U.S.-Mexico chamber chief acts as high-level trade ambassador - Dallas Morning News
LAS COLINAS — Al Zapanta’s accomplishments could fill several résumés: Special Forces major general. Yet you’ve probably never heard of Zapanta, the 74-year-old CEO of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. For the last two decades, he’s forged alliances between U. S. corporations and Mexican businesses and officials. “We’re a business association driven by our 1,500 members, and we play at the highest levels,” says Zapanta, sitting in his offices along the Mandalay Canal. 24, for example, the U. S. -Mexico chamber will host a North American economic summit at the Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas, where more than 100 U. S. , Panamanian, Mexican and Canadian business and government leaders will... Zapanta has a long history of opening formidable doors. He worked directly for the last five Republican presidents and helped Bill Clinton pass the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. As a top executive with Arco in the 1980s, he ironed out refinery agreements with Mexico. And he introduced Mexico’s last four presidents to the Washington, D. C. , scene and U. S. government and corporate leaders. His relationship with Vicente Fox began 25 years ago, when Fox was running for governor of the state of Guanajuato, a decade before he was elected president of Mexico. “Al’s been an extremely good friend and great builder of Mexico and U. S. relationships,” Fox says from his presidential center in Guanajuato. Source: www.dallasnews.com
