In June 2015, the NARP team, along with the Mexico Institute, toured the entire U.S.- Mexico border and conducted five focus groups for the U.S.-Mexico Border Industry Mapping initiative. Thanks to the generous support of USAID Mexico and the Council of State Governments West, the U.S.-Mexico Border Industry Mapping initiative seeks to identify, map and analyze key industries that are highly concentrated, binational and dynamic operating within five binational sub-regions along the entire U.S.- Mexico border region. The goal of these focus groups was to gain a more detailed understanding of regional supply chains, to discuss approaches to cluster-based economic development, and to develop steps that could be taken by local and federal actors to facilitate the further development of key industrial clusters.
The sessions were hosted by a variety of public-, private- and academic entities and featured a variety of stakeholders, including cluster representatives, chambers of commerce, city and county governments, mega regions, universities, U.S. and Mexican consulates, and economic development organizations. Approximately 200 stakeholders participated in the five focus groups.
Date | Site | Host |
June 22, 2015 | San Diego, California | CaliBaja Mega Region |
June 24, 2015 | Tucson, Arizona | Consulate of Mexico in Tucson |
June 26, 2015 | El Paso, Texas | BorderPlex Alliance |
June 29, 2015 | Laredo, Texas | Binational Center, Texas A&M International University |
June 30, 2015 | Brownsville, Texas | United Brownsville |
At each session, the research team presented findings from the initial quantitative research pertaining to the sub region and engaged local economic development experts and industry leaders to get their feedback. Please click on the following links to see presentations and pictures from each focus group:
- Cali-Baja Mega Region: Power Point/ Event photos
- Arizona-Sonora Region: Power Point/ Event photos
- Paso del Norte Region: Power Point/ Event photos
- Coahuila-Nuevo León-Tamaulipas-Texas Region:Power Point/ Event photos
- Lower Rio Grande Valley Region: Power Point/ Event photos
Special thanks to our partners for hosting/sponsoring our focus groups, particularly the CaliBaja Mega Region, the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson, Pima Association of Governments, the BorderPlex Alliance, the Binational Center at Texas A&M International University, and United Brownsville.