[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322772,"mediaKeyId","2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a","parentId",2346409,"title","Fresh Produce Association warns tariffs, supply rules could hit Nogales trade and Arizona jobs","audioSeconds",1887,"startMs",1906770,"endMs",3793960,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a&start=1906&end=3793","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a/thumbnail_1906770.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322772/Arizona/Fresh-Produce-Association-warns-tariffs-supply-rules-could-hit-Nogales-trade-and-Arizona-jobs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322772-6c121fe864f707cdf71a4fc0666e6cd6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770620081&Signature=ShOgcdlY7cf6a1csVdfb3~qc2DrAvuMw79YLeNlQxaqHcP9~-l4ECPfFTwOaxxl454GqlKKQWV-NUiONfy6zO8DtNZdB1CRs5xFabj00ITAM7sfCiLo0~VvcnS4cv1R8vC~hO1scen9lsabNQhNCJq3zdHQZ9gOBfbTD253L-I0ibTeyOfptLKsMMu5KJyEFhwHF1ZF2VTSgPVjAW83Rj337UoRayWS2trlsIHynkjXtUY6Llj619DhST2zWxh5AY1Db4z9RC308N-oI9yVBe~6ILLfV3P2R9qHjyflSj7Wt9L7Da7JSM5ENA-JkApxGR9~BWYeKqIhll5MIWN38-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arizona State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Leaders of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas told the Arizona Legislature's International Trade Committee that tariffs under current federal consideration, possible changes to USMCA and pressure to terminate a long-standing tomato suspension agreement could harm Arizona businesses and the state's produce trade infrastructure.

Lance Meyer, identified in the transcript as president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, said the association was founded in Nogales in 1944 to assist businesses with cross-border issues and that the sector supports substantial economic activity in Arizona. He cited a University of Arizona economic-impact study that the association described as showing roughly $5 billion in U.S. economic output tied to the trade, about $1 billion for Arizona and almost 5,000 jobs; for Santa Cruz County the association cited roughly $726 million in output and $385 million in GDP, supporting nearly 4,000 jobs locally.

Meyer and his colleagues said Nogales is a critical processing point: on a peak day, they said, as many as 1,500 produce trucks arrive from Mexico, with roughly 40,000 pounds per truck (the presenters cited a figure that amounts to about 60,000,000 pounds per day at peak). The Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales receives about 90% of the state's border-processed produce goods, the presenters said.

Speakers warned that federal tariff actions could immediately and materially affect cash flow for importers. \"When you start doing that, a company has to add quite a bit in bonds, they have quite a bit of cash flow that they personally don't have,\" Meyer said, referring to a February White House announcement of a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada that had been delayed to March 4 in the administration's timeline. The presenters also cited recent steel and aluminum tariffs and a possible April 1 reciprocal tariff on countries with a value-added tax as further complicating trade planning.

Allison (Lisonbee) Moore, executive vice president at the Fresh Produce Association, outlined the tomato suspension agreement and its economic role. She said Arizona companies imported about 1,100,000,000 pounds of tomatoes (cited value about $3.3 billion) and that the suspension agreement stabilizes supply and protects a wide range of downstream jobs. \"If Florida gets its way\" to terminate the agreement, Moore said, it \"would cause harm directly to Arizona's local and state economy,\" threatening jobs and relationships with Mexican growers.

Javier Badillo, managing member of Fresh International LLC and chairman of the FPAA Tomato Committee, described operational impacts for growers and importers if tariffs were applied. He said tariffs can drastically raise consumer prices and squeeze small operators' cash flow because customs collections are immediate while customer payments typically come on 30-day terms. \"If you create a 25% tariff, that tariff is a pass through cost, goes right to consumer. I can easily see over the course of time the increase in price based on that tariff,\" Badillo said.

Speakers also asked the committee to support infrastructure projects around Nogales, including finishing a $130 million flyover (Mariposa flyover Phase 1) and a proposed Phase 2 to improve commercial connectors and frontage roads; they asked state leaders to press federal partners to staff ports of entry and to consider CBP hiring and training timelines, which they said can exceed a year for a single officer.

Committee members asked about the timing of decisions and the operational thresholds that would cause businesses to scale back or delay investment. Industry witnesses described bond increases, collateral requirements and line-of-credit pressures that make short-notice tariff policies difficult to absorb.

