Local News
March 21, 2008
O’Malley Heading To Israel
Gov. O’Malley heads to Israel soon for a high-powered trip.
Barbara Pash
Associate Editor
Gov. Martin O’Malley is going to Israel from May 26 to June 1 to coincide with the annual Israeli Biomedical Conference, one of the premier international events in that field. He also will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Israel’s foreign and trade ministers.
“The governor is very much looking forward to returning to Israel, visiting with the prime minister, and doing all he can to bring the biotech community and Israel together,” said Rick Abbruzzese, Mr. O’Malley’s spokesman, refering to his vist three years ago as Baltimore City mayor.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase Maryland. There are some 30 Israeli companies — high-tech and life sciences — that have offices in Maryland. He would like to increase that number, and possibly help the existing companies to expand.”
Barry Bogage, executive director of the Maryland/Israel Development Center, which works in partnership with the state Department of Business and Economic Development, is responsible for the itinerary. The Baltimore Jewish Council is in charge of travel arrangements.
Mr. Bogage, a past attendee at several of the biomedical conferences, said last year 5,000 people from 40 countries participated. Attendees come from across the bioscience spectrum, including medical technology, drug development and testing, and monitoring equipment.
Mr. O’Malley has been invited to give a presentation and to meet personally with biotech company executives interested in entering the U.S. market, according to Mr. Bogage. “With all that’s going on in Maryland, it’s a natural industry for the state,” he said.
Mr. O’Malley also is scheduled to meet with executives of Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest developer of generic drugs and Israel’s top medical company. Last January, the $8 billion Teva acquired CoGenesys, a Rockville-based leader in biotech research, for $400 million.
“We’ve been courting them for years,” Mr. Bogage said of Teva’s entry into Maryland. “The governor doesn’t want them moving the jobs [out of state]. He wants them to grow the company here.”
Just the fact that Teva is in the state is encouraging, Mr. Bogage added. “It says, ‘Maryland is a great place to be.’ The hope is that other Israeli companies will look into Maryland.”
While invited back to Israel since his last trip three years ago, Mr. O’Malley’s return came to fruition after the governor addressed Market Reach America, a group of Israeli biotech company executives in Baltimore for Maryland/Israel Development Center-sponsored workshops last summer.
“He met them, heard about the conference and said he’d be interested in going,” said Mr. Bogage.
About 20 people will accompany Mr. O’Malley, including the state’s head of international trade and of biotechnology development, Jewish communal leaders from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., private investors, local company executives, lawyers who specialize in biotech, and even an insurance executive whose expertise is clinical trials. The state is paying for the state officials, but not for the other travelers.
Mr. O’Malley’s time will be split between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A dinner will be given in Mr. O’Malley’s honor at the U.S. ambassador to Israel’s residence and the governor will host a breakfast meeting with 75 Israeli business leaders, “people we’ve been courting” to come to Maryland, Mr. Bogage said.
Mr. O’Malley also will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem, Israel’s main Holocaust memorial museum. At his request, Mr. O’Malley also will travel to Masada. “He wanted to go there,” said Mr. Bogage.
Good Timing
The Baltimore Jewish Council’s annual mission to Israel of state and community leaders — including Del. Michael E. Busch (D-30th), speaker of the House of Delegates — will coincide with Mr. O’Malley’s trip, so a combined Shabbat dinner is scheduled.