
rations who want to do business in
the Middle East, and primarily Israel.
"We've restructured our board and
our committees so that we have a very
wide exposure among corporations,"
Rossen said.
To accomplish this, Jackier utilized
the model of the Cleveland, Ohio,
Chamber, which also has an expanded
board, and has brought in officers and
board members who are not Jewish.
The Michigan Chamber has always
had a fair representation of non-Jew-
ish participants, but Jackier said she
wants to expand the group's outreach
and eliminate any perception that it is
solely a Jewish organization.
"We are a non-profit business enti-
ty to promote business between
Michigan and Israeli companies," said
Jackier.
Rossen left last week for a mission
to Israel and Amman, Jordan, accom-
panied by representatives from 15
other chambers.
"There seems to be a specialization
of the different chambers based upon
location," said Rossen. "Because of
our association with the auto industry
here, and other tool and die opera-
tions and auto suppliers, there are a
lot of Israeli companies who want to
serve that industry. And the natural
thing is to approach the Michigan
Chamber.
"The Chicago Chamber is more
involved with commerce, and Atlanta
with setting up production facilities.
"Our plan is to have a mission next
fall just with people from Michigan,"
said Rossen.
The Chamber's work "is not a case
of exporting jobs, it is a case of pro-
moting more jobs," said George Her-
rera, director of international sales for
Masco Corporation, and the Cham-
ber's new chairman. Masco is an active
trading partner of Israel.
"The Chamber is the only entity
within the state that is totally dedicated