Most state–Israel economic stories begin in the last five years. The Georgia–Israel story begins in 1992. The Georgia Department of Economic Development opened its formal Israel office in 1994. The Conexx business alliance ran for 33 years. Atlanta has been a top-five U.S. center for Israeli company activity for nearly two decades. And in 2025, Atlanta's Zalik Foundation incubated the Georgia Israel Business Alliance to carry that work into the next generation.
Three layers define the Georgia–Israel economic relationship: a defense and intelligence corridor anchored by Robins Air Force Base and a generation of Atlanta-based contractors; a corporate gateway built around Coca-Cola, Southern Company, and Delta; and an institutional infrastructure that compounded across 30 years of trade missions, MoUs, and consulate-led economic activity.
The Anchors
Georgia's Israeli economic story rests on three categories of anchor: defense contractors, established corporate operations, and the institutional bridge between the two economies.
Defense and Intelligence Cluster
Northrop Grumman Support Services in Warner Robins anchors Georgia's defense and intelligence relationship with Israel. The former GE Intelligent Platforms business, historically based in Charlottesville with a substantial Atlanta presence, was acquired by Emerson Electric in 2019 and now operates inside Emerson's automation portfolio. Georgia firms have received approximately $615 million in U.S. Foreign Military Financing since 1996 for contracts supplying the Israeli Defense Forces.
ZOLL Medical / Itamar Medical Legacy
Itamar Medical, the Israeli sleep apnea diagnostics company that relocated its U.S. headquarters from Boston to Atlanta in 2016, was acquired by ZOLL Medical Corporation in December 2021 for approximately $538 million. Itamar's principal R&D operations remain in Caesarea, Israel, and the Atlanta footprint remains a reference case for Israeli medical device companies evaluating the Southeast.
Southern Company R&D Partnership
In 2018, Southern Company signed an MoU with the Israel Innovation Authority establishing a joint R&D funding program covering vehicle automation, advanced materials, sustainable energy, public safety, smart homes, and distributed energy. Year-one contribution was $1 million, matched by the Israel Innovation Authority.
Coca-Cola's Bridge Program
Atlanta-headquartered Coca-Cola operated The Bridge startup accelerator from Tel Aviv, with a sister BridgeCommunity program in Atlanta. It remains one of the most consistent corporate gateways for Israeli technology into the Atlanta enterprise ecosystem.
The Institutional Backbone
Georgia–Israel is one of the most institutionally developed state–Israel relationships in America. The infrastructure has compounded across more than 30 years.
- Georgia Department of Economic Development — Israel Office (1994): One of the longest-running U.S. state economic-development offices in Israel, predating most peer states by a decade or more. Currently led by Sima Amir.
- Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast (Atlanta): Israel's primary government-to-government channel for the southeastern United States.
- Conexx (1992–2025): Originally the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Division. Operated for 33 years. Involved in $1 billion-plus of completed transactions. Worked with 140+ Israeli companies and led Israeli trade missions for three decades before voting to wind down in late 2024.
- Georgia Israel Business Alliance (2025): Institutional successor to Conexx. Incubated by Atlanta's Zalik Foundation. Better-resourced and more strategically focused, with a program calendar across defense, energy, cyber, and innovation.
- Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority MoU (2018): Active joint R&D framework with matching government-industry funding.
I want to thank Delta for resuming nonstop service between Atlanta and Tel Aviv, providing a direct connection between the State of Georgia and one of our strongest allies. This flight is important to so many in our state, further strengthening the cultural and economic ties between Georgia and Israel.
Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, October 2025Why Georgia, Why Now
Five structural factors are driving the renewal of Israeli economic activity in Georgia.
- Three decades of institutional infrastructureGeorgia is one of only a handful of U.S. states with formal continuous economic representation in Israel since the early 1990s. The compounding effect of 30 years of trade missions, consulate-level relationships, and policy continuity is a moat newer entrants cannot match.
- Atlanta as the Southeast gatewayHartsfield-Jackson is consistently the busiest passenger airport in the world. Atlanta is the de facto capital of the U.S. Southeast for finance, media, logistics, and Fortune 500 corporate presence. Delta's ATL–TLV route, when operating, is the only nonstop connection between the Southeast and Israel.
- A pro-Israel state governmentGovernor Kemp has been a consistent public advocate for Georgia–Israel ties. Predecessors Barnes, Perdue, and Deal all led economic missions to Israel. Georgia–Israel is bipartisan and durable.
