A conference called "Sonora en Arizona" was held Sunday and Monday, September 15 and 16, at the Civic Plaza in Phoenix, sponsored by the government of the State of Sonora. Its object was to bring together Sonora and Arizona business people for discussion of mutually beneficial policies and practices. It was open to the public also at no charge.

I attended on both Sunday and Monday. Sunday afternoon I went around to the exhibitors' booths and met people. I made some good friends and contacts. On Monday there were four seminars scheduled, but I got so involved talking to exhibitors that I only managed to hear portions of two of them. I even forgot to eat lunch (which my wife found hard to believe). What I heard in the seminars was very informative and well-presented, so if what follows sounds a little disjointed, it's my fault, not the speakers'.

William Joffroy, an American customs broker from Phoenix, gave an update on NAFTA and import-export policies. He pointed out that the program is still in its infancy, only two years old. Here are some highlights of his talk:

• The Sonoran government has created an environment hospitable to the textile industry. Most of that business is now coming from Asia.
• Items can be sent to Mexico from the U.S., repaired there, and returned to the U.S. duty-free.
• Mexican trucks are being unloaded at the U.S. border, sometimes up to 100%, in a search for drugs. Joffroy suggested that truckers place their cargo on pallets, making it more visible to customs inspectors. Then they might not have to unload it all.
• Because of all the regulations and restrictions, importing and exporting can be made a lot easier by using a customs broker.

Another seminar was given by Angel Verdugo, advisor to the Governor of Sonora. He was a dynamic speaker, and I enjoyed what he had to say. Here are some highlights:

• An airline is trying to start a service with flights into Puerto Peñasco. Verdugo used this as an example of a business that would be difficult to set up because of bureaucratic complexities . Mexico is more likely to welcome agribusiness and marketing. Since agriculture is the major industry in Sonora, there is great potential for investment there.
• Mexico needs marketing specialists, but many businesses don't realize they need help or advice. Everyone is a do-it-yourselfer. Verdugo said that this should become a big industry.
• Housing loans do not exist in Mexico because there is no long-term money available.
• Mexico needs foreign investment of cash more than loans. It is too much in debt already.
• Animalitos (animal crackers), long a favorite in Mexico, are marching en masse across the border to Chicano families in the U.S.
• Sonoran red chili is better than that grown in Arizona. The U.S. has corrupted chili. (The details of how this happened have escaped me--I must have been getting tired by that time.)

Obviously my attention was wandering. My mind was on some of the exhibits I had seen and the people I had talked to. It was fascinating to find out what business people are doing on both sides of the border. Here is a taste of what I experienced.

Furniture

José Luis Avila, an owner of Corteza & Forja, is from Hermosillo. He has some exquisite hand-carved furniture at very reasonable prices. Using metal and wood, his group of young artisans has created unique pieces. Several that stood out were:

• a wardrobe with two hand-embossed bronze door panels, each depicting a knight in arms
• a wooden screen with copper panels cut into decorative floral shapes
• a curved writing desk with hand-forged metal drawer pulls
• a bed with a headboard inset of metal strips forged into an attractive lattice design
• a pine dining table and chair set, hand-carved, that I liked so much I almost bought it on the spot
• coffee tables, bookcases, statuary, and other art objects
• many elegant hand-carved doors, on consignment from another business

Corteza's business cards, their brochures, and their literature all were very professional. I spoke to José and found out that he is familiar with Internet and has an e-mail address. We talked about creating Web pages and doing some marketing. I'll be in contact with him in the future.

Leather

Mario Fuentes Duarte of Industrializadora de Pieles (Industrializer of Leather) had many beautiful leather artifacts--boots, belts, key holders, wallets. He used all kinds of materials. One pair of boots was made of kangaroo leather, and he had samples of ostrich leather available. It was very soft and supple. Mario's company is located in Hermosillo. I was lucky enough to win one of the many raffles that were held during the day. My prize was a leather key holder from Industrializadora de Pieles. It had an brass initial A on it, so it was obviously meant for my daughter Alison. How did he know? Mario and I talked about marketing in the U.S. and in Puerto Peñasco. I suggested that it might be a lot easier to sell his products in the dollar economy in Puerto Peñasco than in the U.S. I told him I might be able to put him in touch with shop owners there where he could sell his products on consignment. He was very much interested.

