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CBX: The Billion-Dollar Idea That Changed the Border Forever · The Lawtino™

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Latino Podcast, where we amplify the voices of Latino professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders coming together to educate, inspire, and connect across one of the most dynamic binational regions in the world.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bicultural, premium, powerful.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: It's Attorney John Gomez.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to another episode of the Latino, where we discuss law and the Latino community.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: We invite uh judges, lawyers, politicians, community leaders to all come together to discuss issues that affect our communities and affect our region, that is the border region.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: This episode is brought to you as always by Gomez Trial Attorneys.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: Gomez Trial Attorneys is a binational, uh, bicultural, and best-in-class law firm that represents consumers both from the United States and from Mexico, other countries as well, equally in the English and Spanish languages in cases involving uh personal injury, employment harm, civil rights violations, mass tort, uh, sexual abuse, and assault.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so um today, I'm John Gomez, the founder of the firm, and today I'm uh joined as always by my co-host uh David Arreguin, who many of you know originally joined me as a guest.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um so uh before we introduce our guests, if you ever want to come to Gomez, this is a good way to sort of try out for the job, but you have a pretty good job, so probably we're not gonna get you.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, David, um, you know, he is uh our managing partner uh here at the firm that runs our uh cross-border um our border corridor practice.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we just opened in in Tijuana, Mexico.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_03: Very excited about that.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: Just had our big uh opening party down there.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: We have our sights set on Mexicali is the next one we're gonna hit and we're gonna do that in the fall.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um but um David's uh got a really excellent guest for us and a person whose work affects my daily life will be affecting me next week and then will be affecting me two weeks after that.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's one of you know the really, I think, shining um stars and accomplishments of our region and has made you know my life a lot easier and the life of my family a lot easier and the life of I think thousands and thousands of both American and Mexican citizens easier.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, with that as a pre-introduction, David, uh take it away and tell us who we have with us today.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, John, and I'll piggyback on that because it has made my life easier as well.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: My wife being from Guadalajara, she consistently uses this product, this service.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it's fun, it's really, really good because I can drop her off in the morning and then basically drive to work.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm very excited.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: We're very excited to have here Jorge Boy Tortua, uh, the CEO of CBX.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we want to thank him because I know he's a busy guy.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: It took us a little while to get him here, uh, but I understand, you know, this is a unique project, uh, probably the only one of its kind.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and you know, without further ado, I want to hear from Jorge, his background and how he got to like be the CEO of CBX, this unique project in our region.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Jorge, welcome.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, John, thank you, David.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's a privilege to be here with you today.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, first of all, I want to congratulate you for your achievements and what you have done for the community, the growth that you have experienced so during the last few years.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's incredible.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, the offices and everything, it's it's incredible.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Congratulations for that.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: And again, it's uh it's an honor to be here, part of the Latino um podcast.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: So uh just going directly into me, which I don't like to speak much about me, but I I started a career in the airline industry uh 32 years ago, uh working for 34 years ago, working for Mexican Airlines in Guadalajara.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_02: I'm also Native from Guadalajara, Mexico, and basically as a passenger service service agent, just doing the check-in and carrying baggage and all of that.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: So um spent 18 years uh working for Mexican Airlines in different positions, including uh being in the operations and the on the commercial side, and came to the United States in in 2003 uh as vice president for US and Canada, uh until I left Mexican Airlines and went to work for the competition, Aero Mexico.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I when I spent eight years of my life and my career working as a senior vice president for global sales.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I was in charge of all the sales commercial organization in Aeromexico.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and then it was uh, how did I come here?
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's it's interesting.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: Everything happened when a conversation from Mr.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: Carlos Labiada, one of the CVX owners, uh, with a former uh marketing guy from Aero Mexico, where they were looking for uh someone to take over uh the second phase, let's call it, on CVX, which was growth.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: The company was already operating, um, permits were done, so they were looking for someone with a commercial experience, airline background, knowledge of the border, US and Mexican citizenship, able to um to work and to understand that the community.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: And when he was explaining everything to Alfonso, the guy who recommends me, he said, Well, the person you're looking is Jorge Goy Tortua, right?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: And and the rest is history, right?
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: I I came to CBX in 2018, and I have the privilege to run the company for a little bit more than eight years.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm really, really proud of what we have achieved and the incredible impact of this company.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: And what do you think?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like you mentioned this, like that, you know, being a US citizen, a Mexican national, and having uh knowledge of the border, why is that important?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I like we know it, but maybe our listeners don't.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why do you think you were that that person that they needed?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because this this region, and and I hear uh John mentioning this Calibaja region is unique.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: You don't find anything like this anywhere.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the way the integration, the way the people integrate and work together to similar uh objectives are very unique.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_02: The dynamics of the different markets that we serve.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, by instance, CBX uh was first very focused on Mexican origin people living in the United States, basically in Southern California, who we call BFR market, visit friends and relatives who typically travel two to three times a year to visit their relatives.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there is a Mexican slang, say La Sangre Lama plot call you, right?
