Buying Into Cooperation

Warren V. "Pete" Musser

In a setting that spoke volumes about the impressive history, enduring strength and international power of business in Philadelphia, Warren V. "Pete" Musser, chairman and CEO/the Musser Group of Wayne, Pa., received the Yitzhak Rabin Public Service Award from the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce at the local chapter's recent 2008 Rabin Award Dinner at the Union League.

Named for Israel's peace-pursuing prime minister, assassinated in Tel Aviv on Nov. 4, 1995, the annual award is given to a Philadelphia-area business leader recognized for having worked tirelessly and well in the spirit of peaceful cooperation to advance business interests in Israel and the Delaware Valley.

The award "enables the chamber to honor an outstanding individual in the community who exemplifies the chamber's mission to promote business interests of all kinds between Israel and the U.S.," said Debbie Buchwald, executive director, AICC, Mid-Atlantic Region, citing Musser as "the best role model for entrepreneurs that a chamber like ours can have, both for Israelis and Americans; and [for] established businesses seeking strategic partnerships with Israeli companies."

Musser has been an entrepreneur and area business leader for more than 50 years, in the process achieving legendary status for his leadership role in developing a vibrant venture-capital community in the Greater Philadelphia region.

"My whole life is entrepreneurship, so I'm pleased to be associated with a country that is all about entrepreneurship and survives because of entrepreneurship," he said at the event. "I feel that the ideas that come out of Israel, because of its creativity, and that are brought to the Philadelphia region through AICC, are marvelous opportunities for U.S. businesses of all sizes, including several of our companies that have taken advantage of those opportunities.

"I think of Israel coming to us as a business opportunity more than 50 years ago, with its resilient, determined, resourceful people. That's what Israel had then and still has today," said Musser, who was presented with his award by Moshe Porat, Ph.D., dean, Fox School of Business, Temple University.

Armed with an industrial engineering degree from Lehigh University in 1949 -- and even back then appreciating the relevance of the important equation of technology development to business success -- Musser began his career in 1953 by creating Safeguard Industries, Inc., known then as Lancaster Corporation. The venture holding company was one of the first of its kind.

Also in the 1950s, Musser became a cable-television pioneer with the purchase and advancement of a cable company in Tupelo, Miss.

Safeguard Industries became Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., in 1980, beginning a process of entrepreneurial consultation for young companies that included capital, as well as administrative, management, legal and marketing support. As chairman of the board and CEO from 1953 until 2001, Musser facilitated the formation and success of many of today's top Fortune 500 companies, such as QVC, Comcast and Novell, Inc.

In 1990, he founded the Eastern Technology Council to support the needs of the Philadelphia region's growing life sciences and technology companies.

Musser was instrumental in defining the council's role in the community and continues to serve as its chairman. He has taught at Drexel and Temple universities, and endowed the Musser Award for Excellence in Leadership at the Fox Business School.

Musser remains also active on a number of corporate boards, as director of Internet Capital Group, Inc.; NutriSystem, Inc.; chairman of Telkonet, Inc. and InfoLogix, Inc.; and vice chairman of Health Benefits Direct Corporation.

Also as part of the AICC dinner, Uriel Palti, consul general of Israel in Philadelphia, and Nancy J. Gilboy, president and CEO of the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia, received Mayors' Citations awards for their contributions to economic and other forms of cooperation between Israel and Philadelphia.

'Face of Israel in the Region'

In his capacity as Israel's consul general in Philadelphia since 2004, Palti, who will leaving the city and returning to Israel in August, has made economic development a primary agenda item, in the process creating innovative partnerships with government officials, business representatives and community leaders.

"He is a true government entrepreneur -- the face of Israel in the Philadelphia region and beyond -- who navigates successfully between business and government, policy and politics," said Howard Jaffe of Best Evidence, Inc., who presented Palti with his award.

Gilboy, who told the audience "I love what I do" with regard to her work at the IVC, said that the award is a wonderful recognition of IVC's many years of working with the U.S. State Department and the Sister Cities Program. (Tel Aviv and Philadelphia have been sister cities since 1966.)

"So few people know about 'citizen diplomacy' and our work, so I'm thrilled that a few hundred important people at the dinner now know a little more about it," stated Gilboy.

Gilboy has been at the IVC for the past 18 years.

During that time, she has put international relations on a personal level and been in the forefront of developing friendships between Philadelphians and people from 120 countries, including Israel.

A goal of the IVC, Gilboy acknowledged, is to have more Israeli companies recognize Philadelphia as the "ideal location to establish a U.S. headquarters and presence. With AICC, Wolf Block, IVC and the Sister Cities program, we offer a built-in support system and 'family' they won't find anywhere else."