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Description [Criteria] [Industry Criteria] [Application] [Map]
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Wiring the Border entails private/public partnering with the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce to increase sustainable economic development along the Southwestern United States Border. With in-kind contributions from several of its key members, the Chamber is implementing its Wiring the Border project. Wiring the Border will create a virtual network of 200 small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME's) along the Southwestern border of the United States, from San Diego/Tijuana to Brownsville/Matamoros connected with Electronic Commerce Research Centers (ECRC's) or Nodes. The objective of this project is to identify 200 SME's along the Southwestern border which have the greatest likelihood of increasing sales, revenues, profits and employment in the private sector, if "web-enabled" by having the basic hardware, software, telephony, connectivity, access to online procurements, access to online credit, access to online capital, access to online business, and environmental research. Of critical importance to the above in-kind contributions is training and training materials, technical assistance, distance learning capabilities and longitudinal analysis to ensure success. The Chamber is currently working with the following key partners: IBM, Telmex, Roadway, Boeing, MEP/MSI, and Delphi. These key members will contribute an "E-Commerce Enabling Package" to the selected SME's consisting of: 200 personal computers, monitors, keyboard and printers; installation of a dedicated line and use for one year with a two-year extension, if needed; initial connectivity to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider; enabling software comprised of operating systems, e-commerce packages and Web-supporting software; support of large business database containing 400,000 companies to profile the companies and obtain online procurements; online transportation and logistics; access and technical assistance to an online venture capital network; and access to online credit for expansion and upgrades of e-commerce equipment, software, and training and training materials. The structure of this virtual network will have 200 SME's strung along the Southwestern border from San Diego to Brownsville, connected to each other, but also connected to several virtual "Nodes". Two "Super Nodes" will be located in Albuquerque, N.M. and Washington, DC. The other three Nodes may be located in Los Angeles/San Diego, Dallas/El Paso, and Tucson/Phoenix. The Nodes will be central repositories of information, training, technical support, research, and the development of applications, programs, and strategies for implementation of the project. Distance learning and distance technical assistance will be housed at UTEP's Center for Technology Planning and Distance Learning. The access to training materials, including bilingual materials, will include courses such as Introduction to the Internet Suite, Online Procurements, Online Capital Access, Online Credit Processing, Developing a Successful Web Page, Online Contracting, Online Transportation and Customs Processing, Online Research, and Database Design. These training materials will be a combination of donated, developed and/or purchased. The Chamber plans to
conduct marketplace seminars in key border communities to introduce
companies along the border to the buying offices of large businesses
– including key maquiladoras – and the federal buying community.
Workshops will be conducted on a variety of small-business related
topics.
UNITED
STATES-MEXICO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PROFILES |