Canamex

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Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc.

120 North Stone Ave., Suite 200 | Tucson, AZ 85701 | w w w . t r e o a z . o r g

Copyright © 2009,

Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Rev. 01/09

PORTS OF ALL SORTS

For Global Access

The CANAMEX Corridor

The CANAMEX Trade Corridor Project provides a unique and

distinctive economic opportunity for Tucson and for the State

of Arizona. The purpose of the project is to maximize the free

trade opportunities between Mexico, Canada and the United

States by developing the corridor’s physical and technological

infrastructure from Nogales to Tucson via I–19, Tucson to

Phoenix via I–10, then north through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and

Montana to the Canadian Border.

It is a north-south trade corridor that, when complete, will be

a continuous four-lane highway from Mexico City to Edmonton,

Canada. In Arizona, CANAMEX includes I-19 in Nogales to I-10

in Tucson, to Phoenix and US 93 (Phoenix) to Las Vegas.

North American Free Trade Agreement

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has

contributed to the advancement of Arizona and Mexico’s

strong import-export partnership. Sixty percent of Arizona’s

total global exports are related to NAFTA markets, with Mexico

as the number one destination with 32 percent (source:

Arizona–Sonora Region Regional Economic Indicators 2006;

The University of Arizona, Office of Economic and Policy

Analysis). Moreover, Sonora, Mexico’s exports are also highly

concentrated in NAFTA markets, with the United States being

the number one destination for over 90 percent of

their exports.

Since the passage of NAFTA and the inception of the CANAMEX

Corridor Project in 1995, the Tucson region and the State of

Arizona have served as a catalyst and conduit for the efficient

transportation of goods, services, people and information

between Canada, Mexico and the United States. From 1999–

2003, trans-border cluster development in the Arizona–Sonora

Region outpaced many other U.S.–Mexico Border States. For

example, employment trends in “high technology” related

sectors such as software/computer services, semiconductor

manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing, precision instrument

manufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing outper-

formed other bordering regions.

A southwestern location allows Tucson to benefit from

the deep-water ports located on the western coast of

the United States and Mexico. These facilities provide

Tucson with access to global shipping destinations.

Port of Long Beach/ Los Angeles

498 miles from Tucson

Combined with the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of

Long Beach is the world’s fifth-busiest port complex.

Port of San Diego

413 miles from Tucson

Port of Guaymas

324 miles from Tucson

Port of Mazatlán

806 miles from Tucson

Port of Hueneme

559 miles from Tucson

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MAXIMIZING Trade Potential

“Our location close to the border with Mexico provides great

opportunities in international commerce. Wells Fargo is bullish on

Tucson - and on the future for our business community.”

~ Larry Finuf, Regional President of Greater Arizona, Wells Fargo

“Tucson is a ‘strategic hub’ for the company’s (Macsteel)

business in the Southwest and Mexico.”

~ Michael Hoffman, President and CEO,

Macsteel Service Centers USA, Inc.

WHAT CAN THE TUCSON REGION OFFER YOU?

To learn more about the business advantages of

locating your transportation or logistics company

in Southern Arizona, call 866.600.0331 or visit our

web site at www.treoaz.org.

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Road Signs and Truck Lines

Tucson is on Interstate 10, one of only three coast-

to-coast interstates in the country. I-10 connects

Tucson with Phoenix and Los Angeles to the northwest

and El Paso and Houston to the east. Branching off

I-10 near downtown Tucson is Interstate 19, which

connects to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, 64 miles to

the south. A convenient access connection be-

tween San Diego and Southern Arizona is available via

Interstate 8, which intersects with I-10 approximately

64 miles northwest of Tucson.

On the Right Track

Tucson sits on one of the most heavily-traveled rail

lines in the country, the Union Pacific mainline,

which primarily carries trains transporting contain-

ers to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long

Beach. Union Pacific also owns 26% of Grupo

Ferroviario Mexicano (GFM), parent company of

Ferrocarril Mexicano (Ferromex), which operates the

railway running from Guaymas into Arizona.

Inland Port Initiative

Southern Arizona is fast becoming a center of

expertise in trade, freight transportation and logistics.

Tucson’s inland port is aggressively developing,

resulting in new regional jobs, transportation and

logistics sector growth, increased household income

and spending, and greater support for

Tucson’s export-oriented sectors such as

aerospace, aviation, bioscience, environmental

technologies, optics, and others.

Tucson’s inland port has evolved into a logistics

hub, helping create new jobs and providing a link

between rail capacity and logistics services. A

map of these providers can be found at

www.treoaz.org/T-L-Employers-Southern-Arizona.aspx.

The Southern Arizona Logistics

Education Organization

The Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization

(SALEO) is one of several projects developed to

promote and grow the transportation and logistics

industry in southern Arizona. SALEO brings together

industry experts and trade specialists to promote the

potential impact of an inland port. SALEO’s objectives

are in line with TREO’s Economic Blueprint and

were born of a need to raise the awareness and

importance of the value that the transportation

and logistics industry brings to the Tucson region,

especially the role that the industry plays within

the region’s supply chain as a catalyst for economic

growth. SALEO also provides networking opportunities

between representatives of the transportation and

logistics industry and the users of these services.

