Alliance Magazine 16

51
52
EDITORIAL COUNCIL
UNITED STATES - MEXICO
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Albert C. Zapanta, President & CEO, Binational Headquarters; Francisco
López Espinoza, CEO, MULTICOLOR Industria Gráfica; Eric Rojo,
Vice-President/Mexico Liaison; Joseph R. Chapa, Vice-President,
International Trade Development Centers; Gerardo Funes, Vice-President
of Communications; Cecilia López, Publishing Manager; Alberto GarcíaJurado, Director Cultural of Effectiveness Center; Jill Martínez, publisher,
www.IrvingOnline.com; and Francisco López Rivera, General Manager of
MULTICOLOR Industria Gráfica.
PROMEXE´S ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Rafael López Rivera
[email protected]
Francisco López Espinoza
[email protected]
Francisco López Rivera
[email protected]
PUBLISHING COORDINATORS
Executive Director
Rafael López Rivera
[email protected]
Vice-President of Communications
Gerardo Funes
[email protected]
Publishing Manager
Cecilia López
[email protected]
CONCEPT & MAGAZINE DESIGN
Editorial Coordinator
Yolanda Ivette Castillo Vázquez
[email protected]
Graphic Designer
Areli Jeanette Sayas Hernández
[email protected]
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Alejandro Ramos
Sergio Ponce
Blanca Berthier
Nicandro Ortiz
Eduardo Bialostozky
Marlen Marroquin
Elba Hentschel
Anja Miroslaw
José Antonio Pérez Bravo Nani.
Rivadeneyra, Treviño & De Campo, S.C.
Scott Sneckenberger
Partner - Plante & Moran, PLLC
Alejandro A. Rodriguez
Country Manager - México Plante & Moran, PLLC.
Dr. Itzam de Gortari
CEO - TechBA Seattle
PRINTED
For advertising
inquiries, contact:
Rafael López
[email protected]
Executive Director
Gerardo Funes
[email protected]
Vice-President of Communications
Cecilia López
[email protected]
Publishing Manager
Cover photography by FONATUR
ALLIANCE is a quarterly publication of the United States-Mexico Chamber of
Commerce and Promotora Mexicana de Ediciones S.A. de C.V., for the binational
enterprise sector. Mexico office: Av. Jose Maria Chavez No. 3408, Ciudad
Industrial; Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico (www.promexe.com) United States
office: United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, 5510 Cherokee Ave. Ste.
120, Alexandria, VA 22313-2320. Mailing address: P.O. Box 14414, Washington,
D.C. 20044.
Printed by Multicolor Industria Grafica, S.A. de C.V. Av. Jose Maria Chavez
No. 3408, Ciudad Industrial; Aguascalientes, Ags., Mex. Specifications: Total
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couche paper 135 grs. Impression: offset full color.
The views expressed in this magazine are the responsibility of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect official positions of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce,
its members or supporters. Our goal is to present a broad range of perspectives
on shared bilateral issues.
Editorial
W
elcome to this edition of Alliance Magazine, a
publication by the United States – Mexico Chamber
of Commerce, designed to inform and inspire our
audience about the activities of the Chamber and the
U.S. – Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.
In this edition of Alliance we see how FONATUR is developing three
Integrally Planned and Sustainable Development (IPSD) sites. The
first, in the State of Sinaloa, located on the Pacific Coast of México,
will be called Playa Espiritu. This development will have a total
of 43,981 accommodation units, 11,614 hotel rooms, and 15,882
residential houses. The second site is called Costacampo, located
in the state of Nayarit in Lima de Abajo, approximately 29 milles
north from Litibú and 37 miles from Puerto Vallarta. The benefits
expected from this development, through 2017, are to generate
7,354 direct jobs, 16,877 indirect jobs, guarantee an annual inflow
of 523,000 tourists, count on a private investment of $1,447 million
and a public investment of $128 million to benefit the population
in the region. Finally, the last site is Marina Cozumel, located in
the beautiful State of Quintana Roo, only less than two miles from
the center of Cozumel. This destination´s main attraction will be a
marine with capacity for 333 boats, 15 to 60 feet long.
Also in this edition, we are pleased to present contributions by Tony
Jimenez, President and CEO of MicroTech, who has written a piece
on the future of cloud computing and the enormous potential for
growth that the industry has in Latin America. We would also like to
thank Enrique Esparza, President, Co-Prodution International, for
his article on Manufacturing Options: China vs Mexico; Dr. Itzam
De Gortari, for insight on Technology in Mexico and its application
in the U.S and Programa de Aceleracion de Empresas Tecnologicas/
foreign trade; and Scott Sneckenberger, Partner Global Services
at Plante & Moran and Alejandro A. Rodriguez, Country Manager
México Plante & Moran, PLLC., for their article, “Mergers and
Acquisitions in Mexico — Reducing Risk and Adding Value through
Due Diligence.”
The Chamber hosted its Annual Binational Meeting and Awards
Gala Dinner in México City on November 30-December 1. This
conference, entitled “U.S. – Mexico Challenges and Opportunities
for 2012,” addressed many of major issues that will be facing both
of our countries in this coming year. The gala dinner was a huge
success, with awards being presented to Genaro García Luna,
Mexico’s Secretary of Public Security, and Rodolfo López Negrete,
Chief Operating Officer, Mexico Tourism Board.
Thank you to everyone who helped put this publication together. We
hope you enjoy this edition of Alliance Magazine. We look forward
to seeing you on April 25-27 as we host our Annual Conference,
“Good Neighbor Awards”, and Binational Board of Directors Meeting
in Washington D.C.
Albert Zapanta
President & CEO
1
CHAPTER OFFICES
OFICINAS DEL CAPÍTULO
3
4
OF INTEREST
DE INTERÉS
EVENTO BINACIONAL
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES...
BRIEFS
BREVES
14
18
ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO...
ESPACIO DEL MIEMBRO
6
12
BINATIONAL EVENT
MEMBERS CORNER
THE COVER
ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
FONATUR, Converts Vision into Investment
25
35
OPINION
OPINIÓN
Ready or Not, Here Come the Clouds! •
Manufacturing Options: Mexico vs. China •
An Emerging Strategic Imperative in Oil & Gas •
The Social License to Operate
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
MIEMBRO DESTACADO
44
• Kraft Foods make your day delicious
• Tony Jimenez, Leader of Fastest Growing Hispanic-Owned Business,
Finds Success in Technology Innovation
2
CHAPTER OFFICES
THE AMBASSADOR OF GOOD BUSINESS
www.usmcoc.org
Gerardo Funes
Vice-President of Communications
[email protected]
Tel: 703-752-4751 x 107
Fax: 703-642-1088
Joe Chapa
Vice-President International Trade
Development Centers
[email protected]
Tel: 214-329-4559
Fax: 703-642-1088
BINATIONAL HEADQUARTERS /
OFICINAS GENERALES
6800 Versar Center. Ste. 450
Springfield, VA 22151
Mail to: P.O. Box 14414,
Washington, D.C. 20044
California Regional Chapter
Los Angeles, CA
Marlen Marroquin
Executive Director
2450 Colorado Ave., Suite 400E
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tel: 310-586-7901
Fax: 310-586-7800
[email protected]
Mid-America Chapter
Chicago, IL
Blanca Berthier
Executive Director
Blue Cross Blue Shield Building
300 E. Randolph Dr. 49th floor
Chicago, Il 60601
Tel: 312-729-1355 / 312-729-1356
Fax: 312-729-1354
[email protected]
Pacífico Chapter
Guadalajara, Jal
Jesús Galván Álvarez
Executive Director
Córdoba #2606, Col. Providencia
Guadalajara, Jal.
CP 44630
Tels: 52 (33) 38173475
Tels: 52 (33) 38173798
[email protected]
Aguascalientes Chapter
Aguascalientes, Ags.
Alejandro Vázquez
Executive Director
Av. Independencia 1602
Col. Fátima
Aguascalientes, Ags.
Tel.: (449) 914-6863 y (449) 153-3553
www.usmcocags.com.mx
alejandro.vazquez@usmcocags.
com.mx
Southwest Chapter
Dallas, TX
Josie Orosco
Executive Director
901 Main Street, 44th. Floor
Dallas, TX 75202
Tel: 214-747-1996
Fax: 214-747-1994
[email protected]
Inter-American Chapter
Miami, FL
Elba Hentschel
Executive Director
1441 Brickell Ave. Suite 1400
Miami, Florida 33131
Tel: 305-374-7401
Fax: 305-374-7405
[email protected]
Guanajuato Chapter
León, Gto.
Sergio López Ponce
Executive Director
Blvd. Campestre No. 1215, Int. 12
Col. Panorama
León, Gto. 37160
Tel: (477) 779-5670
Fax: (477) 779-5671
[email protected]
Golfo Chapter
Veracruz, Ver.
Jorge Alejandro Vega
Executive Director
Simon Bolivar no. 705.
casi esquina con España.
Despacho 3
Colonia Zaragoza C.P. 91910
Veracruz, Ver. México
Tel: (229) 937-0598
Fax: (229) 100-3857
[email protected]
International Trade Development
and Assistance Center
Joe Chapa
Executive Director
207 Mandalay Canal
Irving, TX 75039
Tel: 406-839-1796
[email protected]
Pacific Northwest Chapter
Seattle, WA
Jorge Madrazo Cuéllar
President
15100 S.E. 38th Street, #728
Bellevue, WA 98006-1765
Tel: 206-306-4881
[email protected]
Puebla Chapter
Puebla, Pue.
Vidaur Mora
Executive Director
31 Poniente No. 4128
2-B Col. Reforma Sur
Puebla, Pue. 72160
Tel: (222) 403-2908
Fax: (222) 249-2361
[email protected]
http://usmcocpue.org
Valle de México Chapter
México, D.F.
Anja Miroslaw
Executive Director
Av. Insurgentes Sur 1605
Torre Mural, Piso 25, Mod. 3
Col. San José Insurgentes
Benito Juárez, 03900
México, D.F.
Tel: (55) 5662-6103
Fax: (55) 5683-2700
[email protected]
Northeast Chapter
New York, NY
Alejandro Ramos
Executive Director
1540 Broadway, Suite 1400
New York, NY. 10036-4086
Tel: 212-471-4703
Fax: 212-471-4701
[email protected]
Las Vegas Chapter
Las Vegas, NV.
Carlos Olamendi
President
10728 Royal Pine Ave.
Las Vegas NV 89144
Tel: 310-586-7901
Fax: 310-586-7800
[email protected]
Querétaro Chapter
Querétaro, Qro.
Marcela Soto
Executive Director
Isas y Asociados Contadores
Públicos
Rufino Tamayo # 2
Col. Pueblo Nuevo
Querétaro, Qro. 76900
Tel: (442) 295-0272
[email protected]
Noreste Chapter
Monterrey, N.L.
Roberto Fuerte
Executive Director
Av. Fundidora No. 501.
Edificio Cintermex P.B. Local 114
Col. Obrera
Monterrey, N.L. 64010
Tel: (81) 8191-7800
[email protected]
[email protected]
The Woodlands - Gulf Coast
Chapter
Pete Garcia
Executive Director
10077 Grogan’s Mill Road,
Ste. 530
The Woodlands, TX 77380
713.854.1577
[email protected]
Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Washington, D.C.
Vacant
Trade Representative
6800 Versar Center, Suite 450
Springfield, VA 22151
Tel: 703-752-4752
Fax: 703-642-1088
[email protected]
Cancun Chapter
Cancún, Q.R.
Evelyn Pintado Cervera
Executive Director
Calle Chacá 19 Mz. 1 Sm.23,
Cancún, Q.R. C.P. 77500
Tel. (998) 193-1260
Fax (998) 887-8848
[email protected]
Michoacan Chapter
Morelia, Mich.
Nick Ortiz
Presidente
Melo 166-B
Morelia Michoacan C.P. 58000
Tel: (443) 353-2927
[email protected]
CHAPTER OFFICES / OFICINAS DEL CAPÍTULO
Al Zapanta
President & CEO
[email protected]
Tel: 703-752-4751
Fax: 703-642-1088
3
Technology Business Accelerator Program
T
echnology-based businesses
have great potential to
create innovative products
and services. In order to take
advantage of this potential, the Mexican
Ministry of Economy and the U.S.Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC)
formed TechBA (Technology Business
Accelerator Program), an organization
that identifies highly innovative Mexican
businesses with great promise for
growth and assists them in forging
international partnerships in order
to successfully participate in global
markets.
The main objectives of TechBA are to
nurture successful Mexican technology
companies as they move into global
markets and to facilitate their interaction
with international ecosystems in order
to generate sales, strategic partnerships
and attract investment.
TechBA was created in 2004 and currently
has eight accelerators dedicated to
assisting businesses with defined
innovative proposals. The TechBA offices
are located in regions that have developed
highly dynamic ecosystems: Silicon Valley
in California; Austin, Texas; Michigan;
Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Montreal,
Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; and
Madrid, Spain.
TechBA has increased its presence in the
Pacific Northwest region with several
success stories. Between 2010 and 2011,
45 Mexican technology companies have
participated in the TechBA program at
the Seattle office. Ten of these companies
incorporated in the U.S.
American Safari Cruises
Launches Eighth Vessel
A
MEMBERS CORNER / ESPACIO DEL MIEMBRO
merican Safari Cruises, a division of Seattlebased InnerSea Discoveries, is adding to its
fleet with the launch of Safari Endeavour
which embarks on the new Baja’s Bounty
Adventure cruises beginning in November 2012 and
cruising through April 2013. Weeklong expedition
cruises sail round trip from La Paz, Mexico to explore
this UNESCO World Heritage Site & Biosphere Reserve.
4
With this new addition, American Safari Cruises
increases its fleet to eight vessels with itineraries in
southeast Alaska, the Columbia and Snake Rivers,
the Pacific Northwest, Mexico’s Sea of Cortés and the
Hawaiian Islands.
American Safari Cruises specializes in upscale
adventure cruises with its focus on close-up experiences
at each destination, taking guests into areas that are not
generally accessible to larger ships.
For additional details, point your browser to
www.InnerSeaDiscoveries.com.
Mexican Government launches NEEC (Nuevo
Esquema de Empresas Certificadas)
O
n December 15, 2011, the Mexican
government announced that, as part of its
commitment to facilitate safe and secure
international trade across its borders, it
was launching NEEC (Nuevo Esquema de Empresas
Certificadas). According to www.logisticsportal.org,
“In its simplest form, NEEC is the Mexican version
of the U.S. C-TPAT that is modeled after the World
Customs Organization’s framework for secure
trade. Xtrategas, a law firm based in Mexico City,
specializing in international trade, customs and tax
laws (with offices at the main Mexican borders as
well as in the U.S., China and Hong Kong) is one of
the authorized firms to carry out NEEC certification.
The program is voluntary and offers participating
companies fewer inspections and faster clearances
for meeting specified supply requirements at the
U.S.-Mexican border.”