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: And people like to visit their their relatives, but there was really no uh US leisure market traveling to Mexico through Tijuana.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: People were quite uh afraid of crossing the border and using uh Tijuana International Airport.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: So this was one of the beauty of this project, being able to stimulate new markets, new demand.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: And uh as a result of that, Tijuana Airports uh has grown uh about 12% on average component on L Growth in CBX was opened.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: Picture that Tijuana was serving in 2020 2015 when CBX opened 4.8 million users and uh has already reached 13 million users.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: So really has uh triplicated the number of users among these years.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_02: So that's the impact that CBX has brought into the business side, and that and and of course, with that it comes a lot of benefits for the community.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_02: So again, really, really proud of what and I think you mentioned very well David is one of its kinds, right?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_02: There's nothing similar than CBX in the world, so we're very, very proud of it.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Just because uh, you know, we do have listeners from all over uh the country that may not even know what CBX is.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so you know, we it's CBX is short for cross-border express.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, as um the set being part of the second group that used to have Americans that go down to Mexico.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: My understanding is that you know, in San Diego on this side, on the on the US side, I can I can get a direct flight to Cabo, San Lucas, I think.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: I can I think maybe to Puerto Aerta and like I can sometimes go direct to Mexico City, but often I'm going through somewhere.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um and that's about it, I think.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um but like what is but now just be I'm not stealing your thunder, but now I can go down there and I can go anywhere in Mexico through that Tijuana airport.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: And for me, it's easier than traveling through uh San Diego, especially coming back and clearing customs and all those things.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: So what is CBX?
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: So CBX is a uh US facility, uh, what we like to call this the US terminal, the San Diego Terminal, aeroport terminal for the Tijuana International Airport, which is connected through a 390-feet long bridge.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and uh as you mentioned, has really served both communities and able to stimulate the market.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: Very, very easy.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: You uh arrive into our San Diego terminal.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we make sure you have the right documents to enter Mexico, and within five minutes, you're already in Mexico, which crossing this bridge is also a very unique experience.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: You not very often have the opportunity to step between two steps, being in in two countries, right?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: So um and you have flags, and we have flags, we know thought opportunity, uh, so that people love it.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and again, I mean it's uh an uh state-of-the-art facility uh built here in San Diego, 130 million dollar investment from both Mexican and US investors, and um and facilitates travel between Mexico and the US.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: So just picture that uh you are just landing in Mexico, in Tijuana, in 18 minutes, you are already in the US after clearing immigration customs, um, which by the way, it's far more competitive than many other aeroports in the United States.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, typically you can take 45 minutes to clear immigration customs and terminals that you have to walk 15, 20 minutes just to get to the immigration site.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: Here, our connection with the bridge is only five minutes walk, and then the whole process, which is incredibly fast.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: So, again, one of its kind uh facility and um a project that has really changed, transformed the way of travel between California and Mexico.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then touching on that when you when you talk about the five-minute border wait, like I I recently experienced something new.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: I was not familiar with this, like I have sentry, uh, but then they gave me a blue card.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, Oh, you just what nobody even talks to you, right?
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what is that?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then you give them their sentry, but then ultimately you get the blue card, you just get a photo taken, and then you go across.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: You don't even talk to anybody.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: I had never seen that.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to talk to CBP officer.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm assuming like you guys came up with that idea to try to expedite the process, right?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so one of the uh of the beauties of my job and and something that we're very proud as a team, as a company to make is we have become a laboratory for innovation.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I mean, during these years, we have gained the trust of US and Mexican authorities by having uh the most secure border uh between Mexico and the US, right?
