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Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA) — Save the Date: Mexico & Canada Consuls in Flagstaff on Aug. 16

by Community Contributor • July 21, 2023 • Comments Off

Good Morning,

The Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona is pleased to announce that the featured speakers for its August 16 Advisory Council meeting will be the Consul General of Mexico, Jorge Mendoza Yescas, and Glenn Williamson, the founder and CEO of the Canada Arizona Business Council.

Both men have decades of diplomatic service between them and are uniquely versed in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which created one of the world’s largest free trade zones.

We are extending this invitation to the entire business community because of the importance of these two countries to our state and regional economy. The meeting will be held from 1-2:30 pm in the City of Flagstaff Council Chambers, 211 W. Aspen Ave.

According to the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, Mexico is by far Arizona’s largest trading partner. In 2022, Arizona’s exports to Mexico increased by 7% to $8.7 billion, and almost one-third of all Arizona exports were destined for Mexican markets. Meanwhile, Canada is our state’s second largest export destination, with $2.6 billion in exports in 2022, a 12.7% increase over the prior year and constituting almost 10% of the state’s exports.

Appointed Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix in 2019, Consul Mendoza has served in several posts in both the United States and Canada, and has contributed to articles about migration, binational affairs, and U.S. politics. He earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Sul Ross University in Texas and a Law Degree from Universidad de Sonora.

Mr. Williamson was Honorary Consul of Canada for Arizona for eight years. He is an entrepreneur who was instrumental in building and taking five companies public. Through the Canada Arizona Business Council, he works to bring government, educational, and private sector entities together to solve issues that might hinder economic growth between Arizona and Canada.

We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating conversation on the ever growing impact of trade between our three countries and how this will continue to impact our economy in northern Arizona.