Join the MIDC on June 12th for its 30th Celebration and Barry Bogage’s retirement. Go to https://midc30th.eventbrite.com.
United Airlines resumes non-stop service DC to Tel-Aviv
United Airlines has resumed its three times a week nonstop flights between Washington Dulles International Airport and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport starting March 27 (IAD to TLV) and March 29 (TLV to IAD). United is the first U.S. carrier to operate between Washington, D.C. and Tel Aviv and offers more nonstop service between the U.S. and Israel than any other U.S. airline. United’s Dulles route is one of four U.S. gateways to Israel (San Francisco, Chicago and New York/Newark). The resumption of United Airlines flights will open many more opportunities for both Maryland and Israel to continue to build strong relationships while growing business and expanding tourism.
You may book a flight at united.com.
2022 MIDC members are eligible to win tickets to Israel!
United Airlines is donating two round trip tickets to Israel. All 2022 MIDC members will automatically get a chance to win. The higher the membership level, the greater number of chances to win one of the two free nonstop tickets to Israel. The tickets will be drawn at the 30th Anniversary Celebration (winner need not be present), on June 12 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Members will be eligible to win as follows:
• Individual ($300) 1 ticket to June 12th; 1 chance to win ticket to Israel
• Business ($1,000) 3 tickets to June 12th; 3 chances to win ticket to Israel
• Preferred Provider ($3,000) 6 tickets to June 12th; 6 chances to win ticket to Israel
• Silver ($5,000) 8 tickets to attend June 12th; 8 chances to win ticket to Israel
• Gold ($10,000) 12 tickets to June 12th; 12 chances to win ticket to Israel
Deadline to join: Please note that you must join MIDC by May 1 if you want your name and complimentary ad to be included in the 30th Anniversary Program Book.
To be eligible for the drawing for the tickets to Israel, membership is due by June 1st.
Join today.
Learn more about the 30th Anniversary Celebration.
For more information contact, NBoguslaw@MarylandIsrael.org.
OUR MISSION
Established in 1992, as a nonprofit “public-private partnership” of the Maryland Department of Commerce, Israel’s Ministry of Economy and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the MIDC promotes bi-lateral trade and economic development between Maryland and Israel.
Israel Agrees to Purchase New COVID-19 Vaccine from Maryland-based Novavax
February 2022
Continuing its robust effort to keep its citizens safe from Covid-19, Israel recently entered into an advance purchase agreement with Novavax Inc., a Maryland-based biotechnology company, to acquire 5 million doses of their new Covid-19 vaccine with an option to double that amount.
Brian Rosen, Novavax’s Senior Vice President, Global Market Access, Alliances, & Government Affairs, said, “Within 4-5 months of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were talking with Israel about providing our new vaccine.”
“We had already been working on NVX-CoV2373, which is based on our recombinant protein nanoparticle platform formulated with an adjuvant derived from the bark of a tree native to Chile,” Mr. Rosen added. “The company was ready when Covid-19 hit. Our technology platform had already proven immunogenic against earlier coronaviruses, including MERS and SARS. So, when Covid-19 appeared, we had the gene produced within a few weeks and began working on the new vaccine construct immediately.”
Novavax applied for FDA Emergency Use Authorization in January and will need to get regulatory approval from Israeli authorities as well. The company hopes to receive both as soon as possible so it can rapidly deliver its vaccine.
By May of 2020, Novavax had already received $400 million from CEPI, the Norwegian nonprofit that works to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases. Subsequently, it was awarded up to $1.6 billion (which has grown to $1.8 billion) from the American government’s “Operation Warp Speed” vaccine development program.
Novavax only had 130 employees when Covid-19 erupted. The company has since scaled up to over 1,500 people and is still growing. It has entered into several international partnerships to manufacture the vaccine with the goal of producing around 2 billion doses per year.
Novavax President and CEO Stanley C. Erck said, “Israel has been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 and has demonstrated strong leadership throughout the pandemic. We thank the Israeli Ministry of Health for their commitment to providing a protein-based Covid-19 vaccine option, based on well-understood technology, to the people of Israel.”
The Maryland/Israel Development Center has met with Novavax to promote collaboration with Israel.
