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Thursday, October 05, 2006
Project will bring rail yard, 285 jobs and significant economic opportunity to border region

Santa Teresa, NM – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Union Pacific Corporation President and CEO Jim Young today announced an agreement that will relocate 285 jobs to a new $150 million terminal facility at Strauss, N.M., about 4 miles west of Santa Teresa. In addition, Union Pacific has also agreed to begin construction of a new intermodal ramp at this location no later than 2015. Once operational, the ramp is expected to process a minimum of 100,000 container units annually.

“The partnership between Union Pacific and the State of New Mexico is truly historic, and it is another step toward fulfilling my promise to create jobs and build a high-wage economy that benefit the entire state.” said Governor Richardson. “This project not only builds industry and creates good jobs, but also lays the groundwork to attract light manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities, which could potentially reshape the economy in southern New Mexico.”

The project will include a main line locomotive fueling station, a train inspection area and a rail facility.

“Today’s agreement is a testament of how a public/private partnership has the ability to find solutions to benefit both parties,” said Young. “This proposed facility will enable us to improve efficiency and expand our operations in the southern New Mexico/western Texas region, which is a part of our critical Sunset Corridor.”

Through efforts of the Governor and action in the 2007 session of the Legislature, New Mexico’s gross receipt and compensating tax for locomotive fuel must be removed by July 1, 2009 as a condition for building the proposed 934-acre railroad facility. Many other states, including Texas, already have an exemption on railroad fuel taxes.

In addition, Governor Richardson has committed $5 million to improve a county road connecting the Pete Domenici Highway in Santa Teresa with the new Union Pacific facilities in Strauss.

The new facility would be constructed on land currently held by the federal Bureau of Land Management and the New Mexico State Land Office. The process for Union Pacific to acquire the property could take up to 18 months, with construction beginning sometime in 2008 and an anticipated completion of the facility before the end of 2010.

Although certain functions such as fueling, inspections and crew change activities would be transferred to the proposed facility in Strauss, none of the existing facilities in El Paso will be closed. The facility in El Paso is currently at capacity and traffic is expected to continue to grow.

“This is a win for the entire border region, including New Mexico and our neighbors in west Texas and Chihuahua,” said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans. “This will be an incredible boost for the regional economy, helping to attract new companies that will create hundreds of related jobs.”

Of the 285 jobs proposed at the Strauss facility, 205 would be either engineers or conductors and 80 mechanical employees that fuel or inspect trains.

Jobs at Union Pacific
Currently, Union Pacific has job openings at many locations throughout its 23-state operating system. Opportunities are available in train service, skilled disciplines (e.g., diesel mechanics and electricians) and management. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit http://www.up.com and click on “Jobs at UP.”

About Union Pacific
Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country and serves the fastest-growing U.S. population centers. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad offers competitive long-haul routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico, making it North America’s premier rail franchise.

Agenda

Thursday, November 16th - AMAC Cd. Juárez, México:

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - RECEPTION
Macario Schettino – Keynote Speaker
Cónsul Dona Blair – US Cónsul in México
Cónsul Juan Carlos Foncerrada – Mexican Cónsul in US
Secretary Alejandro Cano – Secretary of Commerce State of Chihuahua
Rene Mendoza – Sub Delegate – Economic Secretariat
Carlos Salas – Coordinator of Directors of the Cd. Juarez County
Juan Hernandez – International Water and Boundary Commission Juarez
Carlos Marin – International Water and Boundary Commission El Paso

Panel Moderator: Tomas Mena Sanchez, AMAC

Friday, November 17th - El Paso Community College:

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Conference registration & booth networking

9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. Michael Hissam Delphi Technical Center Master of Ceremony

Opening Remarks

• Dr. Santiago Ibarreche - Professor University of Texas at El Paso - NAFTA and Small Business
• Dr. Michael Cox - Senior Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Fruits of Free Trade

*Conference will be divided in two concurrent tracks:
**Track one: Focuses on Large [Executive] Business Issues
**Track two: Focuses on Small Business Issues

Track On 10:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Regional and Global Economic Issues

• Bill Gilmer - President of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas El Paso Branch
• Lucinda Vargas - Plan Estrategico de Juarez
• Jorge Ruiz - Desarrollo Economico de Juarez
• Panel Moderator: Don Michie, NAFTA Ventures

Track Two 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Import Export Panel

• David Longoria - U.S. Customs Port Director
• Rodolfo Torres - Mexican Customs Port Director-Director Aduana Fronteriza
• Raul Gomez - Arial Logistics / President of Customs Broker Association
• PT Wright - U.S. Visit from Washington DC
• Panel Moderator: Gilberto Arias, Arias Logistics, Inc.

