Youngstown delegation explores opportunities in Israel
Student internships, faculty exchanges, joint research, industry partnerships and business connections were among the opportunities that a delegation from Youngstown State University and the Youngstown Business Incubator explored during a seven-day trip to Israel that included visits to several universities and high tech companies.
“Israel and the entire Middle East offer tremendous opportunities for YSU and the greater Mahoning Valley to build relationships and establish partnerships to benefit our students and faculty as well as the Mahoning Valley community,” YSU President Jim Tressel said.
The trip, which also included YBI Chief Operating Officer Barb Ewing, was organized by the Youngstown Area Community Center and underwritten in part by the Thomases Family Foundation of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
“We got a firsthand and up-close look at Israel’s progress in additive manufacturing and 3D printing,” Ewing said. “We look forward to continuing discussions about how we can work together to strengthen advanced manufacturing in both regions.”
Brett Conner, YSU director of Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Initiatives and associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, said the trip was a great opportunity to introduce Israeli 3D printing companies to the advanced manufacturing ecosystem in the Mahoning Valley and North East Ohio.
“We hope that we provided these companies with the motivation to come to the United States and to launch their products in Northeast Ohio,” he said.
The visit is part of a larger effort by YSU to expand its international footprint and educational initiatives. YSU currently has 315 international students from more than 50 countries. Last fall, representatives from YSU visited China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, meeting with officials from 23 universities to discuss future academic collaborations.
Other members of the delegation to Israel were: YSU First Lady Ellen Tressel; Whitney Tressel, professional photographer; Dan Carnevale, YSU alumnus and branch manager/financial advisor, Stifel Financial Corp.; Andy Lipkin, executive vice president, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation; and Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, director of Community Relations/Government Affairs, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
The trip, Jan. 12 to 18, included a tour of Jerusalem and meetings with officials from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the director general of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The delegation also had meetings at five universities, including Hebrew University, Western Galilee College, Tel Aviv University, The Technion and Interdisciplinary Center. Meetings were also held with representatives from six companies, including Aviv Printing and Media Solutions, a 2D and 3D printing company; MASSIVit 3D, a company that makes printers to print super-sized objects at super-fast speeds; and Stratasys, a major original equipment manufacturer in additive manufacturing.
Discussions were also held with two Israeli seed fund/accelerator programs, including The Junction, a Tel Aviv seed fund that is associated with Barak Rabinowitz, a Youngstown native who is now Managing Partner of F2 Capital. Included in the conversation were options for creating a "landing pad" for Israeli companies who are looking to enter the U.S. market.
In addition, the delegation met with Greg Briscoe, senior commercial officer of the U.S. Commercial Service; Rick Schottenstein, former director of Ohio Trade Office in Israel; and Reuven Ben-Shalom, who served for 25 years in the Israel Defense Force and in various international relations positions, among them director of Israel-US military cooperation and director of the International Fellows Program at the Israel National Defense College.