THE IDEAL LOCATION TO SERVE Local, Regional, & Global Markets

ALL THE RIGHT Connections

FROM HERE TO THERE By Road or Track

Already well covered by major airlines, flight frequencies

and destinations will increase even more as the

population in the Tucson region grows.

Tucson International Airport (TIA)

Three active runaways, including a crosswind runway

Designated U.S. Port of Entry with 24-hour Customs

and Immigration services

Located only 10 miles from the center

of the city

Covers more than 8,200 acres

Close proximity to Interstate 10

as well as Interstate 19

Direct and connecting flights nationwide – see

current schedule and route information at

http://tucsonairport.org/html/tia_flight.html

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Tucson’s location means market access to

many growing cities in the U.S. and Mexico.

Nogales . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 miles

Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 miles

Yuma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 miles

Hermosillo, Mexico . . . 245 miles

Flagstaff. . . . . . . . . . . . 257 miles

El Paso . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 miles

Guaymas, Mexico . . . . 324 miles

Las Vegas. . . . . . . . . . . 407 miles

San Diego . . . . . . . . . . 413 miles

Albuquerque . . . . . . . . 450 miles

Long Beach . . . . . . . . . 498 miles

“The first thing that comes into

most people’s mind when they

hear the word ‘port’ is water. An

inland port is a convergence of

road, rail and air.... Tucson is

ideally situated.”

~ Sarah Brown Smallhouse, Chair

Transportation and Logistics

Advisory Council

TUCSON-area businesses can serve over

34 MILLION PEOPLE within a 500-mile radius

and over55 MILLION PEOPLE within a 1,000-mile radius.

DISTANCES FROM TUCSON

TUCSON:

The region’s unique central southwestern

location is ideal for serving as a transpor-

tation and distribution center for Mexico,

California, and other central/western states.

At 64 miles from the Mexican border, 113

miles from Phoenix and within 500 miles

of California, Tucson is in close proximity to

major business and consumer markets – a

key factor for any company. And Tucson’s

location in the Mountain Time Zone means

same-day communication with both coasts,

as well as Canada and Mexico.

Proximity to Mexico

The State of Arizona has strong business,

social, and political ties with the neighboring

Mexican state of Sonora and, to the south,

with the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco. A loca-

tion near the border gives Tucson excellent

access to the growing Mexican market.

Recently, Tucson became a U.S. headquarters

for La Costeña/Arizona Canning Co. LLC, a

leading Mexican manufacturer of canned

and preserved foods. The Tucson plant uses

U.S. suppliers to produce canned foods for

the American market. This is just one example

of Tucson’s relevance to the exploding U.S.

Hispanic market.

There are many reasons for the healthy trading

relationship between the United States and

Mexico, including the geographic proximity,

openness to capital markets, high quality

and productivity standards, access to both

countries’ large domestic markets and trade-

friendly public policies. But perhaps equally

important are the strong ethnic, cultural and

social commonalities shared by many of our

municipalities on both sides of the border.

Proximity to Phoenix

Phoenix, which is one of America’s fastest

growing cities and the 13th largest metropoli-

tan statistical area, compliments Tucson in

many ways. Because the two cities are only

113 miles apart, companies, residents and

visitors benefit from access to two major

international airports, Arizona’s two largest

universities, year-round professional sports

teams, cultural events and proximity to the

State Capitol.

This growth leads many to predict metro

Tucson and metro Phoenix will become a

“megapolitan area,” a term describing two

or more metropolitan areas connected by

transportation, business and culture. With

the I-10 corridor already joining the two

cities, the two metro markets will indeed

continue to merge.

Proximity to California

If it were a country, California would have the

world’s eighth largest economy – Tucson’s

proximity to California is a major advantage

for the region. This advantage gives Tucson

businesses market access to clients, vendors

and partners as well as world class resourc-

es and other expertise, while operating in a

location with lower operating costs.

connecting people and products in the global marketplace.

“Tucson is an ideal choice for our

new plant because we needed a

strategic western presence.

A location near Mexico and

California was a big draw.”

~ Scott Mckeever, President & CEO,

Computer Designs, Inc.

Tucson is a transportation and distribution hub that conveniently connects people and

products in today’s competitive global marketplace. Southern Arizona’s unique geography

near the border and near deep water ports, as well as a strong transportation infrastructure,

means excellent access for trade. With over 150 transportation and logistics providers and

a workforce of almost 3,700, Tucson is a direct route to productivity and profit.

“Here, right along the Mexico-U.S. border, we’ve got access to key suppliers,

an urban infrastructure and communications network, friendly people,

and a gateway to the markets we serve both to the east and to the west.”

~ Santiago Castro, director general of Conservas La Costeña and CEO of Arizona Canning