Track One 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Border Integration

• Tomas Mena - President AMAC - "Economic Impact of the Maquiladora Industry"
• Sada Cumber - Chairman & CEO Sozo Teck / Chairman & CEO of Psionic Technologies Inc Chairman of the Board of TCMC
• Hector Holquin - CEO and Chirman of the Board of Holguin Group
• Panel Moderator: Michael Hissam, Delphi

Track Two 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. How to Conduct Business in U.S. & Mexico

• Lic. Jerry Pacheco - International Business Accelerator
• Kevin Jenson - Binational Accountant El Paso/Juarez
• Lic. Carlos Angulo-Baker & McKenzie Abogados, S.C. - Law Firm
• Panel Moderator: Don Michie, NAFTA Ventures

Track One 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. Direct Investment in Border Region

• The Honorable Jeffrey Jones - Chihuahua - Direct Investment from Mexican Perspective
• Maria Coello - Economist - Hunt Oil Company - What does a multinational company look for in a region to invest
• Panel Moderator: Michael Hissam, Delphi

Track Two 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. Marketing and Financing

• Matthew Hilgendorf - U.S. Export Assistance Center
• Rick Schulz - U.S. Small Business Administration
• Joe Ringer - EXIM Bank
• Panel Moderator: Adrian Madrigal, U.S. Small Business Administration

*Both Tracks come together for lunch

1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch
The Honorable Congressman Silvestre Reyes
Bob Wingo - Branding the Region

**Two Choices After Lunch

Choice 1: 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Border Economic Development Inquiries

• Panel discussion on Economic Development
• Bob Cook - REDCO
• El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Jaime Campos - New Mexico Economic Development
• Manuel Sotelo - Asociacion de Transportiastas
• Pat Abeln -
• Ernesto Anaya - COPARMEX
• Abiel Carrillo - Desarrollo Economico de Juarez
• Richard Dayoub - El Paso Greater Chamber of Commerce
• Panel Moderator: Dr. Don Michie

Choice 2: 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Business Networking and Booth Networking

• Moderators: Krizia Carrillo & Alex Ramirez

Adjourn Conference 4:00 p.m.

The organizers of this event invite any New Mexican business interested in selling or learning about the multi-billion dollar maquiladora industry to join us for this event. Over 900 exhibitors and 3,500 visitors are expected to participate this year.

Please contact Roberto Ransom the Office of Mexican Affairs (505-690-5569) to confirm your participation. For additional information on Expo Maquila 2006, please visit the following website: http://www.desarrolloeconomico.org

One of the most commonly asked questions by Americans doing business in Mexico is, "How do I address my counterpart?" It is often confusing for Americans to be handed a Mexican's business card and see an abbreviated title and a series of names.

In the U.S., a person's educational status is not often used when addressing him or her, with the exception of Doctor. Mexican business people, on the other hand, are much more formal. To avoid embarrassment and conduct business the "Mexican way," you should understand how to properly address Mexican business people.

First, an understanding of Mexican names is essential. It is common for a Mexican to include both his/her paternal and maternal surnames on business cards and letterhead, with the paternal name always first. For example, let's take the name Jose Aguayo Mancera, Jose is the first name and would be a common way to address this person among friends. Aguayo is Jose's father's last name and Mancera his mother's.

When speaking to this person, he may be addressed as Senor Aguayo. It is important to emphasize that in the United States, we would think of Aguayo as Jose's middle name and Mancera as his last name. However, in Mexico the middle name is almost always the paternal surname and therefore the name which Jose would go by. With the exposure of Mexican business people to international business, it is becoming more common to see only one surname on business cards and documents. However, this is still the exception.

You should also understand when to use the prefixes Senor (Mr.), Senora (Mrs.) and Senorita (Miss). (The abbreviations for these are Sr., Sra., and Srta. respectively.) When addressing a gentleman named Martinez, it is appropriate to say Senor Martinez. If you know that your contact is a married woman, you would say Senora Martinez. If you are certain that the woman is single it would be Senorita Martinez. A major issue arises when marriage status is unclear. As a general rule, use the prefix Senorita when addressing an unfamiliar woman in Mexico. If she is indeed married, either her assistants, her secretary or she herself will usually politely correct you. It is not uncommon to address an elderly lady as Senorita if you are unfamiliar with her marriage status. Lately, the usage of Seno, a prefix akin to Ms., is becoming more and more common in Mexico. However, this is only used in spoken Spanish.

