Opportunities Available in Mexico, Consultant Says

The recent assassination of Mexico’s leading presidential candidate put a damper on an economic development conference in Guadalajara earlier this month, but opportunities still abound for U. S. firms wanting to do business in Mexico, according to an Oxnard trade consultant who attended the meeting.

“Everybody was jumpy and security was very tight,” said Mary Ellen Taffle, president of Magellan Enterprises Co. “The president of Mexico was supposed to speak, but he sent a deputy instead. Guatemala, Chile and other countries made similar switches.”

Taffle attended the Congress of the Americas on behalf of several Ventura County clients who hope to set up manufacturing or marketing operations south of the border to take advantage of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“Many small and medium-sized U. S. companies could do well in Mexico, especially if they produce items such as pipes that can help strengthen the country’s infrastructure,” Taffle noted.