The association requested that state officials publicly note the potential economic impacts and communicate with federal trade negotiators and the state's congressional delegation to highlight the interests of Arizona producers, processors and port workers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02/19/2025 - House International Trade","oneSentenceSummary","Industry representatives for the fresh produce trade described how threatened tariffs, changes to USMCA provisions and a potential end to the tomato suspension agreement could disrupt the Nogales trade corridor, increase costs for producers and shoppers, and threaten jobs in Santa Cruz County and across the U.S.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Arizona, Arizona","taxId",78572,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322778,"Canada-Arizona Business Council urges long-term plans for water, energy as Canadian investment grows",837,775185,1612345,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a&start=775&end=1612","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a/thumbnail_775185.jpg","/articles/6322778/Arizona/Canada-Arizona-Business-Council-urges-long-term-plans-for-water-energy-as-Canadian-investment-grows","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322778-d4c8d9c4cbe0dcf3d8436de89a61606b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770620081&Signature=YUE0gHOLSLUONj4J8GKENTineOlx3Zl8dmkktoMbXqQGl8ONo63ylX1NXwfiBfZT2hbfbZX7l9wA6k0uUYBmab1VUjTV4AkZk46NyZqUw-JhmCertn2BEbVKIwVBVPSZPwtpz4PW14rL-lt4qdBFptEwC25J4pCWgMnHqa40bTv4EiSfgszXAaNYZSxzy4wUtmStF0ijw9LaJmUfnouUpsZh-GC2Y2xQfTBFmLKPw-QjmcMXgmR9if9AwbR2grqh-UTGL-xbMA-FmO035vpFDsNY4DQLYd8929y3O7LO7BVA6Zim7Jq05qXNQRROyZpKgfw5m71IaR4q~6X-Ps8rog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lehi Williamson, founder and chief executive officer of the Canada Arizona Business Council, told the Arizona Legislature's International Trade Committee that Canadian capital and companies have a substantial footprint in the state and that long-term planning for water and energy is needed to sustain future investment.

Williamson said Canadian companies directly employ about 46,800 people in Arizona and that more than 500 Canadian firms operate in the state with roughly 1,500 locations statewide. He described tourism and snowbird residency as additional channels of economic connection, saying roughly 100,000 houses in Arizona are owned or occupied by Canadians for part of the year and assigning a notional value of about $1.7 billion to that housing activity as cited in his remarks.

CABC's founder highlighted several large transactions connected to Canadian capital that he said the council helped facilitate: the Bank of Montreal's acquisition of M&I Bancorp (cited as about $4.1 billion), a subsequent Bank of the West deal (cited as about $16.3 billion) and Fortis's acquisition of Tucson Electric Power (cited as about $2.5 billion). Williamson said Canadian pension plans and institutional investors control large pools of capital that can be directed toward U.S. infrastructure and projects.

Williamson emphasized three constraints Canadian investors tell him are top of mind: aging energy infrastructure (he described much of the state's energy grid as dating to the 1970s), aging water infrastructure (he referenced 1940s-era dams and systems) and an insufficient workforce of tradespeople. \"We have to be investing large sums of money going forward,\" Williamson told committee members. \"What we're lacking is decision making and leadership to make those decisions and to pull the trigger and do it and stop analyzing.\"

Representatives on the committee praised Canadian investment but also probed Williamson about risks such as eminent-domain concerns and community opposition to transactions involving utilities and infrastructure. Williamson said many Canadian firms already invest heavily in Arizona utilities and mining, naming companies and sectors that the council engages.

On trade and tourism, Williamson said roughly 822,000 Canadians visit Arizona annually and that the state's trade relationship with Canada has been roughly stable over the last decade. He framed the council's work as trilateral in scope, linking Arizona with Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico as well as with Canadian partners.