- Dense corporate gateways for Israeli innovationCoca-Cola's Bridge program. Southern Company's Israel Innovation Authority partnership. Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Home Depot, UPS — each is a natural enterprise customer for Israeli innovation in cybersecurity, fintech, logistics, and AI.
- The new GIBA + Zalik Foundation backingThe Georgia Israel Business Alliance, launched in 2025 with Zalik Foundation backing, represents a significant institutional upgrade. David Zalik, who also chairs the Georgia Solidarity Network, was the driving force behind Delta's restoration of the ATL–TLV route.
How Georgia Compares
USIBA has commissioned independent economic-impact reports for Florida, New York, and Virginia. No comparable comprehensive economic-impact study for Georgia has been published yet. The table below summarizes available state-level data.
| State | Direct Jobs | Total Output | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 57,000 | $19.5B | USIBA, 2024 |
| Florida | 8,190 | $7.3B | USIBA, 2024 |
| Texas | 4,200+ (FDI only) | $3.2B capital | Texas Gov., 2025 |
| Virginia | 2,400+ | $2.3B | USIBA, 2024 |
| Georgia | — | $5.4B cumulative exports | GDEcD, since 1996 |
Georgia figures reflect cumulative export data since 1996. A USIBA-style economic-impact study for Georgia has not yet been published. Triangulation against Florida's data suggests Georgia is in the same tier.
Where Georgia–Israel Builds
- Defense, intelligence, and aerospace — Robins Air Force Base, GE Intelligence Platforms, Northrop Grumman Support Services, $615M+ in Foreign Military Financing since 1996.
- Cybersecurity — Israeli cyber companies serving Atlanta's enterprise customer base: Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Coca-Cola, and the dense fintech and payments cluster.
- Healthtech and life sciences — Itamar Medical's 2016 Boston-to-Atlanta relocation; Emory Healthcare, the CDC, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech bioengineering as institutional anchors.
- Energy and utilities — Southern Company's 2018 Israel Innovation Authority partnership covering vehicle automation, advanced materials, sustainable energy, and distributed energy.
- AI and enterprise software — concentrated around Atlanta's enterprise corporate density; Israel ranks first globally on the Anthropic AI Usage Index at 4.9x the global baseline (per 5W & Louder, April 2026).
The Outlook for 2026
Three signals confirm the trajectory is accelerating.
Delta has scheduled the return of nonstop ATL–TLV service. Delta announced in October 2025 that it would resume three-times-weekly nonstop Atlanta-Tel Aviv flights — Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays — on the Airbus A350-900, with a launch date of April 15, 2026. Following the escalation of regional conflict in mid-2025, Delta extended its pause of Tel Aviv service. As of the most recent Delta operations update cited in the report, ATL–TLV service is suspended through August 4–5, 2026, with JFK–TLV suspended through September 5, 2026 and the Boston launch delayed until further notice. Delta has confirmed its commitment to restoring all three U.S.-Israel routes as conditions permit.
GIBA is operational. The Georgia Israel Business Alliance, launched in 2025 with Zalik Foundation backing, is the institutional successor to Conexx — better-resourced and more strategically focused. Its program calendar includes trade missions, networking events, and sector-specific partnerships across defense, energy, cyber, and innovation.
Institutional continuity is intact. The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Israel office, operating since 1994, continues to support Georgia exports and Israeli inbound investment. The Atlanta consulate remains the U.S. government channel for the Southeast. The 2018 Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority R&D framework remains active.
Georgia has been doing this work longer than almost any other state. Thirty years of formal economic representation in Israel. Atlanta as a top-five U.S. center for Israeli company activity. A new Georgia Israel Business Alliance with serious Atlanta philanthropic backing. A Governor who calls Israel one of America's strongest allies. Delta restoring direct flights. The pieces are all in place. From where I sit in Israel, Israeli founders increasingly recognize Atlanta as the welcoming, well-built U.S. base it has been for three decades.
Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman, 5WWork With 5W on Georgia-Israel
5W is the AI Communications Firm. 5W advises Israeli companies entering the U.S. Southeast — and U.S. enterprises engaging Israeli innovation — on positioning, AI visibility, earned media, and Generative Engine Optimization. Recent 5W research includes the Israeli Tech in Texas Report, the Israeli Tech in Florida Report, and Claude in Israel: A Study on the Startup Nation.
- AI Visibility Audits — 50–100 category-specific queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews
- Market Entry Communications — U.S. positioning, narrative, and earned-media programs for Israeli companies launching in Georgia and the Southeast
- Crisis and Geopolitical Communications — for Israeli-affiliated operations navigating reputational risk in U.S. markets
Inquiries: [email protected] — 212.999.5585