Texas and Guanajuato Create New Business Relationships Through the GTO-TX Business Summit

By Alejandra Oropeza

With the objective of creating business links, strengthening communication channels between Texas and Guanajuato, and helping to attract new investment, the Business Summit GTO-TX took place on November 9 at the Hotel Rosewood San Miguel de Allende.

Representatives of the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs (AEM); the Great Chamber of Commerce of Mission, Texas; the international firm of Cacheaux Cavazos & Newton (CCN); and the Secretariat of Economic Development of Guanajuato (SDES) participated in the event.

Francisco Peña, president of the AEM McAllen Chapter and partner at CCN, said that experiences and good practices were shared at the meeting to help entrepreneurs conduct business both in Texas and Guanajuato. He also commented that it is possible to bring together investors from the McAllen and Mission regions of Texas with their counterparts from the states of Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Nayarit, Aguascalientes, and Jalisco. “Great alliances were achieved, and the exchange of ideas between the various participants was strengthened,” he said. Peña highlighted the presence and support of the AEM chapters of Jalisco, Dallas, and Aguascalientes, who expressed their support for this event by their presence. “Sometimes we think that crossing borders becomes a millstone—a mountain—but if you have the help and the logistics to do it, it will be easier for you to cross that mountain, especially if you have people who know how to do it,” he said. 

Meanwhile, José Medina de la Torre, president of the AEM Guanajuato Chapter, explained that this event was born from the idea and interaction between the AEM Guanajuato and AEM McAllen chapters, as well as CCN. “Today is a meeting of friends with the idea of ​​generating business and integration,” he said. “We are very happy to receive them in San Miguel de Allende.” He mentioned that the AEM was born in 1996 as part of the integration of the Mexican business diaspora, grouped into cells, which gradually grew and integrated.

The AEM has seventeen chapters, three of them in Mexico: Guanajuato, Mexico City, and Jalisco. Medina revealed that another chapter in Aguascalientes will open soon. “We are looking for all the businessmen who are developing their commercial base on the Free Trade Agreement to have this connection with us and with this local dynamic, then regional and international, begin to generate a binational commercial relationship,” he said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Ramón Alfaro, secretary of Sustainable Economic Development, said that development is in the hands of the business sector and the united society. “Certainty can be achieved, first, with the rule of law, that is, giving businessmen the guarantees to do business. The second is to build trust through continuity. In Guanajuato, we understand economic development as a regional, balanced, and participatory development.”

Mission’s Mayor Pro Tem, Rubén Plata, commented that Mission is a city with open arms for Mexicans. “The Texas Valley would not be what it is without the investment of Mexicans, from housing to businesses. There are many places that feel like you are in Mexico. Mission has a lot to offer. It is a very safe city. There are a lot of business and professional people; we are always ready to receive them.” 

For her part, Brenda Enríquez, president and CEO of the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the objective of the business organization, the exclusive events they organize, why family planning is important for Americans living in Mexico, and shared best practices in international real estate to avoid common mistakes and achieve goals.

Marissa Sandoval, a partner at CCN, shared some recommendations and disclosed the legal aspects of incorporating companies in Texas. She highlighted that the selection of professional advisers with international experience is essential to consolidate investments. Among them are business lawyers, accountants, immigration lawyers, bankers, and insurance agents.

*Published with permission from Mexico Industry, https://mexicoindustry.com/.