NEEC offers benefits to qualified companies. Among
those are:
• Fast track lanes
• New technology, non-invasive inspections
• Simple and easy administration
• Easier customs clearance and dispatch at the
border
• High level of confidence for all parties
• Rapid and efficient
• Major security
The procedure for certification takes about fourand-a-half months during which a company must
submit information about its facility and records
security, financial well-being, process flowcharts,
risk analysis, emergency plans, ID of workers and
visitors and corporate personnel. The company
must also have five years background in exports.
Through the NEEC, Mexico’s Tax Administration
Service (SAT) and its counterpart in the U.S.,
Customs and Border Protection, intend to initiate a
certification process involving all organizations and
personnel in the supply chain. It is expected that in
2012, around 2,000 import and export companies
shall be certified.
Banamex USA Opens
New Branches in Texas
B
Some of the benefits Banamex USA offers its customers
are no-fees transfers between accounts and other money
transfers. Customers can also make payments to their
Banamex USA credit cards or change checks in either dollars
or pesos at a preferential exchange rate, and are able to open
a Banamex USA account at any Banamex branch in Mexico.
Additionally, these branches allow customers to access their
accounts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through ATMs.
Future in Laredo and Brownsville will soon join the existing
branch network in Texas and will be part of an expansion
strategy that already includes the states of Arizona and
California.
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE MEMBERS CORNER IS PROVIDED BY MEMBER COMPANIES WHO ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT.
MEMBERS CORNER / ESPACIO DEL MIEMBRO
anamex USA opened two new branches in
Texas in November 2011. The Houston and San
Antonio branches offer the same quality service
that characterizes Banamex in Mexico as well as
Banamex USA.
5
Public-Private
Partnerships: the Key to Meeting
2012 Road Infrastructure Goals
A
s part of the strategy to meet the objectives of the
Mexico National Development Plan 2007-2012
(NDP), the government, through the Ministry of
Communications and Transportation (SCT) has
built, maintained and rehabilitated the road and highway
infrastructure of the country, without which, much of its
economic activity would be impossible. This investment
has set new records in funds allocated to infrastructure,
a cumulative investment at the end of the current
administration of almost $23 billion (approx. 300 billion
pesos).
PPPs
To ensure that the standards required by the country will
be met, and in order to implement the enhancements as
quickly as possible and maximize the sustainability of the
country, the federal government has implemented several
courses of action, one of the most relevant is PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs), which, as its name implies, is
a set of strategies to attract private capital investment into
roads. These PPPs are essential to achieving the goals of
the National Infrastructure Program (NIP) 2007-2012, and
constitute an important tool for completing critical projects
in a shorter time.
SCT
In order to improve continuity and strengthen the PPP
program, SCT performs the following activities:
• Follows up the execution of works and solves construction
contingencies,
• Supports efforts to finance concessions already awarded,
• Provides intensive monitoring for the bidding process,
• Heads up the resolution of legal and financial matters
necessary to ensure the execution of works associated
with existing concessions and secures its funding,
• Improves the preparation of new projects and schedules
related biddings.
In this way, the SCT demonstrates its strong commitment
ensuring a sustainable, safe and state of the art intermodal
Mexican transportation system.
SCT models
The three models designed by the SCT are:
• Concessions
• Provision of Project Services (PPS) and
• Use of Assets
Concessions are a structure that establishes an association
between the SCT and a private company to design, finance,
construct, maintain and operate a road for terms of 15 to 30
years. Currently there are 27 projects in varying stages of
development using this structure (operation, construction,
bidding and preparation).
The Project for Provision of Services or PPS is a PPP model
for modernization and maintenance of toll-free roads, the
service is provided by private companies in exchange
for periodic quarterly payments. Currently, there are
seven PPS projects in different stages of development
(preparation, bidding, construction and operation).
Use of Assets is designed to unincorporate highway
assets belonging to the National Infrastructure Fund
(FONADIN). These “packages of assets” are contracted
to the private sector in exchange for a fee paid to
FONADIN. There are 13 packages of asset utilization
under different development stages (preparation, bidding,
construction and operation)
Budgetary Public Works and Non-Budgetary Public Works
Complementary to these three models, the SCT has also
designed two programs related to PPPs to boost the country’s
roads: non-Budgetary Public Works and works related to
already existing concessions.
Non-Budgetary Public Works (OPNP) are performed with
6
PPP Projects Currently Underway
CONCEPT
No. Projects
Investments
Length (mi)
(billions of USD)
FONADIN resources so they do not come
from the Federation’s Expenditure Budget, and
once work completed, it will be licensed to
the National Works and Public Services Bank
(BANOBRAS).
CONCESSIONS
-operational
-construction
-awarded
-bidding
-preparation
27
13
4
2
2
6
963.25
464.04
151.30
76.18
53.75
217.98
$4,477.03
$1,567.17
$907.43
$438.74
$288.45
$1,275.24
PPS
-operational
-construction
-awarded
7
4
2
1
346.60
148.38
93.08
105.14
$1,522.12
$253.54
$567.94
$700.64
In order to improve continuity and strengthen
the PPP program, SCT performs the following
activities:
USE OF ASSETS
-operational
-construction
-awarded
-preparation
13
1
2
8
2
274.77
17.27
16.78
218.97
21.75
$1,492.64
$33.85
$141.42
$1,256.64
$60.73
NON-BUDGETARY PUBLIC WORKS
-operational
-construction
-bidding
-preparation
15
3
5
4
3
1,022.70
33.43
334.61
137.39
130.05
635.48
$184.53
$2,419.09
$862.68
$766.66
WORKS RELATED TO EXISTING
CONCESSIONS
-awarded
-construction
-preparation
-deferred
10
1
2
6
1
269.30
10.19
29.52
113.34
14.29
167.34
$72.87
$123.25
$1,183.57
$37.95
• Follows up the execution of works and
solves construction contingencies,
• Supports efforts to finance concessions
already awarded,
• Provides intensive monitoring for the
bidding process,
• Leads up legal and financial engineering
necessary to ensure the execution of works
associated to existing concessions and
secures its funding,
• Improves the preparation of new projects
and schedules related biddings.
TOTAL
72
2,387.43
$13,142.40
As of January 6, 2012. Source: SCT / Secretary for Infrastructure
Works related to existing concessions are
additional works linked to sections of existing
concessions.
In this way, the SCT shows its commitment
towards structuring the Mexican transportation
system within a sustainable, intermodal, safe
and state of the art context.
Main PPP Projects:
APP’S IN
OPERATION
Durango - Mazatlan
highway
Lenght: 230.0 km
Rio Bravo - Donna
international bridge
Lenght: 4.6 km
APP’S IN
PROCESS
Reynosa - Anzalduas
international bridge
Lenght: 10.0 km
Avila Camacho - Tihuatlán
highway
Lenght: 56.4 km
Nuevo Necaxa - Avila
Camacho highway
Lenght: 36.6 km
San Luis Rio Colorado
International Bridge
Length: 0.4 km
Tepic - Villa Union
highway
Lenght: 152.0 km
Mexico City’s North Arc
bypass
Lenght: 224.0 km
Irapuato - La Piedad
highway
Lenght: 75.0 km
Guadalajara - Colima
highway
Lenght: 34.0 km
Queretaro - Irapuato
highway
Lenght: 93.0 km
Nueva Italia - Apatzingan
highway
Lenght: 31.7 km
Ejutla - Puerto Escondido
highway
Lenght: 104.0 km
Inversión: 4,646.3 mdp
Arriaga - Ocozocoautla
highway
Lenght: 93.0 km
OF INTEREST / DE INTERÉS
Perote Xalapa
bypass
Lenght: 59.7 km
Inversión: 4,133.7 mdp
Termina: Noviembre 2012
Source: SCT / Secretary for Infrastructure
7
La importancia de implementar
efectivas políticas
anticorrupción en las empresas
G
anar
o
mantener
un
contrato lucrativo, obtener
beneficios personales o tener
influencia política, aunado
a la existencia de un ordenamiento
jurídico inadecuado a la realidad
nacional, la inoperancia de las
instituciones públicas así como la
existencia generalizada de una cultura
de la ilegalidad son sólo algunas de las
causas de este mal llamado corrupción.
OF INTEREST / DE INTERÉS
La corrupción es un problema que
afecta gravemente la credibilidad
de las instituciones, desestabiliza
la competitividad económica y
constituye un factor de desintegración
social. Es por esto que muchos países
ya han puesto en marcha medidas
para combatir este añejo problema. De
ello son conscientes los Gobiernos de
los países más industrializados por lo
que al día de hoy ya existen leyes y
acciones que faciliten la erradicación
de este problema.
8
La lucha contra la corrupción es tal
vez uno de los campos en los cuales
la acción colectiva de los Estados y las
empresas no sólo es conveniente, sino
absolutamente necesaria. Las empresas
extranjeras con actividades en México
afrontan la tentación y riesgo de
realizar pagos indebidos a funcionarios
de gobierno con el fin de obtener
ciertos beneficios o prerrogativas
relacionadas con sus actividades
comerciales, situación prohibida por
distintas leyes y jurisdicciones a nivel
internacional, como por ejemplo el
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act de los
Estados Unidos (FCPA). La mayoría de
dichas jurisdicciones, como es el caso
de los Estados Unidos criminalizan
y castigan los actos de corrupción y
soborno cometidos en el extranjero. En
los últimos años en los Estados Unidos,
las sanciones impuestas por casos de
corrupción y soborno superaron los
mil millones de dólares.
Adicionalmente a la Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act (FCPA), el Reino Unido
recientemente aprobó la llamada
Bribery Act la cual fue diseñada
para adaptar la legislación británica
a las normas internacionales contra
la corrupción.
Esta ley considera
como delito, dar o recibir sobornos
e introduce el concepto de delito
corporativo por no evitar la práctica
del soborno.
Según el índice de Percepción de
Corrupción del año 2011, México
ocupa la nada prestigiada posición 100
de entre 182 naciones. Es por eso que
los dueños, consejos de administración
y directivos de empresas mexicanas
no pueden y no deben postergar
la implementación de políticas
anticorrupción al interior de las
mismas debido a la creciente ejecución
de medidas internacionales por parte
de las empresas multinacionales así
como la creación de leyes en contra de
la corrupción por parte de los países
industrializados las cuales incluyen
fuertes sanciones internacionales en
contra de las empresas y personas que
buscan establecer una competencia
comercial leal.
La implementación de códigos de
conducta, la práctica de auditorías, y
la imposición de fuertes sanciones son
sólo algunas de las medidas con las que
se puede combatir la práctica de actos
de corrupción en las empresas.
Las empresas en México deben actuar de
inmediato para diseñar e implementar
las políticas anticorrupción acordes a
las legislaciones internacionales, de
igual forma deberán destinar parte de
sus recursos económicos, humanos
y legales primero para contribuir al
cambio en la forma de hacer negocios
en México y con esto no perder
competitividad
internacional,
ya
que para hacer negocios de manera
global es necesario demostrar solidez
moral, legal y corporativa acorde
a las necesidades y estándares
internacionales.
Provided by: José Antonio Pérez Bravo Nani.
Rivadeneyra, Treviño & De Campo, S.C.
9
OF INTEREST / DE INTERÉS
La USMCOC en el camino de
la competitividad
E
n 2011, la Organización de las
Naciones Unidas para el Medio
Ambiente y la Organización
de las Naciones Unidas para
el Desarrollo Industrial reconocieron
y aceptaron el proyecto del Centro
de Producción más Limpia del Bajío
soportado por la USMCOC como
uno de los 43 Centros Nacionales de
Producción más Limpia a nivel mundial
dentro de la “Red Global de Producción
más Limpia y Recursos Eficientes”.
Provided by: Sergio Ponce, Excecutive
Director - USMCOC Guanajuato chapter.
Technology: A Main Component
for Economic Development
OF INTEREST / DE INTERÉS
T
10
echnology
within
the
business world provides a
direct competitive advantage;
conversely, it can also create
a barrier to entering new
areas of business and markets.
relative to GDP are Israel (4.53 percent),
Sweden (3.73 percent), Finland (3.45
percent), Japan (3.39 percent), South
Korea (3.23 percent), Switzerland (2.9
percent), Iceland (2.78 percent) and
United States (2.62 percent).
Products with high technology
components are difficult to replicate,
require large investment in research
and development (R&D) and have long
cycles of production but technology
does need to be a foundation for
economic development for many
countries. The eight countries with the
highest spending on R&D technology
Technology cannot be viewed as
narrowly as devices such as computers
and mobile phones; rather, it must
be viewed in the broader context of
economic development. Technology
as a national strategy is more complex,
must be given special attention in
education, tax and labor policies, and
private investment.
The human resources required for
technology-intensive industries are
costly because they call for more
years of education, higher degree of
specialization and constant training. In
addition, academic programs are not
always aligned to industry needs and
private companies often invest the first
few years after hiring in training their
personnel.
National
policies,
especially
in
developing countries, often do not
include strategies for technological
advances. Over the long run, advances
in technology and productivity lead
to higher wages for the workforce as
a whole. Technology can also lead to
more effective and cleaner production
lines, which is not necessarily the case
when policies address only tax and
labor regulations to encourage the use
of technology in companies.
Investment in R&D is risky. Private
investment and financial institutions
do not necessarily invest in highly
innovative or long term projects with
a large component of R&D, more
risks and longer time to see returns,
therefore venture capital typically
funds such projects. While Mexico
spent only 0.04 percent of GDP in
its venture capital last year, the U.S.
venture capitalists invested $16.7
billion in 2,497 start-ups and accounted
for 21 percent of U.S. GDP.
In order to effectively incorporate
technology as a main driver for
economic
development,
Mexican
businesses must foster relationships
between
educational
institutions
and industry to grow the necessary
human resources, and must educate
politicians and financial institutions
about developing long term strategies
and encouraging more investment in
innovation.
Provided by: Dr. Itzam de Gortari
CEO - TechBA Seattle
Mergers and Acquisitions in Mexico
Reducing Risk and Adding
Value through Due Diligence
M
ost companies contemplating a merger or
acquisition recognize that due diligence is a
best practice. What’s odd, then, is the number
of organizations that move forward with either
no due diligence or due diligence that’s conducted too
quickly or too narrowly.
however, they tend to miss the intricacies of the IETU
(Mexico’s version of the dreaded alternative minimum tax)
and the rules related to VAT. Although we’re called in after a
transaction to assist with many unforeseen occurrences, we
almost always find issues—many of which are significant—
related to VAT and IETU.
Conducting a thorough, multidisciplinary due diligence
process is the only way to know you’re getting what
you’re paying for and to significantly reduce any unhappy
surprises after a transaction. Here are just a few of the top
concerns that should be part of the due diligence process
when contemplating a merger or acquisition opportunity in
Mexico.
For example, we recently worked with a company that was
attempting to recoup $1 million of VAT from the Mexican
government. The government had essentially blacklisted the
company, who had no plan in place to get that money back.
