Arab American and Chaldean Council board member Eliya Boji (L), ACC President Haifa Fakhouri, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Chief of the Jordanian Royal Court Nasser al Louzi at the King’s Palace in Amman on Nov. 19.

During a four-day trip to the Middle East last week, Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm met with Jordanian King Abdullah II and had dinner with the family of Dr. Haifa Fakhouri, president of the Detroit-based Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC).

Granholm made the trip to meet with business leaders and cultivate partnerships to encourage companies there to invest in Michigan.

The governor writes about her visit to the Middle East in blog entries posted on her website, www.michigan.gov/gov.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II greets Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm during a trade mission to the Middle East last week.

“This afternoon we enjoyed a wonderful traditional meal with Dr. Haifa Fakhouri, President and CEO of the Arab American and Chaldean Council, with her family,” the fourth blog entry reads. “The courses never stopped coming — from the wonderful hummus, to falafel, lamb and fish, spicy red pepper dip and garlic dip — it was an unforgettable meal.
“This has been a wonderful, encouraging week.  We have been welcomed by leaders and dignitaries, business leaders and entrepreneurs.  And we have seen the tremendous potential for partnerships and investment that will bring jobs to Michigan.”

The accounts detail three days spent in Israel and one in Jordan before the trip was cut short when Granholm returned to the U.S. for the Congressional hearings on the auto industry.

Fakhouri said plans for the visit to Jordan were in the works for about a year, and that through her brother, local Jordanian Honorary Consul Habib Fakhouri, a direct invitation from the king was offered to Granholm.

“We’ve been planning for her to go for about a year now,” Haifa Fakhouri said, “for business purposes, to coordinate between Michigan universities and Jordanian universities… create medical exchange… and alternative energy plans.

“She got an idea of development in Jordan and the business climate there.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II greets Dr. Haifa Fakhouri, president of the Arab American and Chaldean Council on Nov. 19 . Photos courtesy ACC.   Photos courtesy ACC.

Fakhouri went to Jordan ahead of the governor to arrange meetings with leaders in the health care, education and energy industries.
Granholm and a delegation including Michigan Economic Development Corporation executives, met with companies like Millennium Energy Industries.

“They are pioneers in solar energy, which Michigan needs,” Fakhouri said.

Granholm said the meeting with the king focused in part on partnerships in water-reuse technology development.

The U.S. and Jordan have a bilateral free trade agreement.

“She had a very good impression about Jordan,” said Fakhouri. “ACC had a special dinner for her.”

In addition to business interests, she said the visit gave the governor an intimate look at Arab culture, Middle Eastern life and issues facing the region.

“She got a very close look at it,” Fakhouri said. “She spent the whole day there… until she had to go to the urgent meeting with Congress about GM and Ford and Chrysler… She had the best time. She enjoyed the culture and she was extremely impressed.”

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, ACC President Haifa Fakhouri, Jordanian King Abdullah II, ACC board member Eliya Boji and Jordanian businessman Kamil Fakhouri outside the King’s Palace in Amman on Nov. 19.

While in Jordan, Fakhouri met with the staff of the ACC-affiliated Middle Eastern Council for Human Services in Amman. The center employs its own medical staff and physicians and provides free health care and medicine to Iraqi refugees in Jordan, some of whom she met with during her trip to hear their concerns.
Granholm’s trip to Israel focused on the homeland security industry that has strengthened its own economy. Several existing partnerships were strengthened, revolving around Michigan’s natural advantages in alternative energy and homeland security, according to the governor’s office.

“My team and I met with companies that specialize in the same kinds of industries that we are working to create here in Michigan — alternative energy, homeland security, medical technology and more,” Granholm said.  “We have the workforce and manufacturing expertise that is a perfect fit for these types of companies.  Our team made a strong case for Michigan, and I believe that in the coming months, we will have a number of exciting jobs announcements.”

Fakhouri said she wasn’t involved in Granholm’s time spent in Israel.

“I have no idea what she did there. I was concerned with Jordan and what we are trying to establish in Jordan,” she said.

The trip to the Middle East was the governor’s seventh overseas investment mission since 2004. Previous visits to Germany, Austria, Japan and Sweden have resulted in 42 companies announcing more than 10,600 new jobs and over $944 million in new investment in Michigan, according to the governor’s office.