Newspaper

Ted Thomas is the publisher of La Onda (the Wave), a Spanish language newspaper distributed door-to-door to businesses, restaurants, hotels, and selected residential customers throughout Sonora (but not in Puerto Peñasco). I think he said there were 11 cities altogether. Ted told me his paper has the largest circulation in Sonora. His audience consists of Mexicans who shop, vacation, and do business in the U.S., and so most of the ads are from Tucson businesses. Ted, an American, has been living in Mexico for 30 years, but also has a residence in Phoenix and an office in Tucson. Ted knows everybody on both sides of the border, the people who get things done. He told me a lot of stories, and of course we talked about each other's papers and various marketing strategies. Both Ted and I can learn from each other. I'm sure we'll be in touch.

Cruises

The cruise ship business is coming to Puerto Peñasco. I talked to Vida Roy from Phoenix, whose company, Adventures South of the Border, is the exclusive booking agent for several recreational and cruise boats. Her charter fleet consists of vessels ranging from 22' to 125', fully equipped with the best electronics, fishing technology, and safety gear. The captains have a minimum of 10 years of experience fishing the Sea of Cortez. They specialize in one-day to multi-day trips, which run year round. Some cruise the immediate area; others cross the Sea of Cortez to San Felipe, B.C. Others go all the way south to the lower tip of Baja California and back up. Trips can be customized for particular groups.

Vida sold me. I wanted to go--RIGHT NOW! So I started to sell her on the Internet. I pulled out my notebook computer, set it on the table, and showed her our various Web Pages on Puerto Peñasco. Vida, a good business person, immediately saw the potential of getting her inventory of ships on the Net, with colored photos of the boats, the beaches, and the ocean, and vivid descriptions of sport fishing, scuba diving, and whale-watching. I made an arrangement for Marge and me to go on a cruise, and we'll be writing an article on it.

Airlines

On Paul L. Cook's business card, it says Cactus State Airservice; Service, Simplicity, Savings Satisfaction is the subheading, Paul, a tall, gregarious man, wearing a bolo tie with a silver ornament, was introduced to me by Vida. We didn't talk for long, but I made sure I got his business card. He told me about the flight service he is developing for Puerto Peñasco from Phoenix and Tucson, possibly as soon as December. He'll be doing freight first, passengers later. Look for more news on this in future issues.

Crossing Cultures

Right next to Vida was a booth shared by Manuel Murrieta Saldivar and Marialupe Duarte Clark, both interested in bilingual and bicultural issues. Manuel is the publisher of Culturadoor, a Spanish language newspaper for readers on both sides of the border. The paper features cultural and philosophical topics, book reviews, poetry, and essays. We were impressed with its range of subjects and depth of coverage. Manuel is a doctoral student at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and the author of several books. We bought one entitled de Viaje en Mex-America (Travel in Mex-America). Mex-America is Manuel's name for the border region.

Marialupe Duarte Clark is the owner of MARDU, Trade and Language Development Services, located in Phoenix. She specializes in helping business people with translation, interpretation, business etiquette, and background information for cross-cultural business negotiations. We bought a book from her too, a Spanish-English business dictionary, which should be an immense help to us.

There were other booths, too, that I haven't mentioned: art metalwork, ceramics, kitchens, food products, television stations, banks--and more. I wish I could describe them all.

I've been accused of being "all business" and not appreciating some of the finer things in life. So I'd like to point out that the festive atmosphere was enhanced by Mexican music playing on the loudspeakers and on Sunday a live mariachi band with a singer. The mariachis were excellent, really enjoyable, and the singer had a beautiful voice. I actually stopped talking--for a while--to listen.

I was delighted with what I saw in the booths. All of these entrepreneurs were good contacts for me and for Puerto Peñasco. The spirit of NAFTA was strong, Mexicans and Americans working together and talking together, side by side, booth by booth, building the country of Mex-America.