The first panel on the second day at Haifa Leadership Conference dealt with 'leadership and entrepreneurship'. The panel opened with an interview with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.
Kahlon's rose like meteor in the political arena. It is little doubt that he will be the next prime minister of Israel, and will do it well, together with his high-quality group. One tough test in front of him, except in the area of finance, is about changing the face of Haifa metropolitan area, in which he is deeply involved.
During the interview Kahlon showed a good sense of humor:
Question: 'Would you agree to a Bibi-Moses style deal'?
He replied: '' I felt insulted when the affair was published, because no journalist turned to me yet with a proposal for cooperation ''.
Question: ''Would you be willing to accept gifts as a government minister''?
He replied: ''Am I at a wedding that I have to get gifts''?!
Question: ''Was Menachem Begin prepared to accept cigars''?
He repliedd:? ''Begin would ask, 'What is a cigar?' ''
He had humorous answers to many other questions.
Humor is an important element in business and a finance minister has to have it because the combination of humor and business is essential for business success.
Kahlon has to understand that the Haifa metropolitan development equation is the moving of the petrochemical plants and the construction of an international airport in place. Haifa metropolitan area population is about one million inhabitants. The area has many attractions and educated population, but in the last generation there has been a significant socio-economic regression. The government does not add advanced industries and services but on the contrary, strengthen, through the existing regulation, the petrochemical plants in the bay. The need for gradual but full withdrawl of the petrochemical plants is blurred by the debate about the findings of air polution. The main problem of Haifa metropolitan area is its inability to be developed in general. This is due to a severe shortage of construction areas because of these enterprises.
Airports are the anchor for the model of the ''Aerial City'' of economic development, business location and urban development in the 21st century, in a similar way to that of ''Marine Cities'' of the past. Many studies confirm that a good airline service is an important component in the development of urban economy, and airports are the largest investment that a city or region can make. Airports influence the growth and development of cities and regions in many ways. There is a connection between the number of passengers at airports and the growth of employment in their respective regions. 10% growth in passenger traffic at an airport produces 1% growth in employment. More important is that airports and airlines services are closely related to the characteristics of the post-industrial knowledge based economy. The number of flights and number of passengers is parallel in percentage to college graduates, part of a knowledge-based work force, professional and creative jobs, and in particular to the concentration of high-tech industries. It's not the size of the city itself which count, but a minimum size threshold that helps the city to build an airport, thus creating higher levels of human capital. High-tech, tourism and hotels, entertainment, commerce, conferences, offices, etc., are all affected by the aviation industry.
Within the next 20 years the number of passenger airplanes will double. Many countries value the significance of this growth and ensures appropriate infrastructure development of airports. Technology always precedes the infrastructure. More airplanes creates the need for new airports, and not vice versa. The process of building the infrastructure lasts a long time and do not always meet the needs.
Those who could predict the unprecedented expansion of the aviation industry and set up appropriate infrastructure, won an unprecedented economic boom. The most prominent example is Dubai. Its airport is now the largest in terms of passenger volume. From a remote oil state, Dubai has become a global center and millions of tourists and business people come to it every year.
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