TikTalk: Update on Israeli Company now in Maryland
March 2022
TikTalk participated in the MarketReach America program, which MIDC led in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Baltimore, Maryland.The program greatly assisted with connecting TikTalk to leading mentors in different fields, who generously shared comprehensive and significant knowledge about the U.S. markets.
In addition, the organizers assisted TikTalk with meeting potential customers in various market segments and examined the need and fit of its solution to the U.S. market.
Being selected for the program in 2019 enabled the company to build the necessary infrastructure, hire a MD based head of US business and begin operations in the U.S.; all despite the Covid-19 pandemic that took TikTalk by surprise in early 2020.
Tiktalk launched its product at the ASHA Convention held in Washington DC in November 2021 and is currently expanding its operations to other states beyond Maryland and Ohio, where it has been active for the past two years.
Along the way, we found MIDC generally, and Barry Bogage in particular, to be valuable partners who have been ready to assist at anytime. To learn more about TikTalk’s innovative speech therapies go to their website.
Maryland Department of Commerce on: Maryland and Israel team up to foster economic development
February 14, 2022 by Amanda Winters
For the past 30 years, the Maryland/Israel Development Center (MIDC) has promoted bi-lateral trade and collaboration between the state and the Middle Eastern country. With a new executive director this year, the nonprofit is working hard to strengthen the partnership between the regions, while touting the benefits of doing business in Maryland.
MIDC – which is a public-private partnership between the Maryland Department of Commerce and Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Trade – has helped several international businesses successfully open offices in Maryland in recent years, including RADA Technologies, AmplioSpeech, and ELTA.
We sat down with the newly named director, David Speer, to discuss his new role and the organization’s impact on economic development throughout Maryland.
As MIDC’s new executive director, what are you looking forward to most?
I am looking forward to continuing to grow and strengthen the economic bonds between my two favorite places – Israel and Maryland. Also, this role varies so much each day – whether it’s meeting with Israeli or Maryland companies, working with the State of Maryland, or getting the word out about the MIDC – and I’m already enjoying how different each day can be.
We have seen the state lead several trade missions to Israel over the years. How do these trips benefit the state and its businesses?
The primary goal of these missions is to foster connections between business leaders. Perhaps the most important part of this is to entice Israeli companies to open an office, lab, or workplace in Maryland. The missions enable Israelis to see how Maryland’s business community is thriving and how important growth is here in our state. In turn, Israeli businesses will naturally want to work with Maryland businesses, leading to economic growth.
Similarly, how do these missions benefit companies located in Israel?
‘Showing off’ Maryland’s incredible human capital, business infrastructure, and its expanding innovative business culture is key to attracting Israeli businesses to Maryland as their gateway into the vast US market. In particular, our state is a world leader in a variety of fields and the ecosystem of the private sector, academia and local and federal government entities is an important factor in foreign businesses opening in Maryland.
What do Maryland and Israel have in common?
Other than the obvious culture of innovation and commitment to economic development, both places have parallel strengths in a wide variety of businesses such as medical technologies and biotech, cybersecurity and defense, and the emerging industries of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.
What is one thing you want people to know about MIDC’s role in supporting economic development throughout Maryland?
The Maryland/Israel Development Center is a one-stop shop for all business and trade for both places. Through our leadership, staff and vast network the MIDC provides an instant infrastructure to make connections across all business in the private sector. Managing these connections is the primary role of the MIDC and enables our organization to be ready to help with any issue or overcome any obstacle.
By Amanda Winters, Communications Manager, Maryland Department of Commerce
David Speer, MIDC’s new Executive Director, on future directions
March 2022
The Maryland/Israel Development Center (MIDC) is unique – not only in terms of our function, funding model and network – but in terms of our history. We have 30 years of incredible successes and the benefit of having one outstanding lead professional the entire time as well as a strong and involved Board of Directors and leadership across various communities. To demonstrate that, currently there are over 25 Israeli companies with a presence in Maryland – whether that means an office, lab space, facility or manufacturing space. While my tenure as Executive Director of the MIDC will certainly be different for the organization, I am honored to be building on our past achievements and looking towards the future to continue to grow and to fulfill our mission.
