International

Cedar Ventures seeks to cultivate and maintain ties to overseas investors that are seeking opportunities in the U.S. market including the commercial real estate market. Some of Cedar’s international activities are listed below:

• As a member and Board member of the American Task Force on Lebanon, (ATFL.org) from 1996- 2019, Ms. Kassouf of Cedar Ventures has had the opportunity to travel overseas and meet with many foreign business people, real estate investors, governmental leaders, including in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.
• 2022: Joined the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
• 2009: Under contract to perform some consulting for a telecommunications project overseas; met with government officials overseeing the telecommunications sector in a Middle East country regarding this project.
• 2016: Served as a Sales Consultant for a French software company seeking to roll out its elder care management app in the U.S. that was developed by a Gerontologist. The app evaluates the autonomy and independence of elders through 17 daily acts including mood. Its goal is to identify the needs and abilities of care recipients, improve or maintain the care recipient’s physical and psychological well-being. Its second product was an app focused on stress in the work place and its clients included the French post office and a life insurance company.
• 2018: Participated in Qatar’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce round table hosted by the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce in Charleston, South Carolina and met with members of the Qatari business community.
• 2021: November 4: World Affairs Council, Atlanta, participated in an in person presentation and meeting with Nestor Forster, the Ambassador of Brazil to the United States.
• 2021: Participated via zoom in the historic American University of Beirut, AUB4Women event on Saturday, March 6 celebrating 100 years of coeducation at AUB. The keynote speaker was Her Majesty Queen Noor, and the workshop leaders were AUB alumnae (a) digital marketing entrepreneur (BGD 2000) whose consultancy clients include Lululemon, New Belgium Brewing, Adidas, Diageo and Babyganics, (b) a co-founder (BBA 2001) of the first automated investment advisory platform in the Middle East region,  and (c) a healthcare entrepreneur (BS 1976 and MPH 1978) with extensive expertise in hospital administration, long-term care and healthcare management. The online event was hosted by AUB Trustee Katherine Maher, former CEO and Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Human Rights. This historic event at AUB concluded with a conversation between Queen Noor and AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri.

  

Antoine Abiyounes

Mr. Abiyounes has been advising Cedar on international matters involving the Middle East for over 10 years. His experience includes:

• Founding Partner of SteriTech Holding/Offshore/Lebanon SARL, a manufacturer and distributor of a complete line of sterilants.
• Owner and President of Southern Investment Mortgage in Atlanta, GA.
• Partner and Vice President of Finance for Atlantic Aviation Services in France;
• Owner and President of Cosmopolitan Trading, Inc with three showrooms in the Atlanta Apparel Mart;
• Employed in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; While in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Abiyounes presided over AA Turkie Corporation, a construction and waterproofing distributor that included products from Catnic, Rust-Oleum and Dow Corning.
• MBA degree from the University of Toledo in 1980
• Fluent in Arabic, French and English

Tanya Rahall

Ms. Rahall is Managing Director of RTK Consulting Group LLC in Washington D.C. and specializes in public and government relations primarily for energy related companies, domestic organizations and foreign government and business interests. Her experience includes:

• Serving as the Washington Representative for LifeCare Health, a network of specialized acute-care hospitals for medically complex patients.
• Co-founding and serving as Executive Director of the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL).
• Serving as the public and government relations consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Embassy of the State of Qatar. Establishing a 50 member Congressional Caucus for Qatar, obtaining passage of a joint House/Senate resolution commending the Emir for his work on reform; managing a Caucus reception honoring the Emir.
• Managing Congressional delegations to Doha and the Middle East.
• Serving as the consulting Public Relations Director for the Ministry of Information for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Serving as an Advisor to the Saudi Arabia Committee on International Trade.
• Serving as a Consultant to the “Friends of Saudi Arabia” Restaurant Holdings, one of the most successful international real estate development operations in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
• Building and directing The American Foundation for St. George Hospital (Beirut hospital) and the Makassed Foundation.
• Current Board member, Rene Moawad Foundation USA
• Current Board member International Advisory Committee of the National Council on US Arab Relations (NCUSAR)
• Current Board member of the International Foundation for Women’s Empowerment.

Ms. Rahall has been an occasional guest of the White House for meetings in the Oval office with Arab-American leaders; a State Dinner for His Excellency Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak, a State Dinner honoring His Majesty the former King Hussein of Jordan and two historic occasions for the signing of the Israeli-Arab Peace Accords.

Ms. Rahall is a licensed realtor and investor in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.