Ampal-American Israel holds interests in a handful of companies in the chemical, energy, real estate, telecommunications, and leisure industries. The firm prefers to invest in companies that initially grow in Israel, then expand abroad. Ampal-American Israel often exerts influence after acquiring stakes in companies. Previous investments include Gadot Chemical Tankers and Terminals, one of Israel's leading chemical shippers; East Mediterranean Gas Company, a natural gas exporter; and Bay Heart Limited, a shopping mall owner in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city. Chairman and CEO Yosef A. Maiman and his family own a majority of Ampal-American Israel.