This problem was caused by incorrect tax filings and resulted
in a receivable that, in our opinion, was well overstated—
and something that we discovered and addressed during the
due diligence process.
IMMEX
Labor
Let’s say you’re importing 12 components used to
manufacturing one export. You have to track everything
associated with each finished product, including scrap and
any items that may become obsolete. The rules get very
complex, very quickly. We’ve had clients that ended up
with significant exposures on the customs side that either
neglected to conduct due diligence altogether or conduced
very limited due diligence—and later encountered a very
unhappy surprise.
VAT/IETU
Most companies understand basic Mexican income tax;
The United States is one of the few countries that allows atwill employment. Most, including Mexico, have labor laws
that favor employees and can require significant payment
upon their termination.
In Mexico, whenever an employee is terminated, he/she
may be entitled to a significant severance package—typically
three months’ pay plus 20 days’ pay per year of service. In
the event of a merger or acquisition, it’s critical to have a
strategy in place for a smooth transition to avoid or manage
this liability.
In Conclusion
In our experience, approximately one-third of due diligence
investigations uncover serious problems—potential deal
breakers. Of those, approximately half fail to complete the
merger/acquisition process.
It’s crucial therefore, that organizations contemplating a
merger or acquisition not only conduct due diligence but
consider all aspects of it—strategic, financial, operational,
IT, and human capital—to assure a successful transaction.
Provided by: Scott Sneckenberger / Partner - Plante & Moran, PLLC
Alejandro A. Rodriguez / Country Manager - México Plante & Moran, PLLC.
OF INTEREST / DE INTERÉS
This is a consideration that won’t be found on any balance
sheet. IMMEX (also or formerly known as maquiladora)
is a program where, if you meet certain criteria and track
components appropriately, you don’t have to pay the 16
percent Mexican value-added tax (VAT) on the temporary
importation of equipment and materials. It can also allow
participants to defer or eliminate import duties. If you run
afoul of the rules, however, there are significant penalties
(up to 400 percent of the value of the item in question,
suspension of the company’s import/export license, etc.).
11
As a result, the Single Window for Trade
reduces transaction costs to importers
and exporters by 20%.
The Single Window for Trade process
consists in only four steps. First, all
the importers, exporters, companies or
people interested in trade have to fill
out an electronic form on the Single
Window for Trade website (www.
ventanillaunica.gob.mx), which is easy
to follow because the program will
properly guide the user.
Second the information is
submitted through the internet
to the relevant government
agencies for its analysis and
approval. Hence, customs
can have the information in
advance in order to conduct a
risk analysis.
BRI
EFS
Mexico Enhances Trade
Facilitation through a Single
Window
M
BRIEFS / BREVES
exico
has
recently
launched an innovative
Single Window for Trade
(Ventanilla Única) to
significantly facilitate trade with its
main trading partners and the rest
of the world. Promoting trade is not
just about reducing or eliminating
tariff and non-tariff barriers, but also
about moving increasing volumes of
imported and exported goods through
the borders faster. This is why Mexico
has rapidly adapted new technologies
and better regulations to make trade
more agile and easier, improving its
global competitiveness.
In order to make trade with other
countries more efficient, Mexico
has invested about $700 million to
implement the Single Window for
Trade. This smart tool allows exporters
and importers to meet government
requirements on trade by instantly
sending relevant information such as
type of product, volume, destination,
and mode of transportation at one
time.
By using this tool, Mexican exporters
and importers receive tangible benefits
such as: low costs and less time in the
application process; the information
is captured only one time; importers,
exporters and companies can log on
at any time in any place around the
world; the logistics process is faster;
the information is secure; and the
process is more transparent.
The Single Window for Trade replaces
the need for making 165 proceedings
and submitting 40 documents and
more than 200 different pieces of
data, such as importing or exporting
licenses, certifications of origin for
products, insurance to protect the
merchandise, invoices, and shipping
verification orders, creating a lot of
paper work. In addition, the agencies
increased attendance capacity from
1,100 to 9,900 applications in a month.
Third after the trade operation has
been approved by the agencies, the
appropriate taxes are calculated and
subsequently collected from a bank
account that the Mexican importer /
exporter might need to provide.
Fourth, once the merchandise arrives
to the crossing point the carrier must
present a summary of the shipping
transaction to the customs verifier at the
customs facility. The customs official
will check electronically, with a simple
touch, all the information provided by
the carrier through a portable digital
device in order to allow the merchandise
to continue its journey.
It is important to note that to be able
to use the Single Window for Trade, the
users need to have a valid electronic
advanced signature (FIEL) which is
easy to obtain in the Tax Administration
Office (SAT).
With this important improvement,
Mexico will be able to climb to 32nd
place in the sub-index Border Trade
of the World Bank’s Doing Business
Report, climbing 26 places. The Single
Window for Trade expedites Mexico’s
trade operations by sharing information
among the interconnected government
agencies involved in trade and the
customs facilities throughout the
country. This results in better services
provided to exporters and importers that
everyday move more than $1.6 billion
in traded goods across the border.
Source: NAFTA Works. January 2012* Volume 17, Issue 1
12
USMCOC Introduces Newest Chapter:
The Woodlands-Gulf Coast Chapter in Texas
U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce (USMCOC) took
another step in the growth of the organization and
expansion of its national presence. One of the regions
previously underserved in the Chamber’s network was
the South-Central United States. The creation of the new
chapter fortifies efforts to continue increasing business
with Mexico.
On December 7, 2011, USMCOC held a joint press conference
with The Greater Houston Partnership to officially launch
the new chapter which will cover the U.S. Gulf Coast from
the Rio Grande Valley north through Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama, as well as other areas of Texas including the
cities of Houston, Austin and San Antonio.
At the press conference, attended by Al Zapanta, Chamber
CEO; Ronda Butler-Harkey, chapter president; and Julie
Charros-Betancor, chapter vice president. Jeff Moseley,
president /CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership stated,
“The Greater Houston Partnership is pleased to open the
doors to the new chapter. The USMCOC represents an
advantage for Houston businesses that are interested in
increasing their income and creating employment as a
result trade with Mexico.”
Pete Garcia, the Chapter’s executive director noted, “In
particular, The Woodlands and the Gulf Coast region are in
a position to grow along with Mexico as global competitors
in the energy sector.”
In addition to energy, the region also offers a major
medical center, tourism, prestigious universities, regional
investment centers, great shopping, is a great place to
do business and live, and is a hub for the world’s largest
airline, thus “it is imperative to continue establishing and
growing relations between our two countries. We aspire
to serve as a catalyst for new relations, solutions and
investments. Our primary mission is to help [members]
connect with Mexico. Our role is to help our members
in seeking to maximize revenues in trade between our
countries,” Garcia added.
The press conference was covered by numerous local and
Mexican media, receiving coverage by Univision, KTRK ABC Channel 13, Houston Chronicle, Houston Business
Journal, Telemundo, KHUF-Radio.
The founding members of the new chapter are Amegy
Bank, ExxonMobil, Lucia Oaks, Memorial Hermann
Hospitals, MFR P.C., OBT-Orgain Bell & Tucker, LLP, Rice
University, The Woodlands Development Co., United
Airlines, Univision, and the Consulate General of Mexico.
The membership has since added BlackForest Ventures,
Oasis Bank, Greenspoint District, Interbrands, Crown
Point Regional Center, R & MGlobal Advisors, Port Isabel
Offshore, Uptown Realty, CallFast Call Centers, State
Farm Insurance, Royal Bank of Canada and Gonzalez
Distribution, with others pending.
Chapter contact information: 10077 Grogan’s Mill Rd.,
Suite 530, The Woodlands, Texas 77380. E-mail pete@
usmcocgc.org or call (713) 854-1577.
Left to right: Ronda Butler-Harkey attorney with OBT and president of the Chapter; Dan Leverett, (bi-national member) V.P. Commercial at The Woodlands Development Co. and
member of the Strategy Committee; Pete C. Garcia, executive director of the new chapter; Al Zapanta, CEO USMCOC; Craig Richard, GHP’s Chief Economic Development Officer;
Julie Charros-Betancor, director of sales at Latin America The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center.
13
Fall 2011
Binational Meeting & Award
Gala Dinner
The United States México Chamber of Commerce hosted its fall
Binational Meeting & Award Gala Dinner November 30 through
December 1. The theme for the meeting was “U.S.–México Challenges
and Opportunities 2012.” The conference brought together over one
hundred business executives and government officials.
CONFERENCE
The keynote address was presented by Juan de Dios Barba,
president of México City’s Economic and Social Council.
His comments focused on the importance of education
and creating jobs for the entire population, emphasizing
the need to improve education levels in lower income
communities so that they are not left behind in the 21st
Century economy. His office also distributed a book on
México City called, “México City, A Knowledge Economy.”
BINATIONAL EVENT / EVENTO BINACIONAL
United States Ambassador to Mexico, Earl Anthony Wayne with México’s Secretary of
Tourism, Gloria Guevara Manzo and Al Zapanta, President and CEO of the USMCOC
14
RECEPTION
The kickoff to the conference began with the traditional
welcome reception at the newly appointed United States
Ambassador Anthony Wayne’s residence. The ambassador
greeted and addressed the attendees, noting the economic
importance of the U.S.- México relationship. Making a
surprise visit to the reception was México’s Secretary of
Tourism, Gloria Guevara Manzo, who also addressed the
audience about the importance of the United States-México
relationship, particularly in the area of tourism. She stated
that a large increase in American tourism to Mexico was
imperative in order for México to achieve its goal of becoming
one of the top five tourist destinations in the coming years.
John Donoghue, President & CEO, National Fiber Networks de México
• Panel: Innovation & Information
Technology and the Use of Social
Media
The keynote speaker for this panel
was Claudia Ivette García, Director
General of Commerce and Digital
Economy, México’s Secretariat of
the Economy. Also on this panel
were Bruno Rangel, Director of
Finance, Grupo Salinas; John Farrell,
President, Google México; Marcos
Perez Oyamburu, Director, Product
Development, Ford de México; Carlos
Funes, Vice President for México
& Central America at Softek; and
John Donoghue, President and CEO,
National Fiber Networks de México.
Marcos Perez Oyamburu, Ford de México; Carlos Funes, Softek; John Farrell, Google de México; and John Donoghue,
National Fiber Networks de México.
Federico Gutierrez, Banobras and Richard Downie, Center for
Hemispheric Defense Studies
• Panel: Transportation, Logistics &
Infrastructure
• Panel: Trade, Commerce, &
Finance
Héctor Rangel, NAFIN/Bancomext; Federico Gutierrez, Banobras; Sergio R. Kurczyn Banuelos, Banamex.
The third roundtable highlighted the
topics of trade, commerce and finance.
Principal speaker for this panel was
Eduardo Ramos, Assistant Secretary
for Trade, Mexico’s Secretary of
Economy (SE). Also on the roundtable
were Héctor Rangel, Director General
for NAFIN/Bancomext; Sergio R.
Kurczyn Bañuelos Director General,
Banamex; and Carlos Galves, vice
president, CONCANACO.
BINATIONAL EVENT / EVENTO BINACIONAL
Fausto Barajas, Undersectretary of Infrastructure, Mexico’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications
This topic was presented by Fausto
Barajas, Office of Mexico’s Secretary
of Transportation and Communication
(SCT). Additional speakers: Federico
Gutierrez, deputy director of Roads,
Railroads and Urban Transportation,
Banobras; Edgar Guillaumin, vice
president of Right of Way Protection
and Corporate Affairs, Kansas City
Southern de México; and Richard
Downie, director, Center for
Hemispheric Defense Studies.
15
• Panel: Preparing for the 2012
Presidential Election
The final roundtable , Preparing
for the 2012 Presidential Election,
featured Gustavo Madero, president,
National Action Party (PAN); Jesus
Zambrano, president of the Party of
the Democratic Revolution (PRD);
and Heriberto Galindo, Adjunct
Secretary General, Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI). The three
party leaders spoke passionately, but
respectfully, about the issues México
is currently facing, and how their
respective parties would work to
resolve problems should they win the
Presidential election.
GALA
To close out the binational meeting, the
Chamber sponsored its gala reception
and awards dinner, always a first-rate
affair.
Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s Secretary
of Public Security and Rodolfo López
Negrete, Chief Operating Officer,
Mexico Tourism Board received the
Buen Vecino Awards for their efforts
in promoting and strengthening the
relationship between the United States
and México.
BINATIONAL EVENT / EVENTO BINACIONAL
In his acceptance speech, Lopez
Negrete echoed the words of the
16
Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, Chief Operating Officer of México’s
Tourism Board speaking after receiving the Buen Vecino Award
José García Torres, President USMCOC; Jesus Zambrano, PRD; Al Zapanta, USMCOC; Gustavo Madero, PAN; Ildefonso
Guajardo, PRI.
Secretary of Tourism by stressing
the importance of the Americans
to the Mexican tourism industry.
Additionally, he spoke about the
new campaign called “México, the
place you thought you knew,” geared
towards people who have visited
tourist areas of México, but have not
explored other parts of the country.
Secretary García Luna emphasized the
need to continue the war against the
drug cartels in Mexico. He remarked
that police officers and military units
make less money per month than what
the drug cartels offer them for one
day of their collaboration as a reason
behind the ever present corruption,
which makes this war more difficult
to win. Additionally, he stressed the
need to create jobs in México as a way
of dissuading youth from joining the
ranks of the cartels.
From the reception at the Ambassador’s
residence to the informative conference
and the Awards Gala Dinner, the
Binational Meeting & Award Gala
Dinner 2011 was a great success. We
look forward to seeing you in late April
at our Annual Conference and Good
Neighbor Awards, Binational Board
of Directors Meeting in Washington,
D.C.
Al Zapanta presenting the Buen Vecino Award to Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s Secretary for Public Security
UNITED STATES-MEXICO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CÁMARA DE COMERCIO MÉXICO-ESTADOS UNIDOS
USMCOC Thanks its Sponsors for Supporting the:
“U.S.- Mexico Economic Recovery and Stability
2011& Good Neighbor Awards” Sponsors
GALLÁSTEGUI & LOZANO
17
BINATIONAL EVENT / EVENTO BINACIONAL
COSTACAPOMO
18
FONATUR
Converts Vision into
Investment
Cancun
Since 1974, FONATUR has helped build a vacation and
tourism destination in this area of unlimited natural
beauty and close proximity to the most important
Mayan archaeological areas of the country. Nowadays
more than three million international and domestic
tourists travel to Cancun each year. It was transformed
into a modern planned city that is currently the most
recognized Mexican tourism center worldwide and
one of the most important of the Caribbean. It boasts
hotel districts, commercial and residential areas,
convention centers, an excellent international airport,
good roads and world-class theme parks such as Nizuc,
Xcaret and Xel-Ha.
