February 6, 2013

Members of Mayor Emanuel's Economic Team Meet With Board Members of ProMexico

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Today, senior officials from the Office of the Mayor met with board members of ProMexico in hopes of fostering further economic relationship between Chicago and Mexico.

Deputy Mayor Steve Koch; Adolfo Hernandez, Director of the Office of New Americans; Rita Athas, President of World Business Chicago; and Leroy Allala  and Anel Montes of Chicago Sister Cities International represented the City to discuss new ways to foster and cultivate greater economic relations.

“I am focused on strengthening and building our local economy, and I am committed to using all economic tools provided by the global marketplace to create jobs here in Chicago,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “My administration will work tirelessly to explore potential business opportunities with Mexico that will foster economic growth in the City of Chicago.”

ProMexico is an institution that serves as a link between the foreign business community and the local Chicago business community.  ProMexico’s Board is comprised of professionals of Mexican descent living or operating a business in Chicago. 

“The ProMexico Advisory Board is a group of businessmen, executives and foremost Mexicans, living in the Chicago area, and we celebrate this milestone as the starting point of a more formal and structured relationship between the Mexican business community and Mayor Emanuel’s Administration, said Trade Commissioner, Enrique Perret. “We will strongly promote an enhanced trade and investment relationship, and look forward to working directly with the city on a specific agenda that will ultimately translate in more trade, investment and jobs for both Mexico and Chicago.”

Mexico City and the Chicago have held a long-standing Sister City relationship beginning in 1991. Chicago is the 5th largest population of individuals with Mexican descent in the world and the 2nd largest in the United States following only Los Angeles. Over one-fifth of Chicago’s population as a whole is of Latino descent.

The Emanuel Administration continues to foster positive economic development with foreign countries as a tool to strengthen Chicago’s economy. To further those efforts, over the past several months the Mayor and members of his administration have met with leaders and dignitaries from Canada, United Kingdom, China and Poland.

 

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