EL PASO, Texas — As President Donald Trump meets with Chinese officials this week, global markets are watching closely. But along the U.S.-Mexico border, El Paso’s business community isn’t waiting to see what happens next; they’re already adapting to the constant changes in international trade.
El Paso city officials met with business leaders and entrepreneurs from the border region to discuss solutions and growth opportunities during these uncertain times. From tariffs to shifting supply chains, global trade changes have become the new normal. But in El Paso, local entrepreneurs are turning those challenges into opportunities.
“We haven’t seen this type of opportunity in many years in the past, especially in the foreign trade zone area, where you can bring your goods, admit them into the zone, duty-free, and until you actually have a purchase or an invoice and you get paid for and therefore you improve your cash flow, and then deliver to your customer,” said El Paso entrepreneur Octavio Saavedra.
He says that embracing new technology has been key to keeping up with the global market.
“The future is aligning yourself with some artificial intelligence to do the data entry work that is so monotonous and then hiring high-level individuals who are going to be able to manage those exceptions,” he said.
El Paso city officials say that adaptability from local businesses has helped fuel growth in emerging sectors from advanced manufacturing to aerospace and defense.
“We are seeing more coming up in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and all of the industry and research that goes around it for that regional growth on both sides of the border,” El Paso International Business and Trade Development Manager Adriana Pulecio said.
She says the city continues to provide resources to help businesses stay informed and resilient as trade policies evolve.
“We do have a tariff tracker that we update every Wednesday, and we share it with the community just to make it easier and to follow everything along and to know that we can have that confident source of information,” Pulecio said.
From AI-driven logistics to weekly trade updates, border businesses in El Paso are proving they can thrive no matter what happens abroad.