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: So with that in mind, we've been working with CVP on how to expedite the crossing.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um I would say that a few years ago, you everything was manual, the technology was not in place.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: If you needed to come to the United States as a Mexican, you need then to have, first of all, a primary inspection and then go to secondary to get the 994 permit.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: For US citizens was um uh just regular border crossing.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: So uh this process that you are uh talking about, David, is called EPP.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: So a few years ago we implemented something that is called Safe Arrivals, the first land border to implement that that process, and just recently implement enhanced passenger processing, which is uh a um facial comparison um biometric technology.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_02: That what we do in Tijuana before crossing to the United States, you scan your passport with your CBX ticket and boarding pass, because we need to remember our audience that CBX is only meant to for passengers who have a ticket to arrive or depart from Tijuana Airport.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: So you scan your passport.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: CBX is able to build a gallery within three to four minutes, and when you arrive to the US site, basically you just stand for three seconds in a camera, they made the fashion the official comparison, and you're good to go.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_02: You don't see an officer uh anymore.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: So we were the uh fifth port of entry in all the United States to implement this this technology ahead of airports like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, so Houston.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: So this is the level of trust that we have built with the authorities and say, let's let's test this in CVX.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: We're about to launch the second phase of these programs, uh, which will be for permanent resident car holders to use the same technology.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: With that, we'll be covering 75% of our uses.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: And the beauty of this, um, David John is that we have always been recognized as a fast and easy way to cross the border.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um but with this process, we were able to bring down the average crossing times like 20%.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: So the message here is, and sometimes it's uh you know, the political message is sometimes get messed with some of the things that are really happening, and this is this is one.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: Efficient uh is not um is not um fight with uh with uh with security.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: So basically, what we're doing is providing this process.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: There is no more efficiencies and more secure that you have a facial comparison, that CBP has your biometrics, that C BP knows that you're uh a user that can come to the United States without any issue.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: And that is a message, and and I think Joaquin from Smart Border Coalition mentioned that in a previous podcast.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, the authorities are are really looking to have legal uh travels, travelers to the United States and and stimulate that that type of travel and that type of crossing.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: So again, uh very, very, very proud of this achievement and especially what is coming.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: So um and I-94 uh for you know if you're a transfronterizo, you know that uh how difficult and how much time can take you to get an I-94 permit if you're traveling beyond 25 miles.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we were able to change that process.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: We help you in the Tijuana side to process your your permit.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: And when you arrive to the primary booth, you already have pre-approved permit, and the official there grants you uh to travel beyond 25 miles.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: So, again, this type of efficiencies and innovation.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's it's it's perfect.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: That's funny that you're calling it a Disney visa.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like that's mostly what people use it for.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: And and or just Los Angeles.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, Los Angeles.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's interesting.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, not only the Mexicans and Latinos uh that use CVX um goes to San Diego region, mostly they go to to Los Angeles.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: And and again, one of the of the beauties of this um of this project, this company is that we've been able to stimulate that markets and generate demand to travel to San Diego, spend a few days here, going to uh LA, and even just go back and and and and spend some time in Guadalupe Valley.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, those are the the kind of benefits that this this project has brought to the region.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: I have um I have a question.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's not so much about CVX, but um Mexican Airlines versus US Airlines.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, uh just because you know who knows, maybe by virtue of this conversation you get more business.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um my wife was supposed to go to Miami two days ago on American.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they had a maintenance issue that delayed, that got delayed again, overnight delayed, delayed again.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: Then American had a full shutdown of its support, I don't know, wife like uh IT thing.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: So all planes were grounded.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: So the flight of she didn't get to go.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: And so um my question is, you know, because I I personally, you know, find Aromexico like very good, volares very good.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_03: Like what is you know the the the flying experience, because you come from that side, and what is the reliability of Mexican airlines compared to the US?
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: I would say that um we have basically four uh main carriers in in Mexico, Aeromexico being the global airline who travel overseas, but two low-cost carriers who are extremely efficient.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: Again, Aeromexico has been recognized uh as um the the best in on-time performance uh by Sirium, who measures all the airlines in the world and has some very, very unique product, premier class, and and very superior service.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: But the two uh low-cost carriers are very different of what we see in the United States, right?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: And and I can talk about uh spirit who unfortunately went out of business, and that it was quite of an experience traveling with an LCC in Mexican in the United States.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: Both Mexican carriers, Bolares and Viva, are extremely well-run uh airlines, they have uh very experienced people, uh very high standards of maintenance and customer satisfaction.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: So I think it's a great benefit that we have.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, CVX is uh the perfect component, the perfect complement to that.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: Because uh John, you can you can save up to 40 percent on your travel cost if you're using uh just CVX.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: Why?
