WTC Utah Trade Mission Highlights Success of Utah Companies Doing Business in Israel
ISRAEL – Three Utah companies participating in the World Trade Center Utah trade mission to Israel are currently doing business with the country. GlobalSim, Intermountain Healthcare and PEEL Therapeutics shared their international business experiences with the Utah delegation.
“The purpose of this trade mission is to facilitate connections between Utah companies and Israel,” said Derek B. Miller, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah. “Expanding globally makes Utah companies more successful and grows Utah’s economy. GlobalSim, Intermountain Healthcare and PEEL Therapeutics are examples to other Utah companies of how beneficial global connections can be.”
The trade mission delegation, led by Gov. Herbert, visited the Ashdod Port in Israel on Wednesday, where GlobalSim’s premium simulator is used to train crane operators how to lift containers from a ship and move them to a truck or stack them on the ground. The crane operators move crates containing millions of dollars in products daily, so utilizing a simulator to train the operators helps mitigates risk and increases output.
Almost half of GlobalSim’s business is outside the United States. The simulators are used in more than a dozen countries on five continents. The Ashdod Port is Israel’s largest sea port and has been in operation since 1965. It is a major gateway for getting goods into and out of the country.
“The trade mission has been helpful in connecting GlobalSim with new potential opportunities in both Jordan and Israel,” said GlobalSim’s President Jonathan McCurdy. “It also provided an opportunity to network with other Utah based businesses. Sometimes you have to travel half way around the world to get to know your neighbors.”
Intermountain Healthcare and PEEL Therapeutics are two other Utah companies participating in the trade mission that currently do business with companies or people in Israel. Intermountain Healthcare also attended the trade mission to Israel in 2013.
Intermountain Healthcare Executive Vice President and CFO Bert Zimmerli stated, “During the 2013 Trade Mission two of my colleagues and I gained an appreciation for the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit existent in Israel and established a number of invaluable relationships. These relationships have been nurtured and have resulted in several established business relationships that we expect will ultimately result in improved healthcare for patients served by Intermountain Healthcare. Specifically, these relationships are with Zebra Medical and TriVentures. I fully expect that additional relationships established on this trip will bear similar results, including creating good new jobs in Utah.”
PEEL Therapeutics is a Utah-Israeli biotech startup that is developing a cancer-fighting drug utilizing research into the natural cancer fighting protein found in elephants. Dr. Joshua Schiffman from the University of Utah combined technologies with Dr. Avi Schroeder from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to co-found their startup to produce a drug that may play an important role in treating and preventing cancer in the future. PEEL is the Hebrew word for elephant.
While GlobalSim, Intermountain Healthcare and PEEL Therapeutics are building on existing connections during the trade mission, other Utah companies are meeting with potential customers for the first time in Israel. These companies will continue to build upon these relationships when they return to Utah to find opportunities to sell their products or services.
The trade mission to Israel, led by Gov. Herbert, is supported by World Trade Center Utah, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Zions Bank, U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
About World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah)
wtcutah.com
The mission of World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) is to help Utah companies think, act and succeed globally. WTC Utah accomplishes this mission through three key objectives. First is to motivate and educate Utah businesses to expand their global presence through training seminars, regional forums and newsletters focused on international business development, trade issues and export opportunities. Second is to build capacity of Utah businesses for international trade through B2B consultations to identify expansion goals, assess current capabilities, determine overseas opportunities and connect companies with market experts and potential partners. Third is to expand global network of Utah businesses through trade missions and networking with foreign trade officials.
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
business.utah.gov
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) charter is based on Gov. Gary R. Herbert’s commitment to statewide economic development. The state’s economic vision is that Utah will lead the nation as the best performing economy and be recognized as a premier global business environment and tourist destination. GOED provides extensive resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment statewide, as well as programs to increase tourism and film production for the benefit of Utah residents. All administered programs are based upon strategic industry clusters to develop a diverse, sustainable economy. GOED accomplishes its mission through unprecedented partnerships. For more information please contact: Aimee Edwards, (801) 538-8811 or edwards@utah.gov.