CIPs
Over the years, FONATUR fostered five more CIPs
(Los Cabos, Loreto, Ixtapa, Huatulco and Litibú) which
also became a worldwide tourist destinations. Like
Cancun, these CIPs also take advantage of the beauty
and amenities of the areas to draw a large share of
the tourist industry—an industry with great economic
and social benefits that bring employment and greatly
improve the quality of life of the inhabitants. FONATUR
is, without dispute, the most important engine for
generating investment in tourism infrastructure.
New Developments, New FONATUR Destinations
In the future, FONATUR has very precise plans to boost
tourism in three destinations in different beaches of
the country:
• Playa Espiritu in Sinaloa.
• Costacapomo in La Riviera Nayarit.
• Marina Cozumel in Quintana Roo.
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
T
hanks to the historical wealth of Mexico,
its climate variety and its unequalled
natural resources, FONATUR has
created Integrally Planned Resorts
(CIPs, the Spanish acronym) in
different destinations of the country. The most
well-known is Cancun, which was once viewed as
a humble fishering village on an uninhabited spot,
without much connection to the rest of the country,
and without even minimal infrastructure.
19
PLAYA ESPIRITU
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
The new Integrally Planned Sustainable Resort (CIPS)
Playa Espíritu located in Escuinapa, is a project that is
being developed by utilizing a new paradigm based on
integration of the project with the environment.
20
20
Based on the concept of sustainability rather than
damaging the region, the goal is to recycle, make the most
of natural assets and minimize the usage of water and
energy. From the detailed examination of the location’s
deterioration, designs and development seek to reduce
the pressure, establishing programs and measures for its
regeneration. The respect for the natural elements is a
core value.
Beginning with the planning, the underlying priority is to
retain a full understanding of the physical characteristics
of the site and its environment through every phase of
the project. Usage of studies such as the LIDAR (Laser
Imaging Detection and Ranging) not only allow for an
environmentally-friendly integrated design, but also an
interdisciplinary approach for the different specialists
that, over time, will work on the projects. This integrated
plan of attack will promote the continuity, the structure,
the cohesion and the balance of the original design.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONSTRUCTION:
• Accommodation units: 43,981
• Hotel rooms: 11,614
• Residential houses: 15,882
• Land zoning:
- Tourist, residential, single-family, low medium
and high density
- Mixed uses
- Hotel-tourism
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
• Total surface: 5,883 acres.
• Marketable surface: 3,354 acres.
• Developable surface: 4,806 acres.
• Beach front: 7.5 miles
LOCATION:
• Teacapán, Sinaloa
- Distance: 62 miles from Mazatlán, Sinaloa
- Travel time: 1 hour
ACCESSIBILITY:
• Aeropuerto Internacional de Mazatlán
(Mazatlán International Airport)
- Distance: 53 miles
- Travel time: 1 hour 20 minutes
The energy plan is also different.
The use of fossil fuel energy will be
avoided as much as possible, favoring
renewable sources, particularly solar.
Additionally, certified low consumption
equipment will be installed.
This will be a CIPS that invites physical
activity, that encourages a clean
development and wellbeing based on
the concept of “nodes” or “compact
cities” enabling residents and guests to
have everything within reach without
having to make long car travels. The
connectivity to other areas will favor
public transportation, bicycles and
walking. The project calls for urban
planning with a large number of
intersections, sidewalks and open and
continued paths, green spaces, parking
in the back of buildings and squares
and centers that invite interaction.
The architecture will be customized
in the design of each of the buildings.
The energy efficiency will depend on
the orientation, volumes, shadows,
ventilations, heights, views, materials,
winds, insulations and other bioclimatic
elements that add to the comfort and
quality of life of the inhabitants.
From the beginning of operations, a
sustainable waste handling policy will
be promoted not only to reduce, but
to make the most of, all wastes. The
wastes produced must be separated
for recycling and final disposal, taking
into account the possible production of
energy and use of compost, apart from
encouraging their reduction through
escalated rates and other specific
programs.
The plan is to create a CIPS that will be
accessible and attractive to all, promoting
the equity confronting diversity. A CIPS
that will invite all visitors to participate,
enjoy and live it. The CIPS Playa Espíritu
will be a referral center for everybody
now and forever.
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
• Aeropuerto de Teacapán (Teacapán Airport)
21
TOTAL SURFACE:
631 acres.
MARKETABLE SURFACE:
450 acres.
AREAS:
• Boca de Becerros
• Anexo Cuevitas
• Boca de Naranjos
HOUSING CAPACITY:
4,822
PGA CLASS
18-hole golf course (197 acres.)
COSTACAPOMO
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
Another great FONATUR project is the
Integral Tourism Project (the Spanish
acronym is PTI) Costacapomo in the
state of Nayarit in Lima de Abajo,
Compostela, approximately 29 miles
north of Litibú and 37 miles from
Puerto Vallarta. Since operations
began in 2005, it has become an
important tourist spot in the Mexican
Pacific.
22
The PTI Costacapomo was oriented to
promote the tourist corridor running
from Bahía de Banderas to port of
San Blas, seeking to position the
Compostela and San Blas towns on the
national tourism map.
This area has good accessibility thanks
to the existing infrastructure in Puerto
Vallarta and Nayarit, among which are
the International Airport of Puerto
Vallarta, the National Airport of Tepic,
the Puerto Vallarta Cruise Port, the
Riviera Nayarit Marina in La Cruz de
Huanacaxtle, the San Blas Nautical
Scale and the 200 Federal Highway that
goes from Colima to Tepic.
Thanks to its strategic location, its
beautiful landscape and the natural
wealth of the state, Costacapomo is
a great opportunity for the investor
seeking to make the most of the
opportunities of a planned tourist
development, backed by FONATUR
and with the support of the state
government.
The available urban reserve has a
631-acre land mass where a potential
of 4,821 rooms will be developed,
anchored by a PGA quality 18-hole golf
course. The purpose of this project is
to meet the demand of sun and beach
tourism, golf, vacation housing and
ecotourism in a low density design that
both minimizes the environmental
impact and promotes the respect for
nature.
It is an urban reserve made up of
three distinct environments: Anexo
Cuevitas, a cliff area with slopes that
are over twenty percent covered by
low jungle with panoramic views; Boca
de Naranjos, a flat area with palm and
mangrove vegetation confined by two
rain run offs; and Boca de Becerros,
which is primarily a plain.
The urbanized development will
include beach clubs, entertainment
centers and a commercial district.
It will also guarantee the supply of
drinking water, sewage treatment
plants and electricity, as well
as roadways with designed road
surfaces, lighting, landscaping and
comprehensive signage.
Thanks
out by
Partial
in the
Nayarit
to the administration carried
FONATUR, the Costacapomo
Urban Development Plan,
municipality of Compostela
was
authorized,
thus
reinforcing the coordinated local, state,
federal and private sector participation.
The expected benefits between 2013 and
2017 are to generate 7,354 direct jobs,
16,877 indirect jobs, guarantee an annual
inflow of 523,000 tourists, ongoing private
investment of $1.5 billion and a public
investment of $128 million to benefit the
population in the region.
HUATULCO
Given its location—the same latitude
as Hawaii—Costacapomo enjoys a mild
tropical climate with average temperature
of 80° F, offering visitors the perfect
escape.
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
LOS CABOS
CANCÚN
23
For further information call
+52(55) 5090-4249 / 01800-800-1020 or
www.fonatur.gob.mx
MARINA COZUMEL
FonaturMX
@FonaturMX
THE COVER / ARTÍCULO DE PORTADA
Located in the beautiful State of
Quintana Roo, Marina Cozumel
emerges from the need of expansion
of the current Cozumel. Only three
miles from the center of Cozumel and
few steps from the international cruise
port of Puerta Maya, this destination´s
main attraction will be a marina with
capacity for 333 boats, 15 to 60 feet
long.
24
The development has a total surface
of 103 acres, more than half of the
land being classified as marketable.
With such extension, the hotel and
residential offering is varied; there
will be a total of 1,647 accommodation
units, 572 of which will be hotel rooms,
while 537 are projected for residential
housing.
Marina Cozumel will also provide the
island with four hotels, a commercial
boulevard contiguous to the marina
and a commercial, residential and
multifamily area.
Its location is privileged, as it is only
five miles—10-minute travel time—
from the International Airport of
Cozumel.
In Marina Cozumel, the sun shines all
year long with an average temperature
of 80° F which makes it a travel
destination any time of the year. The
landscape features white and turquoise
blue colors, amazing coralline cliffs,
mangroves and dunes.
Cozumel is an unbeatable destination
for luxury tourism. The most
experienced travelers who seek
the comfort of a sun and beach
destination, find amenities to satisfy
any taste: large full services hotels with
dedicated personal attention, delicious
seafood, first-class golf courses, tireless
night life and, of course, high-end
shopping for the best world brands and
the exclusive traditional crafts from
different states of the country. As if
that weren´t enough, Cozumel is the
Mexican port most visited by luxury
cruises which makes for an-impossibleto forget trip in the Caribbean.
Chapter Activities...
Actividades del capítulo...
Northeast Chapter. New York, NY
California Regional Chapter. Los Angeles, CA
Guanajuato Chapter. León, Gto
Mid-America Chapter. Chicago, IL
Inter-American Chapter. Miami, FL
Valle de México Chapter. México, DF
Michoacan Chapter. Morelia, Mich
25
Northeast Chapter. New York, NY
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE NORTHEAST
CHAPTER (2011 FOURTH QUARTER)
T
he U.S.-Mexico Chamber
of Commerce, Northeast
Chapter
(USMCOCNE),
located in New York City,
had a very good 2011 and a particularly
active fourth quarter. Last year, we were
instrumental in organizing fifty public
and private events. Among them there
were conferences with government
officials; conversations with leaders in
the financial, economic and political
areas; seminars led by recognized
academics; and conversations with
high ranking investors pursuing
investment in both the United States
and Mexico. We also took the lead in
promoting many cultural events.
in the law firm Shearman & Sterling
LLP, welcomed Bruno Ferrari,
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, in
late 2011.
Through these activities, the Chapter
has been able to expand its presence
and also promote businesses and trade
between the two countries.
VISIT BY GOVERNOR OF THE
STATE OF TLAXCALA
CHAPTER HOSTS MEXICO’S
SECRETARY OF ECONOMY
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
Members of the Chamber and partners
Ferrari addressed Mexico’s competitiveness and the incentives to invest
in the country. He explained how
Mexico has become a secure and profitable region. This event facilitated
discussion of Mexico’s competitive
international ranking and the success
and growth of industries in various areas of the country. He also described
many of the incentives for direct foreign investment within the context of
Mexico’s international trade policy.
During the month of November,
member Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt
& Mosle LLP and the USMCOCNE
were visited by the Governor of the
State of Tlaxcala, Mariano González
Zarur, who announced that the state
From right to left: Alejandro Ramos (US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce), Malcolm Montgomery (Shearman & Sterling), Bruno
Ferrari (Mexico Minister of Economy), Carlos Sada (Consul General of Mexico in NY).
1
26
became one of the first 10 states to
guarantee full health access to all.
He explained the state has not only
made great progress in the area of
health care, but also in infrastructure,
noting the state is home to three
industrial cities, three industrial
parks, and three industrial zones.
Tlaxcala has welcomed businesses
in many areas of industry such as
the production and exportation
of
automotive
parts, textiles,
machinery, electrical harnesses,
rubber and plastics. In fact, Tlaxcala
has been recognized by INEGI1 for
its infrastructure.
SEMINAR: MEXICO AS
PREMIERE SOURCE OF
HUMAN CAPITAL FOR GLOBAL
COMPETITIVENESS
For
the
fourth
consecutive
year, A.T. Kearney and the
USMCOCNE partnered to organize
an event to discuss business and
competitiveness.
The
seminar
featured several experts on the topic:
Sergio García Bulle, General Director,
Conocer; Guillermo Fernández de la
Garza, CEO, United States-Mexico
Foundation for Science (FUMEC);
Ricardo Haneine, Partner, AT
Kearney (Mexico); Blanca Treviño,
CEO, Softtek; Ernesto M. Hernández,
President and Managing Director
General Motors de México; and,
Fernando Salgado, Secretary of
Political Affairs, Mexico’s National
Confederation of Workers (CTM).
The speakers described the great
investment opportunities available
in Mexico: a hard-working and
skilled work force and the ongoing
educational support offered by many
employers to grow the skills and
knowledge of their employees.
National Institute of Statistics and Geography INEGI (for its acronym in Spanish).
Sergio Garcia Bulle (Director General of Conocer) and Blanca Treviño (CEO, Softtek).
One of the last events of 2011 was the
II Annual Conference on Mexico’s
Pension Fund System: Evolution,
Regulation and Business Opportunities,
cohosted with BNY Mellon and Pine
Bridge
Investments.
Conference
attendees had the opportunity to
hear representatives from several
international businesses discuss the
Mexican pension fund system and
how it has aligned with the depth
and liquidity of the markets while
simultaneously strengthening the
economy and facilitating the efficient
use of financial resources.
Suisse: Steven Costabile, PineBridge
Investments; Alejandro Echegorri,
Principal Financial Group; Oscar
Franco, AMAFORE; Thomas D. Higgins,
Standish Mellon Asset Management;
and Pedro Ordorica Leñero, CONSAR.
For more information about the
Chapter visit www.usmcocne.org. For
sponsorship opportunities contact
[email protected] or call
(212) 471- 4703.
CELEBRATION OF ANNIVERSARY
OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE
The Chapter commemorated the 201st
anniversary of Mexican Independence
on September 15. The party was a great
success and was attended by a huge
crowd of Mexican professionals and
friends in New York. We very much
appreciate the participation of Mr.
Carlos Sada, Consul General of Mexico,
who conducted “the Grito” during the
celebration.
CONTINUED NETWORKING
Presenters were: Alonso Cervera, Credit
The Chapter continues to promote
interaction among members with
the people who visit our region. As a
result of our efforts, there has been
greater communication between our
members and Mexico’s business firms
and politicians. This networking
has encouraged investors to look to
Mexico for greater success as well as
an increase in the number of meetings
with New York-based Mexican
companies.
2012
Ernesto Hernández, President, General Motors de México.
innovating interaction in further events.
We are very eager to continue to organize
events that promote binational trade
and the exchange of ideas, strategies
and knowledge. We look at 2012 as a
marvelous opportunity to reinforce the
already created relationships this past
year, and of course we look forward to
Alexis E. Rovzar
We are very sad to share that Alexis E.
Rovzar, member of the management
committee of our Chapter, passed
away on January 7, 2012 in Mexico
City.
Mr. Rovzar was a partner in the Latin
American law firm White & Case, a
regional chamber member. He also
sat on the board of directors of a
number of multinational firms such
as: Fomento Económico Mexicano
(FEMSA), Coca-Cola Femsa (KOF),
Canada’s Scotiabank, Grupo Bimbo,
Grupo COMEX, Compañia Occidental
Mexicana (COMSA), Grupo ACIR,
Appleseed,
the
Philharmonic
Orchestra of the Americas, Qualitas
of Life Foundation, Procura, the Board
of International Overseers of Tufts
University, NFL Mexico, Patronato
del Instituto Nacional de Pediatría
(The National Children’s Hospital
Institute), Momentum Real Estate
Partners, and was a former Chairman
of the Board of Governors of the
Center on Philanthropy of Indiana
University in Indianapolis.
