DUN'S 100 - 2016

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Service & Trade
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2016 | DUN’S 100 DUN’S 100 | 2016
DUN’S 100 | 2016 2016 | DUN’S 100
61 Service Companies
RANK
Amidar – The Israel National Housing Co. Ltd.
A midar - The Israel National Housing Co.
Ltd. is a government company, which
since its foundation in 1949 has man-
aged the country’s public housing. In the past two
years, the company has been transformed from
a housing company to a development company.
This change includes a change of leadership and
deeply impacts all areas of activity, mainly regard-
ing tenants. The companymanages andmaintains
42,000 public housing apartments, maintains
the buildings and apartments in them, social en-
deavors in Amidar communities, and business
development, mainly in urban renewal. The new
management’sguiding principalfocuseson chang-
ing the company to the tenant’s representative
with the establishment and to work for their ben-
efit in all areas of life, living conditions, financing
capabilities and empowering tenants as individu-
als, families, and communities. The company’s
topmanagement and board is a handpicked team
with proven experience and skill, working with a
Zionist-national agenda, to lead communities to
a better, stable and secure future.
Main Areas of Activity
Empowering Public Housing - As a first step in
implementing Amidar’s newprinciples, major bud-
gets are targetingmaintenance of homes and their
surroundings including construction, plumbing,
insulation, interior design and external improve-
ment. The budget has been tripled from NIS 35
million to over NIS 110 million and in 2016 NIS
200 million will be allocated to maintenance. The
company hopes to complete renovation andmain-
tenance work in all of its homes by 2017.
Community Activities - Amidar strives to improve
all aspects of its clients’ quality of life and has
allocated NIS 20 million for social activities and
empowering children, youth, single parents, stu-
dents and the elderly. To realize its ambitions,
a new “Community Relations” department has
been opened, which is currently forming a work
plan focusing on;
Establishing community centers in Amidar build-
ings, which in the mornings operate as cultural
centers for the elderly, children’s clubs in the after-
noons, and a center for youth and single parents
in the afternoons and evenings. Business owners
are empowered with the “Latet Atid” NPO through
consultancy services, support and mentoring in
business topics. Amidar tenants receive student
scholarships. The Amidar children’s soccer league
has been set up with the “Endeavors, Education
andSociety” NPO, which combines sport and edu-
cation. The company deepens community involve-
ment with its clients through social-environmental
empowerment with painting, gardening and envi-
ronmental nurturing projects.
Business Development - Amidar promotes many
initiatives in urban renewal in city centers includ-
ing clear and build, build-clear-build, and TAMA
38 earthquake retrofit. Amidar is working in
Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, Beit Shean and Safed to
strengthen 27 buildings with 1,200 apartments.
The company is also promoting projects in Kiryat
Gat (a clear and build project in advanced stages
in the district committee), Ramla (2,700 clear and
build units), Lod (1,000 clear and build units),
Jerusalem (800 units), andmany projects in Holon,
Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Hod Hasharon, and Ramat
Gan are in various planning stages.
These activities allow the company to enlarge
business profits and earmark them for investment
in financing projects in the periphery, which are
not worthwhile for private contractors. Moreover,
urban renewal projects allow public housing cli-
ents to enjoy major upgrading to their homes and
a substantial lifestyle improvement.
Activities for Students - Amidar encourages its
clients to acquire an academic education and pro-
vides scholarships and allocates a substantial part
of its budget for building student accommodation
with social activities undertaken by students for
lower rents.
Activities for the Elderly - The company’s sheltered
housing sites not only provide public housing as-
sistance for the elderly but substantially improve
their quality of life allowing escape from loneli-
ness, mixing with people their own age, with extra-
curricular activities, cultural and leisure events and
special services. In the past three years, Amidar
has managed a large-scale NIS 70 million project
to upgrade sheltered housing externally and in-
ternally, financed by claims committees, and the
Finance and Construction and HousingMinistries.
Dozens of sites and thousands of apartments have
been renovated as part of the project to adapt
buildings and services to the 21st century.
Package of the Highest Standard Services for
Company Clients- Amidar’s service approach as
a management approach has changed beyond
recognition and now strives for immediate, satis-
fying and personal responses. The services pack-
age serves as a basic tool in the company’s work
procedures. Service awareness among Amidar
employees and focusing on clients is an integral
part of the company’s responsibility as part of its
new service approach. A telephone service depart-
ment is provided at all hours offering responses
on entitlements, financing, and implementing
other operations. There are also digital channels
of communication.
Amidar’smanagement strives for personal contact
with clients – tenants – from involvement in re-
quests through visits to the apartmentsmanaged
by the company. These encounters are designed
to deepen understanding on what is happening in
the field and see up close the challenges, needs
and desires of clients in terms of their homes,
jobs, education etc.
Adv. Dr. Izhak Lax, Amidar Chairman
LL.B; MBA; Ph.D., Economics. Served in senior
management positions in public and private com-
panies, academic lecturer and businessman. In
his last position, he was chairman of the Mac-
cabi Health Service fund. He has served in other
public bodies and made a major national and so-
cial contribution including at the Jewish Agency,
State Committee for Public Bequeaths, and Gesher
board member.
Reuven Kaplan, Amidar CEO
MBA HebrewUniversity, BA (cum laude) Marketing
and Finance, College of Management. His last job
was CEO of Clal Health and VP Clal Insurance.
Esta b l i s h e d
1949
L i n e o f B u s i n ess
Developing, building public housing
39 Shaul Hamelech Blvd., Tel Aviv
*6266
Reuven Kaplan
CEO *
Dr., Itzhak Lax,
Adv.
Chairman of the Board *
* See Top Executives Profiles - Page 582