About AICC

The American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region was established in 1992 as a private, not-for-profit and non-governmental business organisation, created to boost the Israeli and Southeastern economies by helping their companies develop business relationships with each other and explore new market opportunities.

Scope and Reach

The Chamber was headquartered in Atlanta and served companies from Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Israel. With over 500 members at its peak, it had earned a reputation as one of the most successful and effective bi-national business organisations in the United States — delivering value to Israeli companies seeking US market entry, to American companies wanting entry into Israel and access to its technologies, and to members simply looking for a serious network in which to promote their products or services.

The strength of AICC was the expertise and networking connections of a large and active membership. Since its founding the Chamber reported involvement in completed transactions valued at over one billion dollars, contributing to the economies of both Israel and the Southeastern United States. Its region became one of the top five centres of activity for Israeli companies in North America, and many of the major corporations in Atlanta and other Southeastern cities developed significant business relationships with Israeli companies.

How the Work Actually Got Done

What distinguished AICC from a purely staffed trade office was that the substantive work ran through members rather than around them. Members volunteered their time on screening teams that evaluated the needs of Israeli companies, provided essential market feedback, and recommended methods of assistance — opening doors to potential partners, customers or investors.

This mattered in both directions. An Israeli company arriving with a product and a plan received an honest read from people who actually bought, sold or financed in that sector in that region, rather than a generic welcome. And the American members doing the reading got early sight of technology that had not yet reached their market. The committee system was the formal container for that exchange.

Programmes and Services

Around the screening work sat a programme of educational sessions, networking events and business exchanges, designed to stimulate interest among American companies in doing business with Israel, to offer practical "how to" information, and to create structured opportunities for business to be explored between American and Israeli companies. The Chamber also organised general, industry-specific and corporate business missions to Israel.

For Israeli companies not yet ready to commit to a full US office, the Chamber operated a Virtual Office programme, which provided an American image and presence at low cost and with high visibility. The two service tracks are described in detail on services to Israeli companies and services to American companies.

Structure and Governance

AICC was a membership organisation governed by a volunteer board of directors drawn from its own membership, with an executive committee, officers including a chairman, chairman-elect, vice-chairmen, a secretary and a treasurer, and a small professional staff led by a president. It also maintained an Israeli advisory board providing perspective from the other end of the relationship. The governance page describes that structure as the archive recorded it.

Position in the Wider Network

AICC was one of a set of regional America-Israel chambers operating across the United States, each covering its own territory and each independent. Its counterparts in the institutional landscape included state economic development agencies, industry bodies such as technology trade associations, and the binational research and development funds — most prominently the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, which has funded joint US-Israeli industrial R&D projects since 1977 and whose calls for proposals were a recurring item in the Chamber's news.

What Became of It

The Chamber later rebranded as Conexx: America Israel Business Connector, and continued under that name from its Atlanta base. In late 2024 Conexx announced that it would disband its board of directors and suspend membership activities. Its domains no longer operate as an active organisation site. This archive therefore describes the Chamber in the past tense throughout, and offers no membership, application, directory or contact service.

For the measured record of what the organisation achieved, see its track record of effectiveness.