A recent study by the Thunderbird School of Management showed that Arizona trade with Mexico is stagnant and far behind California and Texas.
The first semi-annual event was held November 7, 2012 at the Americana Hotel in Nogales. The April event will have sponsor booths, Maquiladora representatives, and keynote speakers from both sides of the border highlighting business opportunities in the region.
City officials hope to highlight the strategic importance of Nogales in bi-national trade between Arizona and Mexico as well as recent efforts to promote political alignment of the local, state, and federal representatives through Arizona. “It’s time to make a big difference for Nogales and the rest of the State of Arizona,” said Mayor Garino.
Attendees will include Felipe Garcia of the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, Larry Lucero, President of the Arizona Mexico Commission, Sue Malone, an expert in small business loans and founder of Strategies for Small Business, and Curtis Spencer, an expert on Foreign Trade Zones and president of IMS Worldwide in Houston.
“We invite people from throughout Arizona and Sonora to attend this event and learn firsthand the benefits of engaging in international trade through Nogales,” stated Nogales Mayor Arturo Garino. “We look forward to hosting this event semiannually and seeing an increase in cross border trade.”
The event is being organized by the Southeast Arizona Government Organization and a host of other stakeholders from Ambos Nogales and Santa Cruz County. Those interested in attending the event can register at http://seagoedd.org/expo/