Boosting the economies of Texas and Israel by connecting businesses to explore new market opportunities.

HOUSTON TX, SEPT. 14, 2011 — The 2^nd Annual Texas-Israel Cleanovation Conference in Houston was a resounding success.  The Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Government of Israel Economic Mission to the Southern Region hosted more than 150 participants, representing a wide array of Texas and U.S. companies and organizations, as well as government officials, along with 11 innovative Israeli clean energy companies.

This one-day innovative conference, hosted at the downtown Hotel ZaZa, focused on establishing relationships between Israeli and Texas companies through extensive networking, one-on-one meetings, and thought provoking presentations by local and international clean energy experts.   Some of the topics discussed were cross-border transactions, protecting critical infrastructure, smart grid deployment, water re-use experiences in Israel & Texas,and energy & water nexus.

Prominent participants from the corporate world such as Waste Management, Ernst & Young, IBM, and IDE interacted with the Israeli companies that attended, along with many Texas utility companies and government official, Barry Smitherman, Commissioner, Railroad Commission of Texas.

Attendees raved about the relevant topics and speakers, networking opportunities, and collaborative atmosphere in support of bringing Israeli and Texas companies together to further the global development of clean energy.  Roee Madai, Israel’s Economic Consul in the US South stated, “Texas and Israel are both leaders in clean technology. Cleanovation is a great opportunity for all companies involved to share and explore cutting-edge innovations in clean water and energy.” A returning Cleanovation attendee, Jonathan Shapiro, CEO of The Texas Institute said, “I found this year’s conference to be the most valuable conference I attended all year.  The combination of meet innovative Israeli company executives, and Texas business leaders allowed me to create new and important business connections, and be educated about cutting-edge new technologies. I’ll definitely be a sponsor next year!”

Major Sponsors included: Waste Management, McGuireWoods, IDE, Ernst & Young, CenterPoint Energy, and Get a Room.