•••

Many years ago, it was considered a status symbol in Mexico to have graduated from college. When addressing a business person with a college degree, the nature of the degree was used as a prefix before the person's name. Through the years, this tradition remains a part of business etiquette in Mexico. The most common title, licenciado (pronounced lee-sen-cia-do) for men and licenciada for women (literally, licensed or degreed person), is used to refer to someone who has a general college degree. This applies to people with business, legal, economic, sociology, political science, etc. degrees.

On business cards, you will see the words licenciadola abbreviated as "Lie." For example, if you receive a business cards with the title Lie. Maria Garcia Lopez, you will know that this person has a general college degree. The title Licenciada supersedes Senora or Senorita even if you are aware of this person's marriage status. It is proper to address this person as Licenciada Garcia. If you are talking to Lic. Garcia's assistant you may hear her referred to simply as "La Licenciada." However, when using only the title "licenciad' to refer to a person, you have to be clear about whom you are speaking. If you are speaking to a Licenciado's assistant, it is proper to ask "Is the Licenciado in?" (You would not call the phone operator of a large conglomerate and ask "Is the Licenciado in?" There are probably hundreds of Licenciados employed in the business).

The second most common prefixes that appear in titles refer to specific college degrees. The most common of these is Ingeniero/a, (pronounced een-hen-yeh-ro/ra), which is abbreviated "Ing." Ingeniero tends to refer to people with engineering degrees. However, it could also refer to someone with a technical background or a long history of experience in a technically specialized field. Another is arquitectola (pronounced ar-key-tec-to), which is abbreviated "arq." This architectural title is common in the construction building industry.

In the general business/administrative areas. three titles are common The first, Gerente General (pronounced hair-en-teh hen-eh-ral) which is abbreviated Gte. Gral., literally means General Manager. It is very common to see the chief executive officer or other top dog of a business entity with this title. Administrador (pronounced admeen-ee-straw-dor), which is abbreviated Admon., is a general title for people in administrative areas. The third title, Contador Publico (pronounced cone-ta-dor poo-blec-co), which is abbreviated C.P., is the title of a public accountant. The prefix Doctor/a, (abbreviated Dr.) carries the same meaning as in the U.S. and supersedes all others. You would not refer to a person who has her Doctorate in Economics as Doctora Licenciada Lopez, but simply as Doctora Lopez.

•••

When dealing with the upper echelon of the Mexican government, you will encounter two commonly used titles. The first, Ministro/a (abbrev. Min.) refers to a Minister. The second, Secretario/a (abbrev. Sec.) refers to a cabinet level Secretary .

The Mexican political sector has its own titles. Mexican senators are addressed by the title Senador/a (sen-a-dor/a), which is abbreviated "Sen." A Mexican representative would be called Diputado/a (dee.poo-tah-do), which is abbreviated "Dip." Governors of Mexican states use the word Gobernado/a (gobehr-na-dor/a) before their name (i.e. Gobernador Reyes Baeza). Again, remember that Reyes is what we Americans tend to think of as a middle name but it is actually this Mexican official's paternal surname. If you are referring to the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, you would say Presidente (prez-ee-dent-eh) Calderon. In these particular examples when you are speaking to the person and using his title only, you will first use a general prefix. For example, when speaking to a Mexican governor, you might say, "Si Senor Gobernador."

Finally, at what point do you know your counterpart well enough to dispense with titles and revert to a first name basis? Those of you who are familiar with the Spanish language are aware of the difference between the formal form of the word "you" (usted) and the informal "you" (tu). The rule I have always followed is to address my counterpart in the most formal method possible until I am told that it is acceptable to be informal. In Mexico, this is described as "Romper el turron," or "Breaking into the tu zone." Once you are in this ''tu zone," you have moved past the formal and into the friendly.

• Business Type: Buyer
• Country: Mexico/USA
• Description: A residential developer is looking for reliable contractors and distributors located in the Las Cruces, New Mexico region that can provide the following materials and services: landscaping, rock wall installation, electricians, plumbers, post tension cable installation, concrete sidewalks installation, driveway installation, framing, garage doors, heating and cooling, insulation materials and labor, sheetrock materials and labor, carpentry, carpet supplies and installation, stucco installation, and home cleaning service providers.

• Business Type: Buyer
• Country: USA
• Description: A Southwest-style furniture retailer is interested in importing rustic furniture from Mexico in volumes of at least one truckload per month.

• Business Type: Buyer
• Country: USA
• Description: A home décor distributor is interested in sourcing large volumes of Mexican pewter items such as decorative bowls, candle holders, and other decorative home pieces.

• Business Type: Vendor
• Country: USA
• Description: A manufacturer and distributor of an affordable wireless technology security system for home, apartment and office applications is looking for a partner in Mexico interested in establishing distribution channels. This security system connects directly to emergency notification services and personal telephone contacts such as the owner or neighbors of persons using this system. Current distribution channels in the U.S. include Comp USA and Home Depot.

