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UTSA Institute for Economic Development leadership recognized for its collaboration to spur business growth in Mexico

SAN ANTONIO, June 30, 2017 – The UTSA SBDC International Trade Center (ITC), which leads the SBDC Global Program, has been recognized for its collaborative work with the Mexican Association of SBDCs to grow businesses and create jobs in Mexico.

Since 2003, UTSA and its partners in the SBDC Global Program have built a network of 120 Mexican universities providing extension services to grow businesses and jobs.

UTSA Senior Associate Vice President for Economic Development Robert McKinley; International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes and Senior International Business Advisor Julio Garcia de las Mestas traveled to Guadalajara, Jalisco for the 18th annual Mexican Association of SBDCs / Asociación Mexicana de Centros para el Desarrollo de la Pequena Empresa (AMCDPE) Conference.

The AMCDPE is Mexico’s version of the U.S. Association of Small Business Development Centers, which works with various organizations and agencies to strengthen Mexico’s economy.

This year, the AMCDPE recognized McKinley during a gala with a brief ceremony, award presentation and video tribute, honoring his work and commitment to the AMCDPE and the positive economic growth that Mexico has seen as a result of UTSA’s work.

McKinley has played an instrumental leadership role in facilitating the ITC’s SBDC Global Program, leading the expansion of SBDCs across 22 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico. In 2016, the foreign SBDC networks grew to 150 centers, which served more than 50,000 small businesses across Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Texas and Mexico are neighbors forever, and economically have a shared destiny, so we are very committed to partnering with Mexican universities in education, research, and community engagement,” said McKinley.

Since 2003, the Institute’s SBDC International Trade Center has been a key partner for the AMCDPE, and other Mexican governmental organizations, to help develop the now extensive network of SBDCs throughout the country.

The SBDC International Trade Center at UTSA is one of the largest and most successful trade assistance organizations in Texas. Hosted by the Institute for Economic Development, it helps companies become globally competitive through technical trade consulting, customized market research and innovative training programs.

 

About UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development

The UTSA Institute for Economic Development (IED) is dedicated to growing businesses, creating jobs, and fostering economic development. The IED focuses on building the economy one business at a time.
The IED consists of 11 centers and programs that provide professional business advising, technical training, research, and strategic planning for entrepreneurs, business owners and community leaders. These programs serve Greater San Antonio, the Texas-Mexico border area as well as regional, national and international stakeholders. Together with the federal, state and local governments, and private businesses, the UTSA Institute for Economic Development fosters economic and community development in support of UTSA’s community engagement mission. In 2015 the IED generated direct regional economic impact of 8,251 jobs, started 657 new businesses, $487 million in new financing, $41.5 million in new tax revenue and exceeded $2.1 billion in new sales, exports and contracts. For more information, visit www.iedtexas.org

 

About UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Texas and one of nine academic universities and six health institutions in the UT System. As a multicultural institution, UTSA aims to be a national research university providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
UTSA serves nearly 29,000 students in 162 degree programs in the colleges of Architecture, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Honors, Liberal and Fine Arts, Public Policy, Sciences and Graduate School. Founded in 1969, UTSA is an intellectual and creative resource center and a socioeconomic development catalyst for Texas and beyond. For more information, visit www.utsa.edu/today.

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