Conexx is a non-profit that covers an additional seven southeast states – North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee – and helps foster their relationship with Israel. The organization, which grew out of a project in the Jewish Federation in 1991, carries an overall mission to strengthen the safety, security, and longevity of Israel by helping Israeli businesses expand in the region, as well as facilitating partnerships and connections between both parties.
“We developed a deep history in helping U.S. businesses access Israeli technology and innovation,” explained Conexx Chairman of the Board, Randall Foster. “We have done that from very specialized trips and organized meetings for executives here whether it be Coca-Cola, UPS, or general southern companies, and bringing those entities from a familiarity standpoint physically to Israel to meet companies, technologies, and innovations.”
Conexx helps Israeli companies in the region by acting as somewhat of a match-maker between them and the local talent they may need upon arrival, such as lawyers, accountants, talent, or real estate. With headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization is located among its largest Jewish population in the region (roughly 200,000) and what Foster argues is “the nation’s hub” for those looking to do business in the U.S.
“The economic power of Atlanta in particular with headquarters for UPS, Home Depot, State Farm, or CNN, is phenomenal,” he continued. “It is also an attractive place to work and to find talent for Israelis… Atlanta is a great proxy, an example for the whole of the U.S.”
Foster argues that New York and California – traditional initial access points for Israelis looking west – are not decent representations of the U.S. since most of the country is vastly different from those two coasts. “The other 300 million of us, we are not like those places… you’re going to be much more applicable to the rest of the world if you’re in Atlanta, Dallas, or Minneapolis. The midwest and southeast are just frankly a better representation.”
Atlanta serves as the central headquarters for Conexx mainly due to its proximity to transportation hubs that can help facilitate business with the rest of the country, as well as being the primary home to most of the region’s Jews and Israelis. A two-hour flight from Atlanta airport – the largest in the world – can get you to 80% of American cities, and the Atlanta Metro area alone is home to roughly 6 million people. “Israelis still don’t understand how significant a place Atlanta plays in the business world,” Foster added. “The joke is that you have to connect through Atlanta to get to heaven.”
The challenge of fostering relationships between Israel and the cluster of southeastern states is twofold: the first is getting Israelis familiar with the region, and the second is getting businesses in the U.S. familiar with all the economic and innovation opportunities Israel can offer – something only made harder by the negative attention it receives from some news outlets on an ongoing basis.
“If you’re the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, your knowledge of Israel mostly comes from CNN, which is terribly incorrect and not the full picture,” he said about the news station which has its headquarters in the city. “You don’t get the full picture and you get misinformation. We have the ability to really properly orient those kinds of executives because it’s in the vein of business. This is what Israel is really about: the innovation, technology, and the capabilities.”
As well as welcoming Israelis to the region, Conexx also organizes trips for American executives to visit Tel Aviv and first-hand witness some of the local achievements that aren’t celebrated by some American news outlets that may focus only on international disputes or the country’s ongoing local challenges with the proposed judicial reforms. “The enlightenment is evident. It’s incredible.”
Those who are looking overseas to expand their businesses in the United States would benefit from looking at the southeastern region as an alternative to the high cost and high regulations of the coastal states. Moving to the center of the country can expose Israelis to places outside of New York, which Randall describes as “an exciting place to visit but a terrible place to live.”
“There are constant Israelis moving to Atlanta, there is a strong community here,” he concluded. “They’re bringing others because it’s a great place to raise a family and start a business, there’s a strong entrepreneurial community and educational focus here… The secret is out, so to speak.”