He will be greatly missed by his
loved ones and his many friends and
colleagues. May he rest in peace.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
II ANNUAL CONFERENCE
ON MEXICO’S PENSION
FUND SYSTEM: EVOLUTION,
REGULATION AND BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITIES
Mexican Pension Funds Conference.
27
Mid-America Chapter. Chicago, IL
“MEXICO MEANS OPPORTUNITY” Investment, Sourcing and
Manufacturing Opportunities in the Aerospace Industry
M
exico has become a
major innovation and
manufacturing center in
the aerospace industry.
In the last decade, several of the
world’s leading aerospace companies
have discovered that Mexico is a
great locale for the development of
their manufacturing strategies given
the many available resources. These
companies cite the availability of
human talent and competitive costs
as the main strengths of Mexico’s
aerospace industry.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
Today, Mexico is the country with
28
the largest investment in aerospace
manufacturing and holds the sixth
place in aerospace research and
development and is ranked 12th among
the world’s major aerospace exporters
with $3.26 billion in aerospace exports
in 2010.
The
U.S.-Mexico
Chamber
of
Commerce, Mid-America Chapter
hosted the Third Quarterly Mexico
Update Seminar on November 29,
2011, which provided a status update
and forecasts for Mexico’s business
environment. Among the areas of
discussion were Mexico’s economy
Blanca Berthier, Executive Director USMCOC Mid-America Chapter; Jose Luis Paz, Representative of the Ministry of Economy
in Washington; Dolores Campos (intern USMCOC) y Ralph Biedermann, President USMCOC Mid-America Chapter.
Jose Luis Paz, representative of the Ministry of Economy in Washington.
and its relation to the U.S., a legal
and tax overview, and an analysis of
the aerospace industry as a whole
with concrete opportunities for
investment.
TOPICS AND PRESENTERS
• Opening remarks: Eduardo Arnal
Palomera, Consul General of
Mexico in Chicago
• Overview, state and forecast of the
Mexican economy: José Luis Paz,
Representative of Economy at the
Mexican Embassy in D.C.
• Tax and legal update: Marie
Galindo, Miller Canfield P.L.C.
THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
AND ITS GROWING PRESENCE
IN MEXICO
• Overview of the Mexican Aerospace
Industry: Miguel Leaman,
Promexico Chicago
• Analysis and Forecast on the
Aerospace Industry: Neal Dihora,
Equity Analyst Aerospace
Industry Morningstar
• Trends in manufacturing in the
aerospace industry in Mexico:
Steve Colantuoni, The Offshore
Group and Tim Meador, president
Incertec.
Marie Alsace Galindo, Attorney, Miller Canfield P.L.C.
California Regional Chapter. Los Angeles, CA
CALIFORNIA REGIONAL CHAPTER UPDATE
Manuel Sanchez, Vice Governor of Mexico’s Central Bank
at the 14th Annual Mexico Economic Review and Political
Outlook 2011.
T
he United States Mexico
Chamber of Commerce
California Regional Chapter
worked on many different
projects during the latter part of 2011.
• Signed a partnership with the CDT
(Consejo de Desarrollo de Tijuana)
to promote both organizations and
coordinate our activities in the
Tijuana/San Diego Region.
• Became the official Ambassador of
Tijuana Innovadora, a program to
promote Tijuana investment and
maquiladora industry.
• Developed a manual to help U.S.
companies export to Mexico and
Mexican companies export to the
United States. The Chamber will be
taking several trips to Mexico cities to
educate Mexican exporters on how to
export to the United States.
• Organized Mexico Resort Development
with FONATUR and the Secretary of
Economic Development of the States to
promote the states of Jalisco, Queretaro
and Guanajuato for promotion, real
estate investment opportunities, resort
development and tourism.
• Planned the annual 2012 Maquiladora
Partnership California-Mexico focusing
on Mexico as the best destination to
manufacture products at a better cost.
• Held the second annual seminar, The
Golden Triangle, Mexico-USA-China/
Hong Kong: Business Opportunities,
Trade, Manufacturing, Transportation.
• Developed effective and efficient
customer service and sales
communications among the
organizations.
• Participated in Expo Emprende LA
Convention Center promoting the
Chamber’s services.
• On September 23, officially signed
the agreement to Jointly Promote
Cooperation, Friendship and
Robert Lucas, Executive Director of The World Is Just a
Book Away (WIJABA); Marlen Marroquin, Executive Regional
Director USMCOC California Chapter; James Owens,
president, WIJABA.
Mutual Work on Prospering the
Trade Relationships in California.
Organizations that participated in the
agreement were:
- Valley International Trade
Association (Darcy Winters)
- Regional Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce (Ricardo Tejada)
- CHINA US Business Association
(Ben Lai)
- Latino Business Chamber (Jorge
Corralejo)
- Center for International Trade
Development (Maurice Kogon)
- COFEM (Mario Cardenas)
- US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
(Marlen Marroquin)
• The British American Business
Council and the USMCOC organized
a joint mixer for their members and
friends.
• Held a cocktail reception at the
U.S. Embassy in Tijuana in honor of
Hospital Infantil de Las Californias
with the Consul of the United States
in Tijuana.
• Presented the 14th Annual Mexico
Economic Review and Political
Outlook 2011 on December 9.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
Jorge Corralejo, Latino Business Chamber; Ricardo Tejada, Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Mario Cardenas, COFEM;
Marlen Marroquin, Executive Director U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce; Maurice Kogon, Center for International Trade
Development; Ben Lai, China U.S. Business Association.
29
Inter-American Chapter. Miami, FL
FORO DE TURISMO, Southeast Mexico Meets Southeast USA
E
l 2011fue declarado el Año
del Turismo en México por el
Presi¬dente Felipe Calderón,
con el propósito de “alinear
a todos los sectores relacionados con
esta actividad para que se pongan
en marcha acciones que permitan
que más turistas hagan de México
su principal destino de viaje”. Por
este motivo, la Cámara de Comercio
México-Estados
Unidos,
decidió
sumarse a esta iniciativa y encauzó
sus esfuerzos en promover proyectos
de inversión en el sector turístico de
México a través de una serie de Foros
de Turismo en distintas ciudades de los
Estados Unidos.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
Por lo que respecta al capítulo InterAmericano con sede en Miami, Florida,
contando con el continuo e invaluable
apoyo de la Secretaría de Turismo
(SECTUR), Fondo Nacional de Fomento
al Turismo (FONATUR), Consejo de
Promoción Turística de Méxco (CPTM),
ProMéxico, Aeroméxico y Citigroup,
organizó dentro de las actividades
de Septiembre Mes de México en
Miami, el foro Southeast Mexico meets
Southeast USA en el que el Sureste de
México se encontró con el Sureste de
Estados Unidos.
30
Yucatán, Campeche y Quintana
Roo fueron los estados invitados
para presentar proyectos de Turismo
e Inversión a empresarios del Sur
de la Florida a fin de fortalecer los
lazos comerciales con estos estados
del sureste de México y aprovechar
la cercanía geográfica que se tiene
en común con el sureste de Estados
Unidos.
Ante una audiencia especializada,
Juan Miguel Gutiérrez Tinoco,
Cónsul General de México en Miami
y Presidente Honorario del Capítulo
Inter-Americano, junto con Michael
Kabah, Yucatán, México.
Ronan, Presidente Ejecutivo del
mismo, dieron la bienvenida a los
asistentes y al grupo de expositores:
el Secretario de Turismo del Estado
de Yucatán, Juan José Martín, el
Subsecretario de Finanzas e Inversión
del Estado de Campeche, Ramón
Rodríguez Aram, el Secretario de
Turismo del Estado de Quintana
Roo, Juan Carlos González, la
directora de AMPI Quintana Roo, Ana
Beatriz Muñoz Pérez, Lizzy Cole del
Fideicomiso para el Desarrollo de la
Riviera Maya, Jose Barquín, Director
de Turismo en Miami y César Bueno,
Director de ProMéxico en Miami y
Laszlo Farkas de la Dirección para
Latinoamérica de Citigroup.
Todos
ellos
presentaron
muy
diversos proyectos para intensificar
el intercambio comercial y turístico
entre el sureste de México y el de
Estados Unidos, obteniendo una
aceptación inmediata por parte de
inversionistas y empresarios locales,
lo cual, en palabras de Elba Hentschel,
Directora Ejecutiva del Capítulo InterAmericano “repercute en importantes
vínculos comerciales entre ambas zonas,
por lo que el Foro cumplió ampliamente
con su objetivo”.
Guanajuato Chapter. León, Gto
EL CENTRO DE PRODUCCIÓN MÁS LIMPIA DEL BAJÍO, VA A NAIROBI
1. Agroindustria
2. Fabricación
3. Turismo y servicios
4. Desarrollo de parques
ecoindustriales
5. Reducción de emisiones de
Carbono y Recursos eficientemente
fabricados
Sergio Ponce, Director de la USMCOC, en la presentación
de su taller en el evento GIET.
6. Productos sustentables y ecoetiquetado
7. Modelos de negocio innovadores
para la eficiencia de los recursos
8. Producción más Limpia en PyMES.
Asimismo, se declaró inaugurada y en
funcionalidad la RECP, destacando la
Declaratoria de Nairobi, en la cual se
establece que 41 Centros de Producción
más Limpia (incluido el CPLB) a nivel
mundial conforman la RECP y que
éstos deben ser el principal organismo
generador e impulsor de conocimiento,
capacitación y desarrollo de proyectos
que a nivel local y regional beneficien
a la sociedad, a las empresas
(principalmente PyMES) y al medio
ambiente.
Por otra parte, durante el segundo
semestre de 2011el CPLB fungió como
operador del proyecto municipal
denominado
“Carbono
Neutral”.
Mediante este proyecto busca que
las empresas y sociedad en general
disminuyan el uso de energía eléctrica
y térmica, y reduzcan y compensen
sus emisiones de CO2. A la fecha se
tienen 40 empresas participantes de las
Empresas reconocidas con el distintivo de “Carbono Neutral.”
cuales 25 ya obtuvieron su certificado
de “Carbono Neutral” incluido el propio
CPLB.
Apoyando el evento Global
Infraestructure and Ecotecnology
Al World Trade Center Ciudad de
México los días 29 y 30 de noviembre
de 2011 asistió la oficina de Guanajuato,
con el objetivo de integrarse al evento
organizado por la USMCOC capítulo
Valle de México Global Infraestructure
and Ecotecnology (GIET),
llevando
al presidente y vicepresidente de
la Cámara Nacional de Empresas
de Consultoría representación de
Guanajuato, a fin de que participaran
en un taller para hablar de la
importancia de la consultoría a nivel
mundial y regional. Asimismo se llevó
al Ing. Manuel López Santamaría,
Director de Turismo municipal, León,
Gto. para aportar sus conocimientos en
la Mesa de Turismo Sustentable.
Por último, el director ejecutivo de la
oficina de Guanajuato participó en un
taller para hablar de sustentabilidad en
el ámbito empresarial.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
D
el 17 al 19 de noviembre de
2011, la Cámara de Comercio
México Estados Unidos
Capítulo Guanajuato, a
través de su proyecto denominado
Centro de Producción más Limpia del
Bajío (CPLB), participo en el Second
Global Network Conference on Resource
Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP
2011) denominada Green manufacturing
driving low carbon, resource Efficient and
Cleand insustralization in developing and
transition economies en las instalaciones
de la ONU en Nairobi, Kenya. El
objetivo de esta reunión fue conocer
qué proyectos y actividades se han
realizado por los diferentes Centros
Nacionales de Producción más Limpia
a nivel mundial y discutir las nuevas
propuestas de trabajo y mecanismos
enfocados en los temas de:
31
Valle de México Chapter. México, DF
EXPO+CONGRESO GIET, UN EVENTO ÚNICO EN MÉXICO DE
EDIFICACIÓN SUSTENTABLE
“Una cultura de edificación verde se traduce a un modelo de
sustentabilidad corporativa que trae como beneficio la competitividad de
las empresas y un detonador sistemico.”
E
l pasado 29 y 30 de noviembre,
el Capítulo Valle de México de
la Cámara de Comercio MéxicoEstados
Unidos
organizó
la Expo+Congreso GIET, Global
Infrastructure & Eco-Technology, un
evento único en México referente a
Edificación Sustentable.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
Se dieron cita al Expo+Congreso GIET
destacadas personalidades del medio
que impulsan iniciativas para reducir
el impacto de las edificaciónes en su
entorno. En la intervención Inaugural,
el Premio Nobel de Química mexicano,
32
Mario Molina, señaló que México debe
tomar la iniciativa para intensificar
acciones en materia de vivienda
sustentable, ya que el consumo
energético en los hogares es uno de
los cinco principales emisores de
contaminantes al ambiente.
En un espacio de exposición de 3,000
metros cuadrados, se reunieron
importantes empresas de México y
los Estados Unidos para presentar
soluciones y productos para la
construcción apegados a criterios de
sustentabilidad. Entre ellas se destaca
la presencia de ICA, Marhnos-Turner,
E-Group-Parks, Autodesk, y Helvex
entre otras.
Con un contenido amplio y de gran
riqueza, se discutió en el Congreso
GIET sobre los retos de la edificación
que cada vez requieren de un mayor
compromiso. La integración de temas
como Metodologías de Certificación
para
Edificios
Sustentables,
la
Viabilidad de Energías Renovables
en la Edificación, Accesibilidad y
Urbanismo Sustentable, Desarrollos
Turísticos Sustentables y Proyectos
de Edificación con Causa Social
permitieron generar un dinámica
entre especialistas, organizaciones y
empresas del sector sin precedentes
en México.
El gran contenido generado demuestra
que en México contamos con grandes
figuras y profesionales en la materia
comprometidos
con
el
medio
ambiente y su regeneración. Ademas,
fuimos testigos del gran compromiso
de las nuevas generaciones por lograr
un cambio en nuestra sociedad con
propuestas y proyectos que alientan el
desarrollo de nuestra población.
La
participación
de
ponentes
internacionales como Michael Deane,
Bill Reed, Agustín Sarasola y Reinhold
Ziegler, que actualmente colaboran
de manera directa en proyectos en
nuestro país, hacen énfasis del avance
y las oportunidades que se tiene en
México en el tema.
Al micrófono: Mario Molina, Premio Nobel de Química 1995 y Presidente del Centro Mario Molina. Presidium: Michael Deane,
VP Turner International; Carlos Sandoval Olvera, Presidente Consejo Nacional de Industriales Ecologistas (CONIECO); Ing. Juan
Manuel Félix, Director General Expo+Congreso GIET; José García Torres, Presidente Cámara de Comercio México–Estados
Unidos, Capítulo Valle de México; Jorge Barbará Morfín, Director General Helvex; Antonio Cuéllar Steffan, Socio Cuéllar Salas y
Cuéllar Steffan Abogados; y Darío Ibargüengoitia, Presidente Nacional Sustentabilidad para México A.C. (SUMe).
