TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF /'/A COMMERCE DATE: January 27, 1989 TO: Governor Clements FROM: Bill Lauderback SUBJECT: Mexico City Office Performance I know you have reservations about the productivity of our Mexico City office. Perhaps this is due to my not keeping you abreast of what we are doing there. Please allow me to review our progress briefly. The first program reform we undertook after Commerce's formation in September 1987 was to totally restructure the Mexico office. We sent board member Ernesto Ancira down to Mexico to fire the former Mexico City office director and we replaced him with a U.S.-born and educated businessman with outstanding contacts at the highest level in the Mexican government and private sector (Felipe Mondragon). Since Felipe has been running that office, their performance has consistently exceeded projected performance measures. Many of the briefings used for your meetings with the border governors were prepared with the assistance of the Mexico City office (in particular the confidential drug briefings). Since November of 1987, in addition to preparing some 93 special research reports for your staff, the Commerce department and our Texas/Mexico Authority, the Mexico City office has planned and coordinated the Mexican schedules of 19 highly successful Texas trade missions originating from Dallas, Houston, Brownsville, San Antonio and other cities (see attached letters); handled and referred 846 Texas tourism leads to Commerce; made 194 business and government appointments for Texas companies; identified and referred 184 trade leads to Commerce for dissemination around the state; represented Texas products and tourism locations at 12 trade and tourism shows; responded to 131 requests from Texas companies for information on the Mexican market; and responded to 1,156 phone and drop-in inquiries providing information on the Texas economy and Texas exports. Felipe Mondragon has also been instrumental in getting the high level of Mexican participation we needed in the Finance Summit on maquilas and infrastructure needs, which produced the recommended projects and financing mechanisms that form the basis of Texas's industrial development report to the Border Governor's Conference. All of these accomplishments were achieved with a staff of one director, one assistant, and a secretary (all bilingual), on a budget in FY1988 of just under $118,000. I think you can see that we have made a real turnaround in Mexico. Much needs to be done, and we are about that mission every day. Post Office Box 12728 Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711 First City Centre 816 Congress, Suite 1200 Austin, Texas 78701 Telephone 512 472 5059 FAX 512 320 9674