On Campaign Trail from Chicago to L.A.

CHICAGO —  T-bones and lobster shells were all that was left of a late dinner at Morton’s of Chicago, one of the city’s most elegant restaurants.

Mexican Special Ambassador Miguel Aleman tapped his water glass with a spoon and said, “Let’s talk about what we are doing here.”

This was the strategy session for Mexico’s private enterprise trade mission to Chicago and Los Angeles. On the three-hour plane ride from Mexico, Aleman had joked, listened to investment plans and reviewed what happened on a similar trip to Switzerland earlier this year.

Now he was focused on Chicago.

More than 200 Illinois corporations, including Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Amoco Corp., have subsidiaries in Mexico. What could persuade them to invest more? How could other major corporations be persuaded to consider Mexican investments? Could the Chicago Mercantile Exchange be useful in providing financing? Which hotel chains might build in Mexico? Which airlines might add routes there?

Aleman listened intently, even though it was nearly midnight on a day that he had risen at 6 a.m. Then the delegation divided up assignments.

Juan Gallardo and Manuel Zubiria, the stock market experts of the group, would take the lead at the Merc the next day, while Aleman and Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Gustavo Petricioli, did a radio interview. Manuel Sosa de la Vega, former president of Mexicana Airlines, had already spoken with airline executives and was ready to elaborate on Mexico’s commercial air service policies to business groups.

Juan Morales Doria, the international expert at Alfa Group, the Monterrey-based industrial giant, would talk about joint venture possibilities. Jacobo Zeiden Weber, president of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, was ready for questions about Mexico’s general business climate.

Following their strategy, the group set out for three days of meetings with Chicago’s business, political and media leaders. An informal debriefing was scheduled for Friday’s trip to Los Angeles.

After a weekend rest, the delegation will begin three more days of appointments in Los Angeles on Monday.

A briefing for the Los Angeles chapter of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce is planned for 10:30 a.m. Monday. That evening, the delegation is scheduled to meet with tour wholesalers and hotel investors.

The group will have breakfast Tuesday with portfolio and investment managers. After a news conference, lunch is scheduled at UCLA. The U.S.-Mexico Chamber has scheduled a dinner that evening.

The final day of the trip will begin with another breakfast with money managers. Then there will be a series of small group discussions arranged by USC’s California-Mexico Project.