La Cámara de Comercio México-Estados
Unidos, consciente de la problemática
ambiental, se dedicará entre una
de sus actividades a promover una
mejor comprensión de la edificación
sustentable, con el objeto de que se
adopte y se difunda su implementación
en beneficio de inversionistas, usuarios
ICA, participando en el evento.
y el medio ambiente.
Empresas que deseen implementar
programas para reducir su impacto
ambiental podrán empezar por sus
bienes raices, donde además de
ahorrar cantidades importantes en sus
costos de operación, promoverán un
ambiente de bienestar y productividad
para sus colaboradores.
José García Torres, Presidente de la Cámara de Comercio México – Estados Unidos, Capitulo Valle de México; y José
Andrés García R., Presidente del Comité Organizador Expo+Congreso GIET.
E
l pasado mes de diciembre, la
Cámara de Comercio MéxicoEstados Unidos A.C. junto
con otras cuarenta entidades,
entre ellas empresas, organizaciones,
instituciones educativas y profesionales,
preocupados por desarrollar proyectos
sustentables reales y eficientes,
presentaron “SUMe”, Sustentabilidad
para México, A.C., que nace como una
respuesta imperante a lo que sucede
en nuestro país en materia de salud
ambiental,
pues experimenta un
crecimiento que lo rebasa.
Para quienes trabajan en impulsar a
México les es familiar enterarse que
desde el año 2000 a la fecha, México
se encuentra con una tendencia de
crecimiento exponencial y aunque
se espera una desaceleración para el
año 2012, aún se sitúa en los primeros
lugares con índice demográfico
acelerado a nivel mundial. Lo anterior,
requiere de una intervención positiva
ya que —como es de esperarse—, este
incremento demográfico afecta los
recursos naturales del país y deja su
huella negativa en el medio ambiente.
Por esta razón, el desarrollo sustentable
se ha vuelto un asunto urgente por
atender, siendo uno de los motivos de
la creación de SUMe.
Sustentabilidad para México A.C. es
un espacio plural generado durante
el año 2011 a fin de congregar a
todas las organizaciones interesadas
y comprometidas con el futuro
sustentable que la nación necesita y
merece, y que nos aproxima de forma
positiva y activa a la sustentabilidad de
nuestro país comprometidamente; una
asociación cuyo manifiesto promueve
sumar esfuerzos intersectoriales, y
experiencias, para con ello, difundir
el conocimiento en materia de
sustentabilidad y apoyar las mejores
prácticas sustentables. Asimismo, es
el espacio plural donde se considera
a la sustentabilidad como un asunto
incluyente y global que debemos
resolver y atender de máxima urgencia,
integrado por una sociedad civil que
piensa la sustentabilidad, es un tema
que nos compete a todos y que lo sitúa
por encima de diferencias ideológicas,
políticas o intereses económicos
individuales.
“En SUMe creamos un equipo en el
cual todos los participantes son pieza
clave para cambiar la manera de hacer
sustentabilidad en México. Debido a
lo amplio que es la sustentabilidad
tratamos de llegar a empresas de
distintos rubros para tener opiniones
valiosas en los diversos temas que se
puedan presentar en esta materia”.
Creando
conciencia,
uniéndonos
y trabajando en equipo en este
organismo, aseguran, se sumarán
todas las cualidades y oportunidades
que tiene nuestro país para convertir
los sueños en resultados tangibles en
lo que a sustentabilidad se refiere. Es
de suma importancia que individuos
y empresas se unan a este esfuerzo
colectivo en el cual encontrarán un
foro abierto donde la meta es crear
la base para que se generen cambios
significativos en México.
La Cámara de Comercio MéxicoEstados Unidos impulsará de la mano
con SUMe un movimiento entre sus
empresas afiliadas que promueva una
ética de sustentabilidad en los negocios,
así como acciones responsables con el
medio ambiente.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
DE LA SUMA DE ESFUERZOS EN EL PRESENTE, DEPENDERÁ LA
CALIDAD DE NUESTRO FUTURO
33
Michoacan Chapter. Morelia, Mich
AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION CENTER OPENS
N
icandro Ortiz, president
of the USMCOC Michocan
chapter, was in attendance
at the signing of the
legal constitution of the Agro-food
Innovation and Development Center,
Centro de Innovacion y Desarrollo
Agroalimentario (CIDAM) of the State
of Michoacan, on January 12, 2012.
The Center is a joint effort among
the different levels of government,
academics and the private sector with
the main purpose to increase the
value added to the produce grown in
the state which is the number one
producer in the country. The value
of the vegetables and fruits grown in
the state is estimated at $2.3 billion.
Increasing its value added should bring
enormous additional income to the
state economy. The total investment
of the center was approximately $10
million.
The center was formally introduced to
multiple state association presidents
representing the private sector,
academics and government officials
The Center has 11 laboratories
specializing in biotechnology, quality
control, product handling, product
transfer, logistics and certification
among others.
Commenting on the importance of
the Center, the president of the state
university said, “The main benefit
this Center will bring is the positive
social impact this project will have
on the producers of the state as well
as the businessmen of the state of
Michoacan.” The state university will
actively participate through projects of
applied research.
OBITUARY
Don Nicandro Ortiz Gaspar
Nicandro Ortiz Gaspar, active member of the
U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and father
of the president of the Michoacan Chapter
passed away August 2011. A son, father,
friend and industrialist, he left a long legacy
of community involvement and good corporate
practices.
He came from a very humble origin to found
Grupo Ortiz, a national leader in the conversion
and manufacturing of textiles, packaging and
plastics. In fact, Ortiz Gaspar was considered
“the king of the plastic industry.”
The companies that jointly form Grupo Ortiz
have almost two thousand direct employees and
several thousand more indirect employees. It has
ventures in the real estate, hotel, transportation
and financial consulting markets.
Nicandro Ortiz became very popular for
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES DEL CAPÍTULO
officially promoting the soccer team now
34
known as Monarcas Morelia, taking it to the
top national league and by building the Morelos
stadium with a seating capacity of 41,500
The private sector representatives were present at the signing ceremony.
people, the seventh largest in the country. In
later years, due to poor health, he sold the team
to TV Azteca.
Always a good corporate citizen and employer,
he was proud of the fact that many of his
former employees became entrepreneurs and
were generating jobs. He was a pioneer in the
plastics industry and many people followed
his steps.
We join the sorrow shared by friends and
relatives for such an important loss.
Representatives of the three levels of government, the president of the state university, business leaders including the
President of the USMCOC chapter Mich., during the presentation of the strategic plan for the center.
An Emerging Strategic
Imperative in Oil & Gas
The Social License to Operate
By Linda Brewer and Ryan McKeeman / Environmental Resources Management
INTRODUCTION
R
egardless of industry, today’s
operating environment faces an
ever increasing level of stakeholder
scrutiny. Many large institutional
lenders and insurers are protecting the risks to
their own bottom lines by assuming proactive
stances on industry best practices and the
reputational capital of companies seeking
project funding. In oil and gas in particular,
this re-pricing of risk carries the potential to
significantly impact the ability of asset owners
to finance major, capital-intensive projects.
As the technical difficulties in accessing
resources has risen, so have the contributions
of social media escalated the rate of attention
to new development plans, creating a layer of
socially diffical oil as well. This has created
a greater focus then every before on oil and
gas organizations ability to maintain a “social
liscence to operate”.
OPINION 1 / OPINIÓN 1
Global
markets
have
consistently
demonstrated a preference for corporations
with a strong record of health, safety, and
environmental performance.
In addition
to being a powerful source of market
differentiation, sustainability performance
can also help manage critical Non-Technical
Risks (NTRs). The identification and early
35
management of NTRs, such as communityrelated issues and sensitive environments
can significantly protect and even improve
the project’s net present value (NPV) and
an asset owner’s ability to operate in critical
areas of market growth. These same NTRs
can account for the fact, the ‘average major
project’ experiences a 12-month schedule
delay and 33% cost overruns.1 In the form
of project delays and cost overruns, lost
deal opportunities, and host of stakeholderrelated issues.
As investor scrutiny escalates in response
to billions of dollars lost to NPV erosion,
compounded by the Macondo incident,
the need to better manage oil and gas
non-technical performance has abruptly
escalated.
To address both internal
organizational change and deliver on nontechnical performance, we have found
that NTR must be owned by the business
and managed by clear connection of each
function (technical and non-technical)
to the projects’ business objectives. NTR
functional expertise must now be clearly
expressed in the language of the business
with a strategic internal organizational
change management process to ensure
the implementation of this clarified need.
Now is the time to relook at how oil and gas
organizations are lined up to address their
NTRs, by correctly:
• Balancing short-term versus long-term
business needs. While business has long
been aware of the potential imbalance
of the short-term focus on numbers
(e.g., quarterly shareholder concerns,
disclosure, cost-cutting for efficiency,
pushing schedules to mitigate outgoing
capital), recent events accelerate the
need to rebalance this focus with a more
proactive, strategic, and longer-term view.
In addition, this short-term focus offers a
false economy—it is the very acceleration
of schedules and the cutting of cost that can
lead to increased risks to project quality,
and as we have seen, a compromise to
quality can lead to catastrophic events.
It is not just business leaders, but the
non-technical specialists who must have
the ability to move beyond a short-term
compliance mindset to a proactive and
strategic stance on NTRs, as well as nontechnical opportunities.
• Integrating technical and non-technical
risk management. Over the past year we
have seen an urgent need to aligning all the
functions in managing risk in an integrated
fashion. This interconnectedness can show
up as technical solutions to NTRs or nontechnical opportunities such as developing
a traffic plan that minimizes the impact on
a community near an onshore fabrication
yard, or as a non-technical solution to a
technical risk such as preventing foreign
algae to enter the Gulf of Mexico on foreignbuilt constructs. In integrated leadership
teams, both at the corporate level and the
project/asset level, looking at the complete
set of risks allows for more options to
mitigate the risks and opportunities.
• Making informed non-technical decisions
grounded in facts. Knowing the facts about
each asset’s social and environmental impact
is critical to meeting these new business
requirements. In order to be able to make
OPINION 1 / OPINIÓN 1
Figure 1. Secondary and tertiary impacts to NTRs: regulatory
changes to contracting requirements
36
ORIGINATING
EVENT
New regulation
impacts local
contracting
requirements
for hull
construction
Prolonged
contractor
evaluation &
selection leads
to Project delay
Pressure to hire
locally leads to
less qualified
contractors
Contractor H&S
incident at a
project site
1
Offshore Technology Conference (May 2011). www.ipaglobal.com/News-Room/Presentations/IPA-President-Ed-Merrow-to-Present-at-OTC-2011---ERM analysis. http://www.tight-oil-shale-plays.com/media/downloads/inline/melinda-truskowski-erm.1296414430.pdf
http://www.marinemoney.com/forums/SIN10/presentations2010/Fuglerud.pdf
These factors have led to an important
shift in understanding of the drivers
necessary to integrate non-technical
performance into a company’s core
business. For progressive companies
which have already made significant
investments in developing and
integrating
programs,
valuable
stakeholder and market recognition
has resulted. Others are still seeking
to understand the link between non-
Strategic Portfolio
Reg
Executive Leadership
Gov
SD
Specific Asset
Com
Asset
Mgmt
Asset
Mgmt
Asset
Mgmt
technical performance and positive
market recognition as a key precursor
to building reputational capital. They
are beginning to ask a key set of
questions:
• What is the value of NTR at the
portfolio and project level? Is it
material to our business?
• Do we have the right systems in
place to manage and improve our
non-technical performance?
• Are we structured correctly to deliver
optimal non-technical performance?
• How will better non-technical
performance help build and protect
our social license to operate and
license to grow?
Asset
Mgmt
Asset
Mgmt
HSE
organization. This can be done working
Non-Technical Risks and opportunities
at the:
• Strategic Portfolio Level
• Specific Asset Level
• NTR Functional Support Level
It is only through implementation
of the management of NTR at each
organizational level that a wholistic
and sustained change in managing risk
can be accomplished. This building
of the capability and capacity at each
level will enhance the line’s ability to
understand, anticipate, and eventually
own the NTRs, ensuring access to
resources today and more importantly,
tomorrow.
IMPLEMENTING THE NEW
BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
The new NTR assessment process
for major capital projects must begin
earlier in the development lifecycle,
ideally starting in the pre-lease phase.
An in-depth understanding of the ecosystem, the potential socio-economic
impacts of developing and then
retiring an asset, and the community
relationship to development projects
for the oil and gas industry, must all
be taken into consideration to ensure
that NPV will be optimized. Proactive
lifecycle assessments of regional
considerations and local content by
teams of anthropologists, economists,
and environmental specialists and
contribute significantly to necessary
financial decisions by both investors
and leadership.
There is a rational process to building
non-technical capability that can
be executed within an oil and gas
About the authors
Linda Brewer is a Partner in ERM’s
Sustainability and Climate Change
Practice. She is the Americas Practice
Lead for Leadership and Change
Management working across our Oil
& Gas, Mining, and Utilities sectors.
As an organizational anthropologist,
she has over 20 years experience
in identifying emerging trends in
organizational management.
Ryan McKeeman is a Senior Program
Manager in ERM’s Sustainability
and Climate Change Practice. With
a background in mathematics and
financial risk management, he focuses
on managing programs that use the
monetization of Non-Technical Risk in
major Capital Projects to drive critical
changes within organizations, in both
operations and leadership.
OPINION 1 / OPINIÓN 1
• Addressing internal organizational
interfaces
and
fragmentation.
Tapping into the intelligence of
the organization, including those
functions that focus on peoplecentric issues, whether external
or internal (e.g., corporate affairs,
socio-economic specialists, human
resources, as well as financial, legal,
and procurement) is essential in
identifying innovative solutions to
NTRs. However, the new oil and
gas business context insists on a
heightened ability to bridge the
expert silos that often exists within
organizational structures.
Speed
to data, expertise, relationship
status, and the interdependencies
of all three are vital and will not
tolerate inefficiencies in internal
communications, making internal
interfaces a NTR itself. The ability to
work in an integrated manner across
organizational boundaries can be
accomplished by putting the results
of the project over the separate
functional agendas.
Figure 2. Non-technical performance must be lifted up at three
different levels of the organization
NTR Functional Support
efficient and effective development
or
production
decisions,
the
organization
must
understand
its stakeholder touch points at a
deeper level—they must gather
and assimilate the facts regarding
the
community,
governmental
agencies, influential NGOs, and
the
environmental
conditions.
Furthermore, they must understand
how their socio-economic footprint
can be interpreted or misinterpreted
by each of their stakeholders.
