Metro
A Man With A Plan
Will Israeli technology boost opportunities for young people in Michigan?
Pho to by Jerry Zolyns
David Sachs
Senior Copy Editor
L
istening to Lt. Gov. John Cherry
speak at length about water puri-
fication technology seems — at
best — a rather "dry" topic for a Sunday
afternoon. But a larger, more ominous
issue was troubling everyone's mind.
The "elephant in the room" as Scott
Kaufman, CEO of the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit, put it, was the
dire need to reverse the exodus of young
Jews from this area.
"I believe the challenge facing our
community, our state and Southeastern
Michigan is the same Kaufman said.
"How do we attract and retain young tal-
ent to Michigan?"
Cherry contrasted the current eco-
nomic distress with the boom times four
decades ago. "When I graduated high
school, there were 80,000 General Motors
employees in the Flint area;' he said.
"Today, there are fewer than 5,000. Back
then, people knocked on our door. Today
we'd better start knocking on somebody
else's door."
And many of those doors, he said, can
be found in Israel.
The lieutenant governor offers a long-
range plan to bring new industry to
Michigan — and speaks with the passion
of a man who has returned from the Holy
Land with an energized purpose and goal.
Cherry went to Tel Aviv in November to
drum up business for his "Green Jobs for
Blue Water" initiative — a plan to lever-
age Michigan's research and manufactur-
ing assets to become the North American
center for water technology. He reported
his progress Jan. 10 at Congregation Beth
Ahm in West Bloomfield during a panel
discussion with Federation's Kaufman
and Michigan Israel Business Bridge
(MIBB) Executive Director Ron Perry.
Several dozen people attended the event
sponsored by Beth Ahm, Federation, the
MIBB, the Jewish Community Relations
Council of Metropolitan Detroit and the
Michigan Jewish Conference.
Cherry, in his eighth year as lieutenant
governor, announced just five days prior
to the event that he would no longer seek
the Democratic nomination to succeed
Gov. Jennifer Granholm this November.
He said a lack of campaign funding
caused his early withdrawal.
14
February 11 • 2010
Federation CEO Scott Kaufman and Michigan-Israel business liaison Ron Perry listen as Lt. Gov. John Cherry details his vision
for making Michigan — with the aid of Israeli industries — the "go-to" place for water technology in North America.
So, what are Cherry's future plans?
"I really haven't gotten that far:' he said.
"Doors open. Right now, there's a lot I
can do that can be helpful for Michigan
through the experience I have been
involved in. One is this water initiative,
and the second is education!"
Water Wonderland
In Tel Aviv, Cherry attended the fifth
annual International Water Technologies
and Environmental Control Exhibition
and secured the commitments of two
Israeli water-processing firms to set up
demonstration projects in Michigan
towns. Successful projects could lead to
the firms choosing Michigan as a locale to
manufacture the heavy equipment needed
to make inroads into the North American
market. Their success would be an attrac-
tion to lure similar firms.
"In the next five to 10 years, about 30
states will become water stressed:' said
Cherry. "They will not have the water to
support the commerce and population
that reside in those states.
"The answer is not to sell Michigan
water to Georgia or any other state. But we
do want to be the gateway for water tech-
nology, and we understand that there is
no nation that is more advanced in water
technology than Israel.
"Water technology involves very large
physical pieces of equipment. You can't
manufacture it in Israel then export it.
You have to manufacture it where you are
going to sell it.
In 2008, Gov. Granholm attended
the Israeli water conference. There, she
engaged the firm Miya, which has since
set up demonstration projects with
Farmington Hills and Detroit to imple-
ment technology to identify systemic
water leaks. This process could help save
Detroit tens of millions of gallons of water
every day that would otherwise be wasted.
This past November, Cherry signed up
EPC, an Israeli firm that specializes in
decentralized water and sewage treatment
systems for smaller communities. It will
be doing a demonstration project with
Davisburg and perhaps White Lake, both
in Oakland County.
Another firm that he brought aboard
is EMEFCY, a company that specializes
in converting waste streams into energy
— perfect for animal farm operations or
food processors.
Aid Of Local Jews
Noting these early successes, Cherry sees
more opportunities with Israel and other
countries. "We have to be aggressive he
said.
"The great thing about our Israeli rela-
tionship is that you in the Jewish commu-
nity have worked very hard to make sure
that it is a sound one, an active one and a
true partnership. It gives us an advantage
Ron Perry of Michigan Israel Business
Bridge sees opportunities for young
people. "The younger generation is a criti-
cal part of making this Michigan-Israel
economic relationship come to be?'
Said Cherry, "We want our children and
grandchildren to realize their dreams as
we realized our dreams.
"We need a strong economy, and water
is at that foundation. This partnership
with Israel begins to turn that into some-
thing very meaningful."
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