Archives for February 2020

The Maryland/Israel Development Center (MIDC) proudly announces its involvement and assistance in helping Maryland manufacturers identify new business opportunities from Israeli companies valued in the millions of dollars. The MIDC continues to create an “instant infrastructure” of businesses in Maryland and Israel to work together.

The companies include Zentech Manufacturing of Baltimore, providers of electronic manufacturing services, Control Cable, also in Baltimore, which manufactures cable assemblies and wire harnesses, and DWE Plastics in Belcamp, MD, which offers plastic injection molding services. 

With recent changes in the $3.8 billion of American financial aid to Israel, which requires that those funds be spent in the U.S., Maryland has become an attractive location for Israeli defense, homeland and cybersecurity companies to find partners and open a U.S. operation. 

RADA Technologies, LLC (RADA USA), recently celebrated the opening of its U.S. headquarters that features a state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing operation producing advanced electronics for the defense and aerospace industry. The new facility has full manufacturing capabilities for RADA USA’s active electronically scanned array (AESA) tactical radars.

RADA Technologies, LLC’s ribbon cutting ceremony in Germantown, Maryland was attended by Benjamin Krasna, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Israel and prominent Marylanders including presentations by Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford; Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich; Maryland Deputy Secretary of Commerce Ben Wu; Jeff Samuels, representing U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen; Andrew Donlon, representing Congressman David Trone representatives from the Germantown and Gaithersburg Chambers of Commerce. Bill Watson, CEO of RADA Technologies, LLC (RADA USA) and Dov “Dubi” Sella, CEO of RADA Electronics, LTD in Israel echoed RADA USA’s commitment to creating hi-tech jobs in Maryland. Barry Bogage, Executive Director of the MIDC, emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony.

RADA Technologies, LLC is the American subsidiary of Israel-based RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. After a founding period in Silver Spring, MD., the company decided to stay in Montgomery County, expand and implement its growth plans in Germantown. The Company plans to add 80 full-time employees by the end of 2023. RADA will invest close to $4 million into this expansion project.

Montgomery County is participating in this economic development project with a $50,000 Economic Development Fund conditional grant. The State of Maryland is providing a $300,000 Advantage Maryland (formerly MEDAAF) conditional loan, plus an expected $450,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits over the life of the project.

Welcome to Maryland! For more information go to RADA Technologies, LLC.

To read the State of Maryland’s press release, click here>>>

Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford led a trade mission to Israel arranged by the Maryland/Israel Development Center. The Lt. Governor spoke at the Cybertech Conference, Israel’s premier event for Israeli and international cybersecurity companies. Over 18,000 attended.

The Maryland/Israel Development Center coordinated the trade mission and has been responsible for travel to Israel by every Governor since its founding in 1992.  Maryland cybersecurity companies and other business and civic leader traveling with 2020 Trade Mission delegation were: Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, State of Maryland; Barry Bogage, Executive Director, Maryland/Israel Development Center; Paul Beatty, Maryland Department of Commerce; Lew Berman, ICF International; Brian Castleberry, Maryland Department of Commerce; Cory Dennis, State of Maryland; Courtney Highsmith, State of Maryland; Yehuda Neuberger; Abba Poliakoff, Gordon Feinblatt; Matt Pugh, Pugh & Tiller PR; Avi Rosenzweig, Maryland/Israel Development Center, Philip Rous, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Bruce Spector, Baltimore Cyber Range; Michael Spector, Baltimore Cyber Range; Jay Steinmetz, Barcoding Ltd. and David Wilson, Morgan State University.

In addition to speaking at Cybertech, the Lt. Governor met with Israeli companies with offices and employees in Maryland such as RADA Electronics which just opened a new manufacturing facility in Germantown in December 2019 and Sinai Hospital’s Israeli operations center. He also met with new companies to attract to Maryland. The Lt. Governor also received briefings from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel Foreign Trade Administration, and toured Yad V’Shem, the Israel national Holocaust memorial and museum, as well as historic cities in Jerusalem.

Delegation members including Bruce Spector from Baltimore Cyber Range and Jay Steinmetz from Barcoding Inc. conducted their own business meetings with Israeli companies to pursue new business opportunities, while David Wilson from Morgan State University and Philip Rous from UMBC met Israel academic institutions to discuss research collaboration and student and faculty exchanges.

Read the Jerusalem Post article about the Lt. Governor’s Trade Mission.

Read the Lt. Governor’s press release on CyberIsrael Conference.

Photos from the  Lt. Governor’s visit to Israel Cultural Sites as well as photos from the Cybertech Israel Conference.