Governor of Arizona heads trade mission to Mexico

MEXICO CITY - Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs led a delegation of government officials and business leaders for a three-day trade mission to Mexico City.

Arizona state officials joining the delegation included Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson and Arizona Office of Tourism Executive Director Lisa Urias.

The trip was organized by Greater Phoenix Leadership and one of the priorities was to strengthen the relationship between Arizona and Mexico, with a focus on taking full advantage of the bilateral relationship to create jobs and support small businesses.

"Mexico is Arizona's largest trading partner with a growing market in advanced technology as well as other key industries for Arizona's economy. The Arizona-Mexico relationship is critical to our state's future and we must continue to be proactive in seeking new opportunities and strengthening existing ones," said Hobbs.

During her stay in Mexico City, the governor met with U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Salazar; Luis Tellez, President of the Club de Industriales; and Emilio Cadena, CEO of Grupo Prodensa.

In addition, the governor met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico (AMCHAM), the American Society of Mexico, and Paco Cervantes, President of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) as well as members of the CCE.

Hobbs also participated in a roundtable discussion on trade, e-commerce and logistics infrastructure with leaders from Walmart and Fedex as well as a panel discussion on strengthening cross-border supply chains through nearshoring.