New push for foreign investment

Companies to help promote Tijuana's opportunities

TIJUANA – Success stories breed more success. That's the premise of a program introduced Thursday to promote this city as a good place to do business.

The Tijuana Economic Development Corporation presented the program "Circle of Ambassadors" during the inauguration of its new offices in the fifth floor of the award-winning "green" building Vía Corporativa in the Río zone.

The program involves forming an alliance between the non-profit EDC, known as Deitac, and leading international manufacturing companies with plants in the region, such as Tyco Electronics, Honeywell, Zodiac Aerospace, Cobham, Greatbatch Medical, Kyocera, Plantronics, Samsung, Toyota, Bose, Hyundai and Delphi, among others.

In their travels, officials with these companies have agreed to promote their successful experience in Baja California, said Jaime González Luna, Deitac's president.

For 20 years, the EDC has promoted Tijuana's industrial opportunities in the United States, Asia and Europe. The agency is made up of 150 industrial advisers and government representatives.

According to González Luna, in the last three years the agency's efforts have resulted in 56 foreign companies starting operations in Tijuana, generating 3,000 jobs.

During the inauguration, Baja California Gov. José Guadalupe Osuna said this work is important to drive down the state's unemployment rate, officially 5.6 per cent.

That's why the state government gave the agency a grant for 2,000,000 pesos (about $167,000), he said.

He noted, however, that promoting foreign investment continues to be a challenge, given concerns about public safety and fiscal uncertainty.

The governor said that foreign companies invested a total of $2.2 billion in the state last year, 48 percent more than in 2009. This year, supported by government initiatives and by organizations such as Deitac, the investment is projected to grow to $2.5 billion.

For his part, Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante, who also attended the inauguration, noted that foreign companies do not make their way to Tijuana on their own, like they used to. That's why the work of the EDC is important, because its officials leave their comfort zone and promote the city in many countries.

The agency's president spoke of the challenges his organization faces.

Every year, the agency makes between 15,000 to 20,000 contacts, 10 per cent of whom agree to visit the city, and of those, around 100 decide to launch operations in Tijuana, González Luna said.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com

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