Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

Focus will be on innovation and entrepreneurship

(Laredo, TX )  City of Laredo District V Council Member Roque Vela, Jr. has been selected to participate in the Third Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE), taking place next week, from Sunday, April 19 to Friday, April 24, 2015.  His profile was chosen from over 100 highly qualified applicants of competitiveness and economic development leaders of the Americas.  The ACE is offered through the United States Department of Commerce, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and the Organization of American States.

“I am honored and excited to have been selected for this conference, where I will not only represent Laredo and our best economic practices, especially, those in trade and working with various countries, but also, where I hope to gain valuable lessons and insights to bring back to our city to help further grow and strengthen our trade economy and make Laredo even more attractive to other industries,” said Vela.

According to the organization website, the conference will offer the opportunity to exchange best practices, showcase public-private partnerships, accelerate investment opportunities, and foster trade, innovation and commercialization of technologies.  Tours are a key part of the conference, with site visits in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota; La Crosse, Viroqua, Westby; Gays Mills, Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Chicago, Illinois.  Featured sites on the tour will target the following clusters; manufacturing, medical devices, water, agriculture, energy and information and communication technology.

Scheduled speakers and attendees at the conference include: U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (tentative) and Assistant Secretary Jay Williams; U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary Charles Rivkin; International Trade Administration Principal Deputy Assistance Secretary of Commerce John Anderson; Economic Development Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matt Erskine; U.S. Representative Filemon Vela, Texas; U.S. Representative Ron Kind, Wisconsin; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; the mayors of St. Paul, Rochester, Milwaukee and Madison; Dr. Christian Ketels, Harvard Business School Faculty at Professor Michael E. Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competiveness; Dr. Rebecca M. Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and former Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce.; and Vinai Thummalapally, Executive Director of SelectUSA.

“We are confident that your country and institution will benefit from your participation and that this exchange will allow you to interact with business incubators, entrepreneurs, technology accelerators and economic development officials to promote further and deeper mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities and inclusive economic competitiveness in the Americas,” read the award letter for Vela.