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: Because if you're flying to Mexico or Latin America, it's a domestic flight, first of all, right?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the taxes are different, are below.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and second, again, it's a comp Tijuana has been for many years a very competitive market, and you have that that benefit.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: So again, uh there is um quite of um flights, um almost 38 domestic destinations in Mexico are connected, but something that people, very few people know is that Tijuana has and CBX has uh two destinations in China.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: We have Beijing and Shenzhen that you can take from from Tijuana, and especially in Southern California, you know that there is no flights from San Diego.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: We have to remind our our listeners that San Diego they have done an incredible job.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: New Terminal One is fantastic.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: But this airport is constrained, it doesn't operate 24 hours a day, the length of the runway doesn't allow flights uh to uh very long haul, let's call it that way.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Farther than Japan or Europe.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_02: So CBX has become this complement.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: And that was the vision of our shareholders to really solve an issue of people who used to travel between Southern California and Mexico and needed to spend two, three hours on the border, which hasn't changed at all and uh and stimulate new demand.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: So uh it's been an incredible story, a success story uh that we can testament in terms of what happened prior to CVX and what is today.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: Let's picture this way.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh prior to CVX, there was only 18 direct um destinations from Tijuana.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: Now, again, 38 plus the the flights to China.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh 4.8 million users a year, now 13 million users.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: CVX has grown um from this fair year to 1.3 million users, now we're in 4 million a year.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: And has become a uh an I wouldn't say a solution for the congestion on San Isidro and Otai, but has relief uh a little bit, right?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: If you picture that every day uh around 20,000 people crosses Norbound through San Isidro, while CVX uh we have an average of 6,000 people, Norbound people, uh really you're you're talking, right?
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh almost 30% of the people who used to cross to San Isidro now use CBX.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: And that's uh something that really has um relieved a little bit the congestion on the border.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a win-win for for everyone, for customers and fast and expedite and secure way to cross in the border, and travel to Tijuana to many Mexican destinations.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, it's a benefit for the uh the authorities because again, uh you have the best in-class facility and most secure way to uh enter the countries.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: And um so it's a win-win for for everyone.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, our customers, uh, people like you are really happy with the the way uh this experience meant.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Jorge, uh backtracking, you mentioned solving the issue and then understanding the need, like backtracking, like how did the idea come about?
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like who came up with the idea?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: How did the conversation start it?
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And and just to give you my experience, like I remember hearing about it.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, no, I don't think that's gonna happen.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's impossible.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and then also seeing it come to life, uh, I'm assuming there were also some obstacles.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I just want to know how did the idea come about and what were the obstacles to actually uh achieve this?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you, David, for the question.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: I'll start saying that again, understanding the constraints that San Diego Airport has, right?
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_02: Which cannot grow.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, there's no way to span the wrong way or build another runway, San Diego being the most busy airport in the United States with a single runway.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_02: People were 30 years ago were looking in options, right?
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: What to do, what are we gonna do uh to expand the connectivity in a region because air connectivity is crucial to the development of the regions.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: And there were many projects uh and um explore, moving San Diego Airport uh to Miramar and other places, and of course, being uh San Diego being the probably the most strategic um uh region for for the military, none of those projects uh were able to go alive.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um so there was a project about having a binational aeroport, but again, did not go through.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um few years ago, when a group of Mexican investors um took over the concession of the aeroports in Mexico, Tijuana Aeroport was granted to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacific, uh, which uh was led by uh Carlos La Viada, Laura Díaz Barroso, Don Juan Gallardo, and Eduardo Sánchez Navarro, Mexican entrepreneurs, among the uh with the Spanish uh AENA.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: And they they were pretty aware Carlos and Laura uh come often, and since Laura has been a child, used to come to San Diego uh and spend the summer here.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_02: So she was pretty aware as well as Carlos about the problems in the border and actually every year's experience, three hours waiting time in the border.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_02: So when they come to Tijuana the first time when they granted the concession, they were on the control tower of the Tijuana International Portal.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: They turned around.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just they were looking the wrong way in Tijuana.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: They turned around and saw the land on the other side of the border, divided by the by the wall, a small wall at that time, and they say, let's buy that land.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: Let's let's make this happen.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: So it was an incredible, uh an incredible uh entrepreneurship experience because they they didn't know if they were gonna have a permit to operate, right?
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh they raised their money, they bought the land, and they started the whole process.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so with that, they brought a US investor, Mr.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_02: Samse, um, one of the most renowned names in Chicago and grew in the real estate world here in the United States.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: So they put together a national team uh and they they pretty much present the concept.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_02: They conceptualize, they make some studies and present the concept.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: And you mentioned, you can imagine the face of uh the government people when they say, hey, we want to build a bridge above the wall and operate a private border crossing, right?
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: It was like, are you serious about it, right?
