Finding ways to work together and benefit from cross-border economic opportunities were at the top of the agenda Friday during Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild‘s Borderlands Trade Conference.
The second annual event, held at the Tucson Convention Center, saw more than 300 people visiting exhibitor booths, making connections and participating in workshops throughout the day.
“Last year we focused generally on export and import. This year we’re focusing on specific areas where Arizona, Sonora and Sinaloa have similar areas of work: aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical, and service professionals,” Rothschild said.
The mayor, who has consistently pushed for improved relations with Mexico, pointed to Tucson’s proximity to the border as one of the great advantages of the region — an advantage that can be built on, he said.
“The future of this border region is cooperation, collaboration and integration. Working together to recognize economic opportunities has never been more important,” Rothschild said.
Eduardo Gonzalez, head of the ProMéxico trade and investment office in Phoenix, echoed Rothschild’s sentiments when he invoked Arizona’s traditional five C’s: copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate.
“Mexico and Arizona’s bilateral relation is also distinguished by five C’s: collaboration, cooperation, closeness, competitiveness and cluster-development as a region,” he said.
Gonzalez reminded attendees of the $16 billion in bilateral trade between Mexico and Arizona, his country’s growing middle class, and expanding automotive, aerospace and medical device industries.
Mexico is Arizona’s largest trade partner and Mexican visitors spend more than $7 million a day in Arizona, he said.
But along with economic prospects, there are also social, cultural and academic opportunities to be explored between the two countries, said Manuel Ignacio Acosta Gutierrez, mayor of Hermosillo, Sonora.
“We want to build and solidify a win-win relationship,” he said. “We are brothers divided by a border, and we must re-establish and build those relationships, be they academic, in research, water issues, and in investment.”
The mayor of Hermosillo was one of several Mexican elected officials at the event, including Lorenzo de Cima of Guaymas, Faustino Felix Chavez of Ciudad Obregón, Cuauhtémoc Galindo of Nogales and Carlos Felton of Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
Having a strong Mexican presence speaks to the strengthening relationship between Arizona and its neighbor to the south, officials said.
Juan Ciscomani, director of Gov. Doug Ducey‘s Southern Arizona office, said the conference was a reflection of what the community wants and needs, which is a dialogue and partnership with Mexico.
“For us to not pay attention to our number-one trading partner doesn’t make sense, and the governor knows that. He’s made a lot of efforts to improve that relationship,” he said.
Ricardo Pineda, Mexican consul in Tucson, forecasts the conference will keep growing because there is genuine interest among the business community and the government to keep looking for opportunities for both sides of the border.
“It’s vital we continue with these types of meetings. It’s key that we continue creating synergy between businesspeople and government officials, all of us with the same goal of creating opportunities for commerce, investment and connectivity,” he said.
