26 January 10 • 2019
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Mission Completed

Defense industry trade missions a win-win for Michigan and Israel.
M

ichigan and Israel defense
companies are reaping
the benefit of the passion
of Butzel Long attorney and
shareholder Beth S. Gotthelf, who
spearheaded the first-ever trade
mission of Israeli defense companies
to a state and led to the first-ever
trade mission by a state of defense
companies to Israel this month.
Recently, Butzel Long participated
in the five-day trade mission to
Israel coordinated by the Michigan
Israel Business Accelerator
(MIBA), the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation (MEDC),
MEDC Defense Center and Macomb
County. The mission was in
cooperation with the State of Israel
Minister of Defense and SIBAT
International Defense Cooperation
(SIBAT).
The goal was to expand export
opportunities, meet with potential
buyers and promote Michigan’
s
leadership role in the defense sector.
The Right Place, a regional nonprofit
economic development organization,
based in Grand Rapids, also
participated.
“The recent trade mission to
Israel was extremely valuable in
establishing relationships with
potential partner companies in Israel
and also creating new Michigan
relationships,” said Jim Kendall,
president and CEO of Cignys in
Saginaw. “Two new connections
could quickly result in new business,
which, from a timing standpoint,
certainly exceeded my expectations
of the mission.”
Vicky Rad, deputy director of
Macomb County Planning and
Economic Development, said,
“There are vast opportunities for
Michigan to partner with Israeli
defense businesses. This trade
mission has helped us educate them
on the defense assets we have here
in Macomb County and throughout
our state.”
SIBAT wanted Michigan to be
the first state it hosted in Israel for
a defense mission, said Gotthelf,
director of innovation and external

relations and chair of Butzel
Long’
s Aerospace and Defense
Industry Team and a MIBA board
member. “The mission to Israel
just concluded with more business
opportunities for both Michigan and
Israel companies.”
According to Gene Sorgi,
president of Challenger
Communications LLC in Albion,
and Jill Reschke, Challenger’
s
director of sales and marketing, the
opportunity to meet with the right
people at the largest Israeli defense
companies to discuss providing
satellite antennas, support and
replacement parts is invaluable.
“The opportunity to travel to
Israel with the Michigan delegation
was a great opportunity for RAMI,”
said Robert Payne, general manager
of RAMI in Grand Haven. “The
ability to meet with leaders at
SIBAT and leading Israeli defense
companies will be invaluable as
RAMI looks to further expand
into the Israeli and international
markets.”
Meanwhile, Gotthelf said that
SIBAT has had trade missions
in the past, but only with other
countries. Her vision was for a
trade mission to Michigan. She
approached SIBAT, which, at first,
had no interest. Working with the
MEDC, the Defense Center and

Macomb County, she spent 18
months, including two visits to
Israel, convincing, then planning
and hosting the 2017 trade mission
to Michigan. At the time, Gotthelf
also served as the president of the
Michigan Israel Business Bridge
(MIBB) — now the Michigan Israel
Business Accelerator (MIBA).
The 2017 trade mission to
Michigan was successful in netting
business opportunities; it garnered
key attention to Michigan as a major
defense center.
“The Michigan Israel conference
was a success,” said Amira Ilany,
SIBAT European and North
American division director,
based in Tel Aviv. “Gotthelf’
s
initiative of this event, planning
all the details of the schedule and
executing it was all together a
whole new concept that needs to
be duplicated again. Exposure of
the Israeli defense companies to
professional end users in Michigan
and to defense companies as well
was an unprecedented event. Our
defense representatives from the
Israeli defense companies were very
pleased.”
Said Gotthelf: “There is more
opportunity than ever for Michigan
and Israel-based companies, from
mature organizations to start-ups, to
collaborate.” ■

Beth Gotthelf at this month’
s Michigan

defense industry trade mission to Israel

One stop among many in the five-day trade

mission to Israel

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Grant to Fund 2 Key
Mosaic Programs
M

osaic Youth Theatre of
Detroit has received a $1
million grant that will
fund two of their key programs —
the Summer Camp and the Mosaic
Experience Empowerment Program
(MEEP). The grant, to be distributed
over five years, is from the Seller-
Lehrer Family Foundation (SLFF).
Mosaic was founded 27 years ago
by Rick Sperling and is now led by
Executive Director Stefanie Worth
and Artistic Director DeLashea
Strawder. Mosaic provides summer
camp, in-school mentoring and
artistic opportunities for children.
“This incredibly generous grant
comes at an important inflection
point in Mosaic’
s long history,
” said
Rick Sperling. “We have demonstrat-
ed success in exposing the exciting
world of theater and music to Detroit’
s
youth. As we move onto an exciting
future with new leadership in 2019,
this grant ensures a smooth transition
and our continued ability to fully fund
our summer camp and the Mosaic
Experience Empowerment Program
in Detroit’
s middle schools.
”
SLFF was founded by Broadway
producer and Detroit native Jeffrey
Seller and his partner, Josh Lehrer, a
prominent photographer and doc-
umentarist. Its mission is to fund
dynamic educational, cultural and
environmental organizations and ini-
tiatives.
“Rick Sperling daily demonstrates
that theater changes lives. His work
with Mosaic has lifted and enriched
the lives of thousands of young people
and we are honored to help support
a strong future for this extraordinary
institution,
” said Jeffrey Seller, the
producer of the Tony Award-winning
musicals Hamilton, Rent and this sea-
son’
s The Cher Show, among others.
The $1 million grant includes funds
that will be set aside to establish an
endowment to support future pro-
grams. The annual funding will sup-
port up to 200 camp scholarships. ■

Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit teens