I have been on a listening tour over the last three months since I began as Executive Director in November 2020 – meeting individually with our Board members, my colleagues at The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, the Maryland Department of Commerce, Israeli companies with a presence in Maryland, established Maryland companies, key community leaders, municipal economic development agencies and our network in Israel. There are several themes I have noticed during my listening tour.
First, the MIDC is well-respected across all our different constituencies, and we have a well-established track record. In addition, Maryland has always had strong, historical connections to Israel and supporting Israeli businesses in our state is one of the best and most apolitical ways to support Israel. At the center of this support is The Associated, which has fostered meaningful connections to Israel. As Israel grows from just being the “start-up nation” to a highly-sophisticated and sought-after business leader, we are witnessing an unprecedented export of Israeli technology and resources. Israeli technology is omnipresent all over the world across numerous sectors and especially in the U.S. where there is a strong desire to cultivate business relationships across the Atlantic. And finally, Maryland’s business landscape provides opportunities for innovation, a solid support system both in the public and private sectors and a community that cares deeply about our state and the Department of Commerce is at the center of creating this landscape.
There are, of course, opportunities that exist both inside and outside of our historical record. While we will certainly continue to operate under the same mission that informs our past success, I am excited and proud to announce my vision for the MIDC, which is broken into three different buckets – building our brand and spreading awareness, growing and strengthening our volunteer network and executing one or many ambitious and large-scale projects (e.g. “big ideas”).
Building our brand and spreading awareness
The MIDC is well-known in many different communities, but one of my goals, along with our Board and staff, is to ensure that anyone who cares about Israel knows who we are and that we aim to position Israel at the forefront of innovation. This includes solidifying a social media and outreach strategy, as well as growing our presence in Baltimore, the DC area and across Maryland. There is no project that is too far-fetched or out-of-the-box for our state – we have so much to offer Israeli companies, and not just the usual sectors that makes Maryland so well-known. In fact, Maryland recently welcomed three Israeli agritech businesses and I want to continue to grow the idea that an Israeli business in any sector or vertical can thrive here.
Volunteerism
Coming from the nonprofit, resource development field, I know how important volunteers are to fulfilling the mission of an organization. The MIDC already has a vast network of volunteers who are ready to devote their time and energy and I want to codify, organize and energize this network. Whether that is through working groups who can serve as our ‘go-to’ group for specifical sectors or focusing on diversifying our Board in all ways, I am confident that our committed volunteer base will continue to grow and thrive.
“Big ideas”
One of the benefits of being the new lead professional of a successful organization is having the opportunity to develop ideas that require special care, time and resources. During my listening tour, I have identified a few large-scale projects that will further our mission, with a focus on attracting Israeli businesses to Maryland. These include, but are not limited to, instituting our accelerator program on a regular basis, setting up an incubator in Maryland for Israeli startups, putting together a network of investors in Maryland that have interests in Israel and looking for unique partnerships for programs and networking opportunities. I have been learning from other similar organizations in different states and we all function differently. While a successful program in Boston or Silicon Valley might not work here, I have a lot to learn from my colleagues. Over the next several months, I am looking forward to working with our staff and leadership on identifying one or more of these big ideas and calculating our strategy.
On a personal level, I am incredibly grateful to the MIDC Board who has entrusted me with the responsibility of leading our organization on the professional level. I am a lifelong Marylander who cares deeply about Israel as well as helping the Maryland economy grow through jobs created by Israeli companies. In many ways, I feel like I have been preparing my whole life for this role without knowing it. I look forward to meeting everyone in the MIDC community, if I haven’t already. In the meanwhile, please reach out to me if you have any ideas or thoughts about my vision or the MIDC in general at dspeer@marylandisrael.org.
Read the Maryland Department of Commerce recent interview with David Speer>>>.
Announcing David K. Speer as Maryland/Israel Development Center’s next Executive Director
The Maryland/Israel Development Center Board of Directors and its Search Committee are delighted to announce the appointment of David K. Speer as its new Executive Director, David will succeed Barry Bogage, who is retiring in 2022 after 30 years in this position.
David will be responsible for outreach to Israeli companies about business opportunities in Maryland, organizing trade missions to Israel and hosting Israeli business delegations the state. He will officially take over on November 15, 2021, and work with Barry and the Board of Directors to assure a smooth transition.