Gathering and interpreting the facts
is not enough. Some hard decisions
may have to be made with regard
to building up the interfaces and
relationships with stakeholders.
Increasingly including stakeholders
in some of the decision-making
may, in the longer-term, be the less
risky route to take.
37
Ready or Not,
Here Come
the Clouds!
By Tony Jimenez / President & CEO, MicroTech
C
loud Computing is a global
technology significantly impacting
economic and social environments
worldwide. Here are some thoughts
about this important emerging technology
and its implications for future business in
Latin America. In the end, the question is
not “will cloud technologies drive significant
changes to our business?” but “how much
and how soon?” Ready or Not, here come the
Clouds!
Despite the pervasive bullishness for cloud
computing across the industry, only two
things really seem certain about it. First,
there is no common understanding of the
term “cloud” as it is one of the most casually
used terms in IT today! Second, although it
also seems that everyone is talking about
cloud, it also appears that so far only early
adopters have actually moved beyond the
low hanging fruit of cloud.
OPINION 2 / OPINIÓN 2
For our purposes, we will call cloud
computing the delivery of computing as a
service rather than a product, provisioned
on demand and priced on a usage basis
where shared resources, software, and
information are provided to computers and
other devices as a metered service over a
network, typically the Internet.
38
To provide this service requires a common
infrastructure/platform where services,
data, and network solutions can be easily
accessed, scaled, centrally managed,
reused, and protected. I am talking about
a big consolidated one-stop shop to get all
the IT we need by the drink, when, where
and how we want it. But most important at
a big savings! Sounds simple? In fact, many
would argue that the IT community has
been moving to the cloud for years. They
have called it enterprise, thin client, grid
computing, utility computing, SOA, and
maybe even data center consolidation, but
today we call this total solution a “cloud.”
Despite the fact that it remains early in the
technology adoption lifecycle, many in the
industry are confident that hundreds of
billions of dollars in future IT spending are
destined for migration to cloud solutions. So
the question for private and public sector
IT leaders around the world remains, “To
Cloud or not To Cloud: that is the question!”
Cloud computing is more than just a hot
topic. Now more than ever, doing more with
less is a way of life in both the public and
private sectors and few would question the
value that IT business automation plays
in helping organizations deliver more and
better services for every dollar they spend.
The private sector has clearly taken the
lead with mega-cloud environments like
Amazon’s, Google’s, etc. Similarly, the U.S.
government has embraced private sector
cloud success and is attempting to get on
board as quickly as possible.
In early 2011 the U.S. government initiated
“cloud first.” This policy mandates a strategy
intended to accelerate the pace at which the
U.S. government will realize the benefits of
cloud computing by requiring all agencies
to evaluate safe, secure cloud options before
making any new information technology
investments. The ultimate result of this
huge transformation is expected to manifest
Just how big is this trend in
computing today? Gartner, a leading
Global Information Technology (IT)
consulting firm, forecasts that the
worldwide cloud solutions market
will be over $148.8 billion by 2014 and
exceed $68 billion for this year alone.
Cloud computing in Latin America
is still in the initial stages, but the
enterprise adoption rate is expected
to grow to 69 percent in five years and
move from $170 million to about $1
billion in the next few years, according
to the vice president for Research and
Consulting at IDC, Ricardo Villate.
“Cloud
computing is
more than just
a hot topic.
Now more than
ever, doing
more with
less is a way
of life in both
the public and
private sectors.”
Currently, Brazil has the highest
adoption rate in the region at 25
percent. Chile, Argentina and
Colombia are at an intermediate
level, while Peru and Mexico have
lagged behind. Since numbers are
still relatively small, it’s difficult to
identify a clear trend toward the
public or private cloud. So, the good
news is that there is still time to
become an early adopter and that
the cloud market is clear and open
for investment.
So the answer to the question,
“To Cloud or not To Cloud” is a
resounding, “To Cloud” at least for
much of the Latin America region
and the world, but perhaps less so
in Mexico.
Which roles best fit your future
focus, needs and/or capabilities?
Only time will tell. Where is the next
pot of gold? It’s at the end of that
rainbow coming out of that cloud.
Now go see if you can find it!
OPINION 2 / OPINIÓN 2
itself
in
increased
efficiency
and effectiveness. The business
opportunity
is
unmistakable—
billions of dollars are up for grabs!
39
Manufacturing Options:
Mexico vs. China
By Enrique Esparza Jr. / President at Co-Production International
I
OPINION 3 / OPINIÓN 3
n today’s dynamic manufacturing
environment, companies have several
attractive options to consider when
expanding, relocating or simply
starting a new manufacturing facility. The
global economy is still healing from the
economic downturn of the past years, but
there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Mexico and China are poised, standing
ready, willing and able to attract world class
manufacturing to their shores.
40
How do corporations facing today’s
challenges weigh their manufacturing
options? One would assume that cost is
at the top of the list for most, and, to no
surprise, China—as well as other Asian
countries—has held the top spot for low-cost
manufacturing in the last two decades.
However, recent studies have shown that
although cost is an influential factor, it is not
always at the top of the list. There are other
important factors to consider such as strategic
location, quality and experience just to name
a few. In this playing field, Mexico certainly
makes a compelling case for itself when
compared to China.
LOW-COST MANUFACTURING
In the last decade Chinese labor rates have
increased significantly. Today the average
wage of a manufacturing employee in China is
between $1.65 and $1.85 per hour. Of course,
labor rates are contingent upon the location of
the factory as well as the industry they serve.
Mexico, for the most part, has remained stable
Other cost components to consider are
the duties and tariffs imposed on Chinese
products imported to the U.S. Be they
finished goods or raw materials, costs can be
significantly higher than those imposed on
Mexican products. In many cases, because
of NAFTA, Mexican raw materials pay zero
duties and finished goods pay only on the
value added portion of their cost component
when entering the U.S. and some European
countries.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
As the saying goes “location, location,
location” and Mexico’s location is ideal
for companies selling into the North
American and European marketplace.
Having a manufacturing site hours from
the consumer saves on transportation costs.
The average transit time from the moment
a shipment departs China to the time it
arrives in the U.S. is 30 days resulting in
higher costs. Mexico delivery times are
far less; depending on the origin of the
shipment, it can take anywhere from a few
hours to a few days for a product to arrive at
its destination.
Mexico’s strategic location is ideal for several
other reasons. First, companies can maintain
“just-in-time” delivery to their consumers
and distributors. Second, reaction time to
any production or operational issues on the
factory floor can be resolved in hours, not
days or weeks. Third, maintaining greater
operational control of the manufacturing
base is less challenging because of its
proximity to the corporate office.
And let’s not forget about South America. It
has also developed an insatiable appetite for
North American and European goods from
cars to electronics to household appliances
and everything in between. Having a
Mexican manufacturing base provides
companies with an opportunity to tap into
the South American marketplace while
at the same time supplying their North
American and European consumers.
QUALITY AND EXPERIENCE
Mexico’s entry to the manufacturing
arena began more than 50 years ago.
At it’s inception, the draw for foreign
manufacturers was its low-cost labor
rates. Today the manufacturing landscape
is much different; Mexico has attracted
global corporations such as Volkswagen,
GM, Bombardier, Bose, Eaton and other
world class companies by proving it has the
technical skills and capabilities to compete
not only in North America, but on the world
stage as well.
Many of today’s Mexican manufacturing
plants reach far beyond simple assembly.
It is not uncommon to find companies
that design, develop and manufacture
some of the most complex products in
the marketplace in a variety of industries.
Aerospace, automotive, medical and
electronics
manufacturing
companies
find themselves at home in Mexico. From
pacemakers to airplanes, Mexico meets and
exceeds the standards set by world class
companies. A close working relationship
between industry and higher education has
made this possible. Curricula at universities
and technical schools are now shaped by
the specific demands of industry.
“BIENVENIDO A MÉXICO”...WELCOME
TO MÉXICO
One last key component to consider when
discussing Mexico vs. China is culture
and language. Though they are not
mutually exclusive, cultural and language
barriers can pose a threat to the success
of any manufacturing site. Working in the
manufacturing sector, it is almost certain
that a Mexican national will speak English
and, along the border, the workforce is not
only bilingual but bicultural as well.
Mexican and U.S. cultures are no doubt
different in many ways, but they are both
western cultures and in that regard, share
more similarities than North American and
Asian cultures do. The U.S. and Mexico also
share common interests and are more likely
to concur in best practices as they relate
to global competitiveness. In a nutshell,
the U.S. and Mexico cultural similarities
will undoubtedly ensure the global
competitiveness and economic prosperity
of those companies willing to venture into
new horizons.
OPINION 3 / OPINIÓN 3
in its labor rate averaging anywhere from
$1.85 to $2.25 per hour (also contingent
upon location and industry). Something
else to consider is the hours an employee
works per week. For example, China has a
44-hour work week and Mexico has a 48hour work week. Mexico has roughly a 10
percent advantage in this respect.
41
New members to the United StatesMexico Chamber of Commerce
BINATIONAL MEMBERS
Motorola Solutions
motorolasolutions.com
Sector: Technology
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER
CHICAGO, IL
The International Business Law
Group, LLC.
www.intblg.com
Sector: Business Law
Shuly Hirsch
www.raypress.com
Sector: Printing, labels, systems,
promotions
Reliance Protection Group Inc.
www.relipg.com
Sector: Security System
Caliber Components
Sector: Manufacturing Parts
stoves
PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHAPTER
Seattle, WA
CRG, LLC
Sector: Export/import
International Trade with China
Community Attributes
International (CAI)
www.communityattributes.com
Sector: Economic Development /
Research
Ajax Systems
www.ayaxsystems.com
Sector: Internet Systems/
Customer Service Decision
American Safari Cruises /
InnerSea Discoveries
www.innerseadiscoveries.com
Sector: Tourism
Choosing Mexico, LLC
www.choosingmexico.com
Sector: Real Estate
Milagro Foods, Inc
www.milagrofoods.com/store/
home.php
Sector: Food and Agriculture
GUANAJUATO CHAPTER
León, Gto.
Vgames Factory
www.vgames.com
Sector: Tienda de videojuegos
(Videogames)
Aviplant
Sector: Calzado (Footwear)
NEW MEMBERS / NUEVOS MIEMBROS
Raul Arechiga
Sector: Developer
Corporation for International
Business/ATA Carnet
www.atacarnet.com
Esparza + Business
Communications
www.esparzaplus.com
Sector: Marketing / Advertising
42
Jordan Refrigeration
Sector: Services/Refrigeration
Euroamericana de Calzado
S.A de C.V.
www.calzaweb.com
euroamericana
Sector: Calzado (Footwear)
XTRATEGAS, Bufete Jurídico
www.xtrategas.com
Sector: Comercio Exterior y Defensa
Fiscal (Foreign Trade and Fiscal
Defense)
DESMEX, S.A. de C.V.
www.desmex.com
NORTHEAST CHAPTER
New York, NY
Amherst Enterprises
Sector: Financial Services
CACEIS (USA) Inc.
www.caceis.com
Sector: Financial Services
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
www.deweyleboeuf.com
Sector: Legal Services
Elliott Management Corp.
www.elliottmgmt.com
Sector: Financial Services
Consul General Luis Malpica
Sector: Government
Crown Point Regional Center
www.eb5tx.com
Sector: Financial
ExxonMobil
www.exxonmobil.com
Sector: Energy
Greater Houston Convention &
Visitors Bureau-Regional Level
www.visithoustontexas.com
Sector: Tourism
Greenspoint District
www.greenspoint.org
Sector: Municipal
Inter National Bank
www.internationalbank.com
Sector: Banking
Interbrands
www.interbrandsgroup.com
Sector: Marketing
Lucia’s Oaks
WWW.LUCIASOAKS.COM
Sector: Real Estate
Financial Times
www.ft.com
Sector: Media
Maya Contadores/CPA’s (Mabe
International)
www.mayacpa.com
Sector: Financial
MICHOACAN CHAPTER
Morelia, Mich.
La Lucha Restaurant
www.laluchanyc.com
Sector: Restaurant
Memorial Hermann Hospital System
www.hermannmemorail.com
Sector: Medical
Servicios Ciudadanos Intl.
Gas de Uruapan
GV Contadores
Proventures
Sector: Financial Services
MFR PC
www.mfrpc.com
Sector: Financial
Real Capital Investment
Management
www.realcapitalim.com
Sector: Financial Services
Morton Kuehnert
www.mortonkuehnert.com
Sector: Auctioneers
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
www.scotiacapital.com
Sector: Financial Services
Oasis Bank
www.bankoasis.com
Sector: Banking
Secure Bridge Business
Opportunities
Sector: Business Consulting
OBT
www.obt.com
Sector: Legal
VALLE DE MÉXICO CHAPTER
México, D.F.
Adelmar International, S.A. de C.V.
www.adelmarinternational.com/
adelmar
Sector: Industrial and Commerce
E- Group / PARKS
www.e-group.com.mx
Sector: Real Estate
HELVEX
www.helvex.com.mx
ICA, Ingenieros Civiles Asociados
www.ica.com.mx
Sector: Construcción (Construction)
INPROAMBIENT, S.A. de C.V.
www.inproambient.com
CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
CHAPTER Los Angeles, CA
Medical DDS Services, S.A. de C.V.
Internationa
www.ddsmedical.com
Sector: Medical Turism
Mitsubishi Electric Climas de
México
www.mitsubishiclimas.com.mx
Ronald E. Monard
Amanda Monard
Sector: Law/Legal
Naviera Integral, S.A. de C.V.
www.navinsa.com.mx
Sector: Transportation Arent Fox (Jennifer Terry)
www.arentfox.com
Sector: Law/Legal
PPG Industries
www.ppg.com
Diana Alicia Diaz-Dawley
Sector: Marketing
The American British Cowdray
Medical Center, I.A.P
www.abchospital.com
Sector: Medical Turism
Revitaliza Consultores
www.revitalizaconsultores.com
Sector: Consulting Services
THE WOODLANDS-GULF
COAST CHAPTER
The Woodlands, TX
1st Group Realty
Sector: Real Estate
AeroMexico
www.aeromexico.com
Sector: Air Transport
Amegy Bank
www.amegybank.com
Sector: Banking
Banamex
Sector: Banking
Pete Garcia International Inc
www.petegarciainternational.com
Sector: Consulting
Port Isabel Offshore
Sector: Marine
R&M Global Advisors
www.rmglobaladvisors.com
Sector: Consultancy
Rice University
www.rice.edu
Education
Royston Rayzor Attorneys
www.roystonlaw.com
Sector: Legal
Berlin Heart Inc
Sector: Medical
United Airlines
www.united.com
Sector: Air Transport
Black Forest Ventures
www.blackforestventures.com
Sector: Real Estate
Univision
www.univision.com
Sector: Communications
Call Fast Call Centers
Sector: Call Center
Uptown Realty
www.uptownrealty.com
Sector: Real Estate
PACIFICO CHAPTER
Guadalajara, Jal.
de bienes y servicios, tangibles e
intangibles
www.yucatancountry.com
Sector: Sports and Tourism
www.garceslaw.com
Sector: Law & Legal
Royal Cargo Integra, S.A. de C.V.
www.royal-cargo.com.mx
Sector: International Solutions
in international logistics, import
and export of air cargo, maritime
and land
Grupo Iclar
www.grupoiclar.com
Sector: Real Estate and Housing
Developments
UM - School Of Business
www.bus.miami.edu
Sector: Education
Gables Dental Care
www.gablesdentalcare.com
Sector: Medicine
State Of Quintana Roo
www.qroo.gob.mx
Sector: Government and Tourism
Star Software Marketing
Sector: Service
Pan America Legal, Servicios
Jurídicos Empresariales
Personales S.C.
