Governor’s International Mission to Mexico

Governor Chris Gregoire: Promoting the Best State to Do Business in Mexico
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

News of the Forbes.com announcement today that Washington has moved to 5th Best State to Do Business, up from 12th last year, has created a buzz here in Mexico. I could not contain my joy over the timing. My delegation and I have been here for two days talking about Washington’s innovative companies, diverse economy, and favorable business climate and Forbes.com reinforced what we all know – “Washington is the big story.” Our Mexican trading partners couldn’t be more pleased to be doing business with Washington.

Today I met with President Felipe Calderon in our first meeting since he became President. We discussed tariff issues and how to guard against future trade barriers, our concerns about the impact of immigration laws, labor shortages and a broad range of security issues. Security is clearly a focal point for President Calderon in his first year and I know he maintains optimism that our U.S. Congress will work toward more comprehensive immigration reform. I feel that President Calderon and I have just begun a dialogue and that we will maintain open, candid communications for greater cooperation and to mitigate any issues.

It’s through developing personal relationships on this mission that our partnerships with Mexico will grow, leading to more exports and more jobs for Washingtonians. One example of how these missions create opportunities is found in a new relationship between Aeroméxico and Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. As a result of this mission, Aeroméxico will now be featuring their wines on direct flights between Seattle and Mexico City. I have no doubt we’ll have more stories to share in the near future.

Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo, President of Eastern Washington University:

We’ve had a very productive trip so far and have had the opportunity to meet with many education leaders in Mexico City. Last evening, we were hosted at a reception at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, where we had a chance to make further contact between Eastern Washington University and Mexican leaders, as well as other members of the delegation.

We’re looking forward to Guadalajara on Thursday where we will sign a new agreement with Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. We are also pleased the signing will be witnessed by Governor Gregoire and the Governor of Jalisco, Washington’s sister state.

Governor Chris Gregoire: A Little Bit of Washington in Mexico
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

We started out the day with a breakfast briefing from representatives of the US Embassy in Mexico. We heard about the economic, cultural and educational background in Mexico - and a little bit about the new administration.

Breakfast was followed by a busy day that included visits to Costco, Starbucks and WINGS. At each stop we promoted Washington products, from beef and French fries to apples and cherries. I enjoyed handing out samples of our quality food items, which were on a special display of Washington products. We also stopped at Vinoteca, a wine store, to promote the many quality wines produced in our state, including Ste. Michelle, of which there are several representatives in our delegation.

At the Starbucks, I was very proud to learn that the stores were recently voted the second best place to work in Mexico. That’s great news for the 2,000 people employed by Starbucks at the 99 stores throughout Mexico.

In the evening, we attended a reception at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Antonio O. Garza, Jr. The night was capped off by a signing ceremony establishing educational exchange agreements between Lake Washington Technical College and the National College of Technical Professional Education of the United States of Mexico (CONALEP), as well as Skagit Valley College and the University of Guanajuato. Just as our state has recognized the need to make higher education a priority to advance our economy, so has Mexico. These agreements and others we have planned this week are a testament to this shared goal.

Governor Chris Gregoire: From Seattle to Mexico City
Monday, July 9, 2007

This morning Mike and I flew with the Washington delegation on the first direct flight from Sea-Tac Airport to Mexico City aboard a Boeing 737. Non-stop service between Sea-Tac and Mexico City began on the 4th of July, so we were thrilled to be among the first passengers to make the trip. It was an excellent start to what will surely be a very fruitful trip for the state of Washington, the United States and Mexico.

As the second-largest U.S. trading partner and one of Washington’s top ten export markets, there are an abundance of opportunities to promote Washington products in the Mexican market.  Much of the world knows that Washington products are of the highest quality, but the competition is fierce so we’re here in person to show how strong our products truly are.

Shortly after arriving, I joined the owners of Pearson Packaging at a meeting with a group of officials from Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s largest brewery, which uses hops grown in Washington.

We ended the day with a reception for the delegation.  Each delegate spoke about what she or he hoped to accomplish on the mission and there is a great diversity of interests represented.  We have small business, large business, agriculture (including wine, cherries, potatoes, dairy, beef and more), education and labor represented.  I asked that each delegate consider themselves a representative of all our interests - that they see Washington as all those interests as they work throughout the week.