“We are very impressed with David: his character, leadership in the nonprofit sector, support for Israel and involvement in the Jewish community in Maryland. His vast experience in international partnership building and in-depth understanding of the technological, medical and science fields are critical to the MIDC mission as we move forward. All of the above will make a successful and smooth transition after Barry’s outstanding tenure guiding and expanding the MIDC,” said David Kuntz, Chair, MIDC Search Committee.
The Committee made this selection based on David’s extensive experience and professional achievements. He has been the Regional Director of the Baltimore/Washington Region for the Americans for Ben Gurion University since 2012 and recently added the Director of Intelligence and Analytics to his extensive portfolio.
David also served as a Board observer at Pearlstone. He is presently a Board member at the Bolton Street Synagogue and has been Jewish educator at the synagogue for the past 11 years. He also participated in The Associated’s Young Leadership Council and on the Israel and Overseas Impact Committee.
David holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Baltimore, Merrick School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont, Rubinstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (May 2009). David and his wife Diana reside in Baltimore. “We are confident that David’s wide-ranging experience will help the MIDC continue as a high-integrity and effective organization promoting business and economic development throughout the State of Maryland and in Israel,” said Alvin Katz, Chair, MIDC
Rekor Systems $61 million acquisition of Israeli tech firm
Columbia, Maryland based Rekor Systems will pay $61 million in cash and stock to acquire Waycare Technologies, which specializes in using data and analytics to improve road safety and prevent fatalities due to traffic accidents. Read more>>>https://nocamels.com/2021/08/rekor-acquire-israel-ai-mobility-waycare/
AmplioSpeech, Israeli company in Rockville, Maryland, raises $27 million for Special Education Platform
Amplio’s digital platform connects students, educators, therapists and administrators with advanced technologies to help students with special needs maximize their potential. Amplio utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to improve outcomes. Read more about Amplio’s expansion at https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3903092,00.html
The MIDC thanks HPM Law Firm and Gail Javitt, Silver Sponsors
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara PC (“HPM”) is a proud sponsor of the Maryland/ Israel Development Center. HPM is a 30+ attorney law firm located in Washington DC dedicated to FDA law. The firm not only provides counsel to businesses throughout the supply chain, but assists their management, scientists, marketers and compliance teams with issues involving many government agencies in addition to the FDA.
From legal challenges based on science, to marketing, to controlled substances regulation, HPM’s legal team stays with the client’s product through every challenge. Indeed, no legal team handles a broader range of food, drug and medical device issues.
“We thank Gail Javitt for her outstanding Board leadership, support and commitment to the MIDC. We appreciate the Membership Sponsorship by Gail and HPM and are looking forward to Gail moderating “The Abraham Peace Accords: One Year Later webinar in November”, said Alvin Katz, Chair, MIDC.
Gail Javitt joined HPM in January 2020 and provides strategic regulatory advice for both well-established and early-stage medical device and diagnostics companies throughout the product life cycle. She also has significant experience advising clinical laboratories on FDA and CLIA requirements for laboratory developed tests.
In addition, Ms. Javitt has published and spoken widely on issues at the intersection of law and science, including FDA regulation of genetic testing, precision medicine, and next-generation sequencing. Her academic experience has included serving as a faculty member at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University and as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, American University’s Washington College of Law, and the University of Maryland School of Law. She was previously a Greenwall Fellow in Bioethics and Health Policy, a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.
Ms. Javitt has counseled a number of Israeli medical device companies navigate the FDA regulatory environment and understands the needs and challenges facing start-ups. As a resident of Maryland for more than 25 years and with close ties to the state of Israel, she was delighted to join the board of MIDC in 2020, and to have the opportunity to help support MIDC’s mission of promoting bi-lateral trade and economic development. Last year, Ms. Javitt moderated an MIDC Business Survival Strategy webinar geared to Israeli companies on “How to Stay in Touch with Your Customers During the Coronavirus Pandemic?” Gail will be moderating MIDC’s Abraham Peace Accords One Year Later webinar this November and is also serving on MIDC’s 30th Anniversary Committee.
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