Williamson urged state leaders to plan on 25-year timelines for water and energy investments and described the Canada Arizona Business Council as a point of access for firms seeking to invest further in Arizona.","Lehi Williamson, founder and CEO of the Canada Arizona Business Council, told the International Trade Committee that Canadian companies constitute a large foreign investment footprint in Arizona and urged multi-decade planning on water and energy infrastructure to support continued capital inflows.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322781,"Arizona Hispanic Chamber presents market data showing trade ties, consumer purchasing power and gaps in business revenues",878,42155,920770,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a&start=42&end=920","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346409-73d3eed4bf89f063ea2d2ac8e6c6d29a/thumbnail_42155.jpg","/articles/6322781/Arizona/Arizona-Hispanic-Chamber-presents-market-data-showing-trade-ties-consumer-purchasing-power-and-gaps-in-business-revenues","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322781-6ab4b9c20cc197ac4e5fd61721c66000/orig.mp4?Expires=1770620081&Signature=Lo~dNlNsTt9tto0jmQSIbGVA65IgPPGx9T-svl1CWhb~7~o1Yc9NDkBHoLiXvF4ZEjOjlMqyc~7aITyRhzbvrFc1cjnsSgmzfwFm4hG4CT2-OaAmAWg7eBnCvjcq3I3fcIO7i63Rn0kgkxisAwoVObxmXFthnuGy~KuLr9b4qcq5uNayqxSccYe-kSSjlmbhpTXyX-QpotueEBW7GTCMJschi1qBPQ7ul14ukxQKJP3trbyzhc6UUQUgDIct~EHkJtwQYI60bEXRAZ7m69sm6n31~A7GKgDe9NVE27lLfcC368K2LfZC~x0tRF1UvtMCGJePRRB9CMZUI4Z979qfbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Monica Villalobos, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told the Legislature's International Trade Committee that Hispanic households and businesses are a major economic force for the state and that the Chamber stands ready to provide market intelligence for lawmakers.

Villalobos said the chamber, founded in 1948, serves small businesses statewide and counts 106 corporate partners. \"We are committed to providing you relevant, responsible, and reliable data, that you can then use informing your legislation,\" she said.

Paul Padilla, the Chamber's senior director of market intelligence, presented slides showing demographic and trade measures that committee members said underline why the committee's work matters. Padilla highlighted national and state-level figures: roughly 63,600,000 Hispanics in the U.S.; U.S. Latino purchasing power estimated at $2.1 trillion; and an overall U.S. Latino GDP estimate cited at about $3.7 trillion. In Arizona, he said, Hispanics make up about 30% of the state population, about 40% of the Phoenix metropolitan area and roughly 50% of K''12 enrollment, and contribute an estimated $70 billion to the state economy.

The presenters traced trends in trade and foreign direct investment. The Chamber noted that Arizona's imports rose from about $25 billion in 2020 to about $42 billion in 2024, and exports from about $20 billion to about $32 billion in the same period. Padilla cited a U.S. Department of Commerce figure that as of August 2024, 40,600 Arizona jobs were supported by majority-foreign-owned affiliates and that 266 FDI projects had been announced in the state.

Villalobos and Padilla also showed survey results the Chamber published: a February 2022 quantitative study of minority-owned businesses in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The presenters said 51% of minority-owned businesses surveyed were family owned and about 19% reported engaging in international trade, with approximately 40% of that trade going to Mexico.

On education and workforce, Padilla pointed to disparities in K''12 academic ratings: 68% of white-dominant schools were shown as A-rated in the Chamber's analysis, compared with 16% of Latino-dominant schools. Villalobos and Padilla framed these findings as context for future workforce development and economic policy.

Committee members asked for a summary of current business challenges and opportunities. Villalobos cited three priorities identified by businesses: workforce availability, public safety and supply-chain resilience. \"Workforce, access to be able to have a workforce to deliver the product,\" she said. \"Supply chain is really kind of the big one. Can we get the products and the components necessary to put out our particular product or service?\"

The chamber offered itself as an information resource to lawmakers and staff for drafting and testing legislation with demographic and trade data.

Villalobos and Padilla's presentation, committee members said, calls attention to economic growth tied to Hispanic consumers and businesses, while also flagging measurable gaps in revenue generation, school outcomes and workforce readiness that could affect future trade and economic policy.","The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce told the Legislature's International Trade Committee that Hispanic households and businesses are driving significant purchasing power and trade activity in Arizona, while Hispanic-owned firms still report lower average revenues and key gaps in education and workforce readiness.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fresh Produce Association warns tariffs, supply rules could hit Nogales trade and Arizona jobs

Canada-Arizona Business Council urges long-term plans for water, energy as Canadian investment grows

Arizona Hispanic Chamber presents market data showing trade ties, consumer purchasing power and gaps in business revenues