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Akron and Israel Deal Brings Israeli Advanced Waste Water Project to Akron

A new initiative between the City of Akron and the State of Israel will further develop Akron’s position as a leader in the global water industry. The City of Akron will be the exclusive North American government partner and location for Israel’s effort to bring cutting edge water technologies to the U.S. marketplace through an “Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project.” The Israeli governmental, academia, and private enterprises that have united in this effort include:

  • Mekorot (Israel’s national water company)
  • Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Israel’s leading academic research Institution)
  • Israel Export Institute (Israel’s export promotion organization)
  • 5 Israeli companies selected and approved by an executive committee of the Partners

 “We are being entrusted with an exclusive platform and pipeline for Israeli companies to demonstrate innovative technologies and new solutions for water treatment worldwide.This project will bring cutting-edge water technologies to the U.S. market and will create new jobs through business attraction," Mayor Don Plusquellic announced. "The Advanced Waste Water Demonstration Project will help create an exclusive platform and pipeline for Israeli companies to bring new technologies and solutions for water treatment to others worldwide."

“We chose Akron because of its water industry experience, its successful business activities, its collaborative and cooperative spirit with Israel, and for the establishment of the Akron Global Water Alliance (AGWA) whose purpose is to promote innovation, knowledge sharing, and commercialization of water technologies,” stated Moshe Kelner, CEO of Advanced Memtech, one of the Israeli companies leading the Project.

Mayor Plusquellic also mentioned Akron’s past experience with projects in Israel including: being the first US City to partner with an Israeli municipal utility in Netanya Israel to develop and commercialize new water technology solutions; creating a partnership with Mekorot, to promote bi-lateral cooperation and innovation; and including the Israeli water company delegation in the Akron Global Water Alliance Launch Event last October.

“These activities have positioned Akron to be the ideal partner for this project,” noted Mayor Plusquellic.  “This Project will benefit municipal water utilities nationwide and the Industry at-large. As the centralized North American location to carry out demonstration activities, we will be able to help companies commercialize solutions more efficiently and access the US market.”

Mayor Plusquellic has also been a frequent speaker at WaTech, one of the largest international water conferences in the world held bi-annually in Tel Aviv speaking on topics such as innovation, smart cities and international cooperation between U.S. cities and Israel.