After serving in the Israeli army during the “Yom Kippur War,” Gary Heiman established Standard Textile’s first manufacturing facility, a plant in Arad at the edge of Israel’s Negev desert which opened in 1975.  Today, it is the largest employer in Arad and one of the largest vertically integrated weaving mills in the world.  In 2001, Mr. Heiman was awarded the “Industrialist of the Year” Prize by the President of the State of Israel.  In  July, 2008. Mr. Heiman received the “Pioneer of Negev” award by the President of the State of Israel which recognizes Mr. Heiman as one of the twelve major contributors to the development of the Negev desert.   A holder of dual citizenship, Mr. Heiman also served in an elite, search-and-rescue unit of the Israel Defense Forces. 

Before moving to Israel, Mr. Heiman received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1972.  He did post-graduate work at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying industrial engineering.  He also studied mechanical engineering at the Saurer Institute in Arbon, Switzerland.

He is Chairman of the Board of The Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati and a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Cincinnati where he also serves as Chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee.  Additionally, Mr. Heiman is President of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, Chairman of the Jewish Community Center, and a member of the Cincinnati Business Committee. 

Mr. Heiman serves as a Committee Member since September 2008.