Portland and Guadalajara have a relationship that stretches back nearly 30 years – they became sister cities in 1983 – and much of that is built between the cooperation of the cities’ fire departments, said Mario Reynoso Ochoa, the director Guadalajara’s Foreign Affairs and Sister Cities Department.
For years, firefighters have traveled from the northwest U.S. city to Mexico to share their knowledge and techniques with firefighters here. It’s a connection that, while it may not generate mountains of cash, saves lives, Reynoso Ochoa said.
The link between Portland is exactly the type Guadalajara’s Foreign Affairs and Sister Cities Department works to foment: one that brings together business leaders, private citizens, government officials and academics.It’s important that such relationships stretch beyond government officials because when administrations change, so do their priorities, and sometimes their focus on certain foreign cities.
Guadalajara has much to benefit by associating with Portland, Reynoso Ochoa said. The city is bike friendly, environmentally conscious and safe, which are all factors Guadalajara is working toward.
This year, Guadalajara city officials plan to travel to Portland during the Rose Festival in June to help build economic cooperation, promote tourism and gain insight on developing an environmentally sustainable city.
Of course, Portland isn’t Guadalajara’s only sister city. There are dozens around the world.
More recently Guadalajara has built a link with Dublin, Ireland, and that’s a relationship that’s proving increasingly beneficial. The capital of Ireland has built a thriving digital hub and officials here hope they can learn from that model as they develop the Ciudad Creativa Digital, or Digital Creative City, bringing multimedia companies together in Guadalajara’s historic downtown.
“The Digital Hub that Ireland has is a very similar model to the Digital Creative City Guadalajara is starting to build,” Ochoa Reynoso.
The mayor of Dublin will be traveling to Guadalajara in early March to sign a collaboration agreement with government officials here so the cities can commit to sharing information and knowledge with one another. Before that, Reynoso Ochoa said officials here expect to establish a link with San Jose, instigating a direct connection with the U.S. high-tech mecca of Silicon Valley.
As Dublin and San Jose already have built an association, the addition of Guadalajara would create a digital triangle of three technology centers located in different parts of the globe.
The Foreign Affairs and Sister Cities Department can also provide benefits to Guadalajara entrepreneurs looking to build relationships in locations around the world. The founders of a company called Conexion Asia, which helps builds trade links between China and Guadalajara, said they approached the office to help find contacts in Xiamen, China, a sister of Guadalajara since 2003. Through the department, Fabiola Rodriguez and Lizeth Quiñones were able to establish a connection in the Asian port city and now have plans to open China’s first store focused on selling tequila and agave-based products.