• Business Type: Producer
• Country: Mexico
• Description: A year round producer of hydroponic tomatoes in northern Mexico is interested in finding buyers in the U.S. This producer is FDA compliant and has the capacity to supply 15 metric-tons of tomatoes per week, packaged in 25-lb boxes in rows of 5X6 per box.

• Business Type: Supplier
• Country: Mexico
• Description: A supplier located in Chihuahua City is interested in finding buyers in the U.S. for a variety of dried chile products. The following is a list of available items and prices FOB, El Paso, TX: dried chile chipotle at $1.55 per pound; smoked chile morita at $1.38 per pound; and chile California, $1.38 per pound. Shipments are for full truckload 48-ft. trailers.

• Business Type: Seller
• Country: Canada
• Description: A company in Toronto, Ontario is seeking a joint venture partner interested in producing and commercializing innovative plastic business card holders and plastic grips used on public transit railing systems for passenger safety. Please view digital sketches of this newly patented product.
  Business Card Holder
  Multiple Handgrip
• International Terms of Sale: Depends on buyer's preference.

For more information please see the announcement above.

Presented by The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
Co-sponsored by The International Trade Center at UTSA

This two-day program is led by BIS's professional counseling staff and provides an in-depth examination of the
Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The program will cover the information exporters need to know to comply with U.S. export control requirements on commercial goods. We will focus on what items and activities are subject to the EAR; steps to take to determine the export licensing requirements for your item; how to determine your export control classification number (ECCN); when you can export or reexport without applying for a license; export clearance procedures and record keeping requirements; Export Management System (EMS) concepts; and real life examples in applying this information. Presenters will conduct a number of "hands-on" exercises that will prepare you to apply the regulations to your own company's export activities. This program is well suited for those who need a comprehensive understanding of their obligations under the EAR. Technical, policy, and enforcement professionals from BIS, as well as specialists from other agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Bureau of Census will participate in certain programs.

About the Speakers
The instructors are experienced export policy specialists, engineers and enforcement personnel from BIS's Washington, D.C. headquarters and field offices, as well as representatives from other U.S. government agencies. The instructors will be available throughout the seminar to answer your questions on how the export regulations affect the export activities of your organization or client.

Location/Time
The conference will be at The DoubleTree Hotel on 37 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78216. Registration and continental breakfast will start at 7:30 am with presentations following from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on both days.

Hotel Accomodations
A special conference rate of $103 (plus tax) for a single/double room has been arranged with the DoubleTree Hotel, 37 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78216. Please make your reservations directly with the hotel after Friday, October 20, 2006 by calling (800) 535-1980 or (210) 341-0410. Mention "Bureau of Industry and Security Training Seminar " to receive the special conference rate. The rate is reserved for thirty rooms and is available only until November 5, 2006.

Registration
The registration fee to attend is $225 per person prior to November 10th and $200 for additional representatives. Registration cost after November 10th is $275 per person. Paid attendee substitutions may be made at any time. For additional information regarding registration, please call (210) 458-2470.

To guarantee placement for the BIS seminar: Fax your registration form from www.texatrade.org (with Visa, MC, AMEX or Discover) to (210) 458-2491 or you may register by phone at (210) 458-2470. Make your check payable to The International Trade Center at UTSA and mail to International Trade Center at UTSA, 501 W. Durango Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207, Attn: Sylvia Castillo.

Contact
For more information on the conference please call the International Trade Center at UTSA at (210) 458-2470.

Exhibitor
For more details on exhibitor tables please contact the International Trade Center at UTSA at (210) 458-2470.

For more information please see the announcement above.

What is your India strategy? This November, Under Secretary for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin will lead a delegation of U.S. individuals and companies to a business summit in Mumbai, India with spin-off missions to Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, or New Delhi. This is an excellent opportunity to make sales and/or contacts in India. For more information and on-line pre-registration please visit http://www.export.gov/indiamission

The first plastic and metal stamping show to be held at Cibeles Convention Center in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Nov. 29 - 30, 2006. The event will showcase equipment, resin, molds & dies, automation equipment, injection molding and metal stamping contract manufacturers companies. Come and visit Plastimetal 2006, the event you can’t afford to miss.

Seminar topics include:

• New Screw Technology
• Molding and Automation Innovations
• Injection Molding Process
• Plastics Drying-What are the Options?
• Rapid Prototypes and Mold Making
• New Resin Technology
• Engineering Resin
• Color Additives
• Finishes on plastics
• Metal Stamping Process

For more information visit: www.plastimetalmx.com