Sector: Administrative Consultans
in Administrative and Family
Matters
Horeb Energía y Combustibles
Ecológicos, SRL de CV
Isonomia Abogados
www.isonomia.com.mx
Sector: Labor Consultants
METAGALP, S.A. DE C.V.
www.ultimamorada.com.mx
Sector: Manufacturer of wooden
Ash Urns.
Administración y Soluciones
ARH S.A. DE C.V.
www.arh.mx
Sector: Consulting Services and
Human Resources outsourcing,
Administration, Marketing and
Information Technologies.
A1 Avalúos & Unidad de Valuación
www.a1avaluos.com
Sector: Servicios de Valuación
INTER-AMERICAN CHAPTER
Miami, FL
Safra Bank
www.safra.com
Sector: Finance
Tempus Quo
www.tempusquo.com
Sector: Finance
Fideicomiso Riviera Maya
www.qroo.gob.mx
Sector: Government and Tourism
Thunderbird-Tec Monterrey
www.thunderbird.edu/globalmba
Sector: Education
Gabriela Aran Dds
Sector: Education
Brickell Motors
www.brickellLuxurymotors.com
Deya Tarno Design
Sector: Design
Orthopedic Rehab Clinic
Sector: Medicine
Go For Languages
www.goforlanguages.com
Sector: Languages
Díaz Mirón & Associates
www.diazmiron.com
Sector: Law & Legal
Symphony Of The Americas
www.symphonyoftheamercias.org
Sector: Arts, Entertainment &
Recreations
Aztlán Foods
Sector: Food
Eckstein Schester Law
www.ecksteinschesterlaw.com
Sector: Law
Producciones Ochoa
Sector: Music
Comcast
www.comcast.com
State Of Campeche
www.campeche.gob.mx
Sector: Government and Tourism
Evolution W
www.evolutionw.org
Sector: Education
Yucatan Golf
Garces Law Firm P.A.
Sleep and Sync
www.sleepnsync.com
Sector: Education
Ana Carrera Floral Design
Sector: Design
Acape
www.acape.com.mx
Sector: Consulting
John de Leon Law Firm
www.chavez-deleon.com
Sector: Law
CDI Capital Intelectual
www.cdicapitalintelectual.com
Sector: Law
Energy Health And Fitness
www.energyandfitness.com
Sector: Service
Ayuntamiento de Mérida
www.turismo.merida.gob.mx
Sector: Government and Tourism
J & G Trade World Group LLC
Sector: Medical Products
Avellino Global
www.avelinoglobal.com
Sector: Law
Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Global Telesourcing Sector: Telecommunications NEW MEMBERS / NUEVOS MIEMBROS
Cultivos Barragán, S.P.R. de R.L.
de C.V
Sector: Production and
commercialization of vegetables
(hot house)
Termo Motor
www.termomotor.com
Sector: Metal Stamping and
Radiators
43
For Kraft Foods
Mexico, corporate
social responsibility
must be reflected in
all its activities at all
levels, building trust
everyday with the
generation of longterm commitments.
Kraft
Foods
>>
make your day delicious
44
K
raft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks
powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands
created to make today delicious. The company
proudly markets delicious biscuits, confectionery,
beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in
approximately 170 countries.
Twelve of the company’s iconic brands – Cadbury, Jacobs,
Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer,
Philadelphia, Tang and Trident – generate revenue of more than
$1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced
plans to divide and create two independent public companies:
a high-growth global snacks business and a high-margin North
American grocery business. The transaction will take at least
12 months to complete, during which time plans regarding the
structure, management, governance and other matters will be
announced.
The company has a well-deserved reputation in terms of
regulations compliance and respect to the community. A leader
in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability,
Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average,
Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and
Ethibel Sustainability Index.
As the world’s second largest Food & Beverages company, Kraft
Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion, providing employment
to 140,000 people.
Kraft Foods is a company that participates in the snacks,
confectionery and ready-to-prepare food markets in Mexico
since 1955. Currently, it has operations in more than 70
countries with sales in more than 160 nations. The company has
11 Research & Development Centers worldwide, which enable
the development of knowledge for the consumers’ benefit.
The company started its operations in Mexico in 1955. Later,
in the year 2000, Kraf Foods acquired Nabisco, in 2008 opened
its Research & Development Center in Mexico City’s Victoria
Plant. Additionally, in 2008 the company opened the Kraft
Mexico Gastronomic Center in order to train chefs, vendors/
suppliers and customers for the creation of new gastronomical
trends.
Leon. This biscuit manufacturing plant exports 100% of its
production to the US market.
• Puebla Plant located in the beautiful city of Puebla,
produces Gums & Candies. It is the world’s largest chewing
gum manufacturing plant. 73% of its production is for the
domestic market and 27% for export to US, Canada, the
Caribbean and Central America.
For Kraft Foods Mexico, corporate social responsibility must be
reflected in all its activities at all levels, building trust everyday
with the generation of long-term commitments.
As part of the Social Responsibility accomplishments of this
long-term project, in 2010 Kraft Foods Mexico was recognized
by the Expansion Magazine and Top Companies as the #1 Super
Company to Work For in Mexico. Also, in 2011 and for the sixth
straight year, the company received the Socially Responsible
Company distinctive and was ranked in the 4th place by
Top Companies. Additionally, it received recognitions in
Environmental, Health & Safety Excellence and a State Quality
Award won by the Puebla Plant.
Among the Social Responsibility projects that have been
carried out are a program to promote healthy lifestyles called
“Alimentarnos para Vivir Mejor” (Feed Us to Live Better). This
program is jointly conducted with Save the Children Mexico since
2006 and through the creation of different materials we have had
a positive impact in the life of 18.500 children nationwide, 8.500
parents, 800 community educators and 60 health promoters,
working on subjects such as nutritional education, active games,
physical activity and human development.
The last material developed by the company is called “Manual
Familias Saludables” (Healthy Families Manual) and was created
to address one of the most important social sectors: families.
This material creates consciousness among all family members
on the importance of acquiring and fostering healthy lifestyles.
The material breaks down this information in a clear, simple,
practical, fun way and starting with the family in order to lead
by example with children.
Kraft Foods Mexico has more than 8,000 employees and
more than 50 Promoters Attention Centers. Also, it has four
Manufacturing Plants in the country:
• Victoria Plant, located in Mexico City. This plant
manufactures biscuits like Oreo, Chips Ahoy! And Ritz. 97%
of its production is for the domestic market and 3% for export.
• Ecatepec Plant, located in Mexico State. It is the
manufacturing plant of powdered beverages such as Tang
and Clight; cheese such as the traditional Philadelphia cream
cheese that is enjoyed by consumers in snacks and several
dishes; as well as mayonnaise and maple syrup. 91.5% of its
production is for the domestic market and 8.5% for export.
• Monterrey Plant, located in the State of Nuevo
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS / MIEMBRO DESTACADO
Kraft Foods is the leader in the manufacturing of gums, candies,
chocolate and cream cheese. The leading brands people love
are Trident, Tang, Clorets, Bubbaloo, Philadelphia and Halls.
45
W
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS / MIEMBRO DESTACADO
hen MicroTech president
and CEO Tony Jimenez
was named Entrepreneur
of the Year, Virginia
Governor Bob McDonnell offered
his congratulations, saying, “Thanks
for your commitment to improving
the lives of others.” That is an apt
description of Tony Jimenez. Even
as the head of the Fastest Growing
Hispanic Owned Business in the U.S.,
for an unprecedented third consecutive
year—integrity, character and doing
the right thing mean as much to him as
the bottom line.
46
And when Maryland Governor Martin
O’Malley wanted to reach out to
the local minority community, he
recognized Tony Jimenez with the
Chair’s Award for the work he does to
better the lives of Hispanics. Jimenez
was also named by Hispanic Business
in 2011 as one of the Most Influential
Hispanics in America.
Tony Jimenez
Leader of Fastest Growing HispanicOwned Business, Finds Success in
Technology Innovation
A decorated veteran, innovative
entrepreneur, and strong advocate for
minority business ownership, Tony
Jimenez is also the founder and leader
of MicroTech. From the startup at his
kitchen table in northern Virginia in
2004, he has nurtured his business
into an all-American success story.
Beginning with one single contract
with the U.S. Army and only 15
Diverse 100 Top Minority Suppliers,
and DiversityBusiness.com selected
the company as the No. 1 Veteran
Owned Business in Washington DC.
CRN called MicroTech the Top Revenue
Generating VAR in North America.
MicroTech is a four-time member of
the Inc. 500, and the Fastest Growing
Solutions Provider in North America.
Digital Software Magazine named
MicroTech the Fastest Growing Private
Software Service Provider in the
World. The company holds more than
100 prime contracts and 28 Federal
procurement vehicles, offering over
a million tech products and services
across the government.
As a passionate advocate for veterans
and minority business owners,
Jimenez is frequently called upon to
testify before Congress and the Senate,
address business groups, and get
involved with government forums like
President Obama’s Economic Recovery
Advisory Board and the Department
of Commerce Advisory Council on
Minority Business Enterprise.
MicroTech is a member of the CRN
In the past year, he was honored with
the Corporate Citizenship Award as
Executive of the Year, a government
information
management
group
selected him for executive leadership,
the Washington Business Journal
honored him as a Minority Business
Leader of the Year, and he was
recognized as a Business Legend by
the Maryland Center for Inclusion
and Diversity. Named as one of Most
Influential Hispanics in Technology by
two organizations, Hispanic Engineer
also called him one of the Top Latinos
in Healthcare IT.
MicroTech (www.MicroTech.net) recently opened a new technology center, and significantly expanded its
product line of branded cloud computing, unified communications, and mobile data center technology.
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS / MIEMBRO DESTACADO
employees that first year, the company
now has 450 employees in 30 states.
MicroTech continues to aggressively
expand and prosper even during these
uncertain times, growing over 25,000
percent since its launch.
47
FEBRUARY / FEBRERO
CHAPTER
EVENT
DAY
PLACE
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Consultant training course on Cleaner Production
and Energy Efficiency
15
León, Gto.
[email protected]
INTER AMERICAN CHAPTER. MIAMI, FL.
Mexico Vibra! Miami Launching Cocktail
16
Cinco at Village of Merryck Park
[email protected]
PACIFIC CHAPTER. GUADALAJARA, JAL.
Welcoming Ceremony for the New Board of
Directors - USMCOC Pacifico Chapter
23
Cámara de Comercio de
Guadalajara, Jalisco.
[email protected]
MICHOACAN CHAPTER. MORELIA, MICH.
USMCOC Michoacan Chapter meeting
27
Chamber offices
[email protected]
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER. CHICAGO, IL
Mexico Update: 2012 Economic and Political
Outlook
28
Baker & McKenzie, Chicago, Il
[email protected]
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER. CHICAGO, IL
Mexico Update: 2012 Economic and Political
Outlook
29
Plante & Moran, Detroit,
Michigan
[email protected]
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
The Retail Market in Mexico
29
TBA
[email protected]
MICHOACAN CHAPTER
Presentation of the Long Term Strategic Plan to the
New Elected Governor
29
State Government office
[email protected]
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Low Carbon. Certification program for hotel sector
TBD
León, Gto.
[email protected]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
MARCH / MARZO
CHAPTER
EVENT
DAY
PLACE
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
“From Members to Members” Network Breakfast
6
TBD
[email protected]
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER. CHICAGO, IL
Annual Spring Business Mission to Mexico City
22-23
Mexico City
[email protected]
INTER AMERICAN CHAPTER. MIAMI, FL.
Member’s Annual Luncheon with Consul General
of Mexico
TBD
TBA
[email protected]
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Low Carbon. Certification Program for hotel sector
TBD
León, Gto.
[email protected]
THE WOODLANDS - GULF COAST
CHAPTER
Luncheon
TBD
TBA
[email protected]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
APRIL / ABRIL
UPCOMING EVENTS / PRÓXIMOS EVENTOS
CHAPTER
48
EVENT
DAY
PLACE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
“FROM MEMBERS TO MEMBERS NETWORK
BREAFAST”
3
TBD
[email protected]
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
Maquiladoras Project with the US-Commercial
Service and the USMCOC. Road Trips
18-19
TBD
[email protected]
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER. CHICAGO, IL
U.S. Mexico China Forum
19
TBD
[email protected]
BINATIONAL EVENT
Annual Meeting, Conference and Good Neighbor
Awards 2012
25-26
Washington, D.C.
[email protected]
INTER AMERICAN CHAPTER. MIAMI, FL.
Inter-American Chapter’s XIV Anniversary at Royal
Caribbean’s Cruise Ship
TBD
PORT OF MIAMI
[email protected]
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Low Carbon. Certification Program for hotel sector
TBD
León, Gto.
[email protected]
MAY / MAYO
CHAPTER
EVENT
DAY
PLACE
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
“From Members to Members” Network Breakfast
1
TBD
[email protected]
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Consultant training course on Cleaner Production
and Energy Efficiency
3
León, Gto.
[email protected]
THE WOODLANDS - GULF COAST
CHAPTER
Trade Mission to Mexico City
18-19
Mexico City
[email protected]
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CHAPTER. LOS
ANGELES, CA.
“Fifth Celebration of the International Trade
Community in Los Angeles” UCLA.
19
TBD
[email protected]
MID-AMERICA CHAPTER. CHICAGO, IL
2012 Double Eagle Awards Dinner
25-27
TBD
[email protected]
INTER AMERICAN CHAPTER. MIAMI, FL.
Conference: Elections in Mexico and USA and the
future of US-Mexico relations
TBD
TBA
[email protected]
BAJÍO CHAPTER. LEÓN, GTO.
Low Carbon. Certification Program for hotel sector
TBD
León, Gto.
[email protected]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
49
Progress
today without
compromising
tomorrow
ERM has an outstanding reputation as one of the
world’s leading providers of environmental, health
and safety, risk and social consulting services.
We deliver innovative solutions for our clients,
helping them understand and manage their
impacts on the world around them.
With 130 offices in 40 countries, ERM combines
global capability with a detailed, local
regulatory and cultural understanding. ERM’s
global team includes more than 3,600 staff
representing more than 30 disciplines.
50
For more information please visit www.erm.com