The Israeli Economic Mission and the Alabama Social Media Association met to discuss building
ties between tech companies in Israel and Alabama. From left, Jennifer Rubin Raskas,
Stephanie Hutcheson, Jeff Vreeland, Harold Hershberg, Wade Kwon and Roee Madai.
By Wade Kwon
The Alabama Social Media Association is going worldwide.
Three ALsocme board members met with representatives of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor and the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the State of Israel on Wednesday. The 90-minute meeting covered plans to connect Israel’s tech and social media companies with their Birmingham counterparts.
Representing the Ministry of Industry were Roee Madai, Consul for Economic Affairs, and Jennifer Rubin Raskas, Trade and Investment Officer, both based in Houston. Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was Harold Hershberg, Director of Economic and Trade Affairs based in Atlanta. All three focus on the U.S. South.
Representing ALsocme were board members Jeff Vreeland and Wade Kwon, and executive director Stephanie Hutcheson.
The Israeli Economic Mission group had met with the Birmingham Business Alliance earlier in the day and took in lunch at John’s City Diner downtown. The afternoon meeting with ALsocme took place at Innovation Depot. The group had more meetings scheduled for today in Huntsville on its Southeastern itinerary.
Among the discussion topics were Birmingham and Alabama’s advantages in fostering technology startups, Israel’s growing tech sector and steps toward building a working relationship to develop projects, partnerships and economic development for both the United States and Israel.
Wade Kwon is a co-founding board member of the Alabama Social Media Association.
