M1,1 NtAE Editor's Letter DETROIT JEWISH NEWS theJEWISHNEWS.com Advertising Sales Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. Abrams, Jan Haskell, Melissa Litvin, Heidi Martin, Rick Nessel, Dharlene Norris Senior Sales Assistant: Kim Metzger Business Offices Customer Service Asst.: Jan Shain Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender F Creative Services creative@thejewishnews.com Creative Director: Deborah Schultz Production By VERTIS INC. Site Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Jeffrey Meyer, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan Editorial Editor: Robert A. 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Phipps Editorial Director: Robert A. Sklar IT & Circulation Director: Deanna Spivey Fulfillment circulationdesk@thejewishnews.com Customer Service Manager: Zena Davis Departments General Offices: 248-354-6060 Advertising: 248-351-5107 Advertising Far 248-304-0049 Circulation: 248-351-5174 Advertising Deadline: Monday, 4 p.m. Editorial Fax 248-304-8885 Deadline: All public and social announcements must be typewritten and received by noon Tuesday, nine days prior to desired date of publication. Subscriptions: 1 year 2 years 3 years 1 year out-of-state 2 years out-of-state 3 years out-of-state Water's Untapped Potential $79 $142 $189 $119 $214 $286 Detroit Jewish News 29200 Northwestern Highway Suite 110 Southfield, MI 48034 ©copyright 2010 Detroit Jewish News resh water is abundant in the Great Lake State — Michigan has 20 percent of the world's fresh water. Still, associated challenges are aplenty both here and nation- wide. They include aging infrastructure, quality-burdened water- ways, legacy pollutants, competing uses and insufficient supply. "We need to provide cleaner water at a lower cost, and we need to do that in an industry that is extremely risk averse says John McCulloch, Oakland County water resources commissioner and founder of 1120 Opportunities. Israeli business participation has helped showcase this Oakland-based independent water resources manage- ment incubator, which is determined to help reinvent Michigan's business base. McCulloch visited incubators locally and nationally before settling on Israel, not surprisingly, as the undisputed leader in water technology innovation. His impetus: America's need for prudent improve- ments in the areas of water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection, wastewater treatment, stormwater man- agement and lake management. Setting The Stage McCulloch is constantly sought out to evaluate or endorse various water technology trends. Elected Oakland County water resources commissioner nine years ago, he oversees management of drink- ing water, wastewater and stormwater for 1.2 million residents. When he says improvements on a national scale can be made in ways that minimize capital, operating and maintenance costs, it behooves the public to listen up. McCulloch understands that innovators must demonstrate their new technologies before they can gain a toehold in a business world wary of dramatic change from older, but proven technology. The churn of technology can produce unproven technology that's actually more effective and cheaper in providing a superior result; the hangup is a stage to demonstrate the new concepts and tools. Attracting The Spotlight Enter H2O Opportunities at One Public Works Drive, Waterford. The nonprofit was formed on Jan. 8, 2009. McCulloch is its registered agent. He's busy developing a management team and board. Setting the bar high, he named Jim Ridgeway as H2O chief technical officer. Ridgeway is the well-respected executive director of the Alliance of Rouge Communities. H2O's goal is to locate developers of promising water technology and create the conditions for them to design, build and try out new resources in real-world settings without the penalty of unhappy clients. The hope is to help these developers refine their R&D strat- egy and guide them to private capital options to stay in Michigan. H2O Opportunities' success will be measured by the ability to identify, select, vet, test and integrate inventive water tech- nologies and solutions. The win-win yield: company profits and Michigan jobs. Coming Together McCulloch visited Israel in 2008 with Gov. Jennifer Granholm and in 2009 with Lt. Gov. John Cherry. Both trips were in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the State of Michigan. The itinerary included Haifa's Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, home to the Stephen & Nancy Grand Water Research Institute funded by Detroiters. The MEDC continues to help H2O Opportunities capture funding for support services. H2O has struck up a relationship with several Israeli compa- nies eager to bring new technology to the U.S. market. Consider Emefcy Ltd. in Caesarea. It has licensed a process that creates a bio-energy system to produce energy — electricity — from wastewater. At the same time, the process cuts operating costs in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. EPC Ltd. Onsite Wastewater Solutions, headquartered in Beit-Yizhak, offers wastewater treatment via a system ideal for smaller communities like those in northern Oakland County. Tel Aviv-based Miya already is working at a site in Farmington Hills and is in negotiations for a demonstration project in Detroit. Miya's new technology: Inspecting water pipes for underground leaks to curb expensive repairs. These three Israeli companies alone could create anywhere from 12 to 100 full-time jobs in Michigan depending on the traction they gain here. EPC owner-president Jeremy Weissmann and Oakland County's John McCulloch in Israel Rooted In Israel H2O Opportunities is positioned to leverage Oakland County Water Resources Commission (WRC) relationships with municipal water service systems, wastewater treatment facili- ties and businesses in the industrial or agricultural sectors that rely on significant use of water. The WRC will help H2O vali- date new technologies through systems testing and make them available through regulatory approvals. Ifs not unusual for the WRC to promote or partner with non- profits in initiatives that protect and preserve water quality. The Ann Arbor-based Michigan Israel Business Bridge (MIBB) played an integral support role in alerting the state and MEDC to various exciting opportunities in Israel. The MIBB applauds state and county efforts to shape a global water strategy that allows Israeli technological creativity to manifest itself in Michigan. "We think the water strategy could be used as a model to establish partnerships between Michigan and Israel in other industry sec- tors as well',' says Ron Perry, MIBB executive director. H2O Opportunities boasts boundless possibilities as a pro- moter of a business climate that, as John McCulloch aptly put it, "attracts talent, companies and venture capital while stimu- lating entrepreneurship locally, all the while advancing the pro- tection of Michigan's water resources and ecosystem:' In our ever-changing world with intense demand for cost controls, we, as a county, a state and a nation, can't be technol- ogy stagnant — and satisfied with the way things are. That's a sure push toward the dark side of the economic bell curve. ❑ For information in H2O Opportunities, contact WRC-H20 liaison Kevin Larsen: (248) 431-4723 or kevin-larsen@comcastnet. March 4 2010 5