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and uh and the authorities uh learn about the benefits of the project, that the that this was a very serious group of investors.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and and and with that they start loving.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_02: And in 2012, uh we grant a presidential permit by President Obama, President Peñaneto to build and operate that border.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_02: So we uh still have that that permit is the foundation of our operation.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: And um and there was many obstacles, as you mentioned, but uh also there were many great stakeholders.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: So people like the major of the city on San Diego, Jerry Sanders, immediately say we want to do this, the Chamber of Commerce.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, many entrepreneurs say this is gonna benefit a region, and this is a solution for a region.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: Perhaps we haven't seen today what this can become in 10 years when San Diego doesn't have the ability to give any more slots for the airlines to operate when it becomes 100% constrained.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_02: You can experience now certain times of the day that you may take 30 minutes to take off, right?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but um basically in a few years we're gonna see this huge benefit when many flights could depart from CBX and San Diego, uh CBX and Tijuana to many more destinations.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_02: Again, it has become a way to incentivize travel and has dynamitized the travel within the region.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: And one of our probably the most important achievements, um, and eight years ago when I came to the company, pretty new, just two years operating, and and we say, okay, we need to have uh mission, vision, or uh basically our values, our core values set up and everything.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: We work together and we envision among the shareholders is we want to become the primary way of travel between Mexico and Southern California.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and two years ago, we became the most important, not only in Souther California, but in the whole California state.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_02: 50% of the Mexicans who travel to California use CBX as the main port of entry.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_02: And 38% of the Californians going to Mexico use us.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_02: So really surpassing airports like LA, of course, San Diego, San Francisco.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: So this is the type of impact that uh CBX has generated among the community.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_03: Amazing.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_03: And so does Tijuana that that airport has room to grow, is like there's no constraints, like they can make more runways, longer runways, bigger planes, all those things?
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, actually actually uh in these uh every five years the airports present a business plan, uh master plan to the Mexican authority.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: And based on those investments, they set off the rate, the present year facility charge.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: Just for this, um uh what we call quinquenio, this uh five-year term, which started in 2025 and ends in 2029.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Tijuana is investing um$500 million in developments.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_02: New set of gateways uh or gates are gonna be built, seven new gates, uh, new space for aircraft.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna have in Tijuana a new departures terminal for local traffic, the CBX processing building that uh is called NEP, that you have experienced where immigration and customs and the airline stick at counter seats, it's gonna double the capacity.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_02: So uh definitely uh the uh the growth is gonna be there uh to capitalize these opportunities.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: And GAP has also mentioned publicly that uh they expect in the next few years to build a second runway.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_02: So um it's not a simultaneous runway, uh, but basically allows you to expand pretty much 50% your capacity for because the separation between takeoffs and landings will be uh useful.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: So yes, what I I wanna share with their audience is Tijuana and CBX are now a secondary airport, but will become much more relevant among the next uh 10, 15, 20 years.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, and this project uh it's it's gonna be very beneficial.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: And um one of the things that I want to mention is uh one unique characteristic of CVX is that we're not only serving the Calibaja region, 40 between 40 to 45 percent of our users really come or go to LA.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah so this is uh again, uh the catchment area and uh stimulation of the market has been very, very successful, uh, reaching even passengers that are coming uh from different parts of the state.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Sacramento, uh San Jose, California.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: So mainly when there is Hispanic population, there's a perfect fit to use um CBX and Tijuana.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_02: Why?
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: Because we have developed a very broad um uh market, a very broad connectivity, land connectivity with uh buses and shuttles.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_03: Uh in the aviation world, there is I was gonna ask about that because you got all this money investing, you got all these people coming, they're all going to LA.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: How are they gonna get to LA?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: Can you can you fill that need and make some money?
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well and and on top of that, of course, uh a great service.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_02: In the airline industry, there is uh two types, let's call it, of aerops, or three types, a very regional airport, uh which has just flights to the main hubs of the airlines.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: The second are are point-to-point aeroports like San Diego.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: San Diego has a great connectivity to many cities in the United States, but you don't have a connection here to San Diego, right?
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: And the third model is what it's called in the aviation industry, Hop and Spoke.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: Aeroports uh like uh Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, which Atlanta is the most busiest airport in the world with more than 100 million users.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_02: And that is primarily because you have multiple flights arriving within 80 minutes, uh, and then in the next two hours, they need to connect to similar number of destinations.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_02: So you may have a passenger boarding in in Venice, arriving into Atlanta, and going to Birmingham, Alabama, right?
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_02: And Birmingham would never have a direct flight to any Europe destination, right?
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_02: So uh so that that model is called Hop and Spoke, and that's the way these aeroports have grown, and the airlines has developed uh a network on um as a company.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_02: Here at CVX, what we have done is using the number of flights and the arrival times of the flights, which typically are we have an uh uh between 8 a.m.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_02: to 10 a.m., many flights arriving from many destinations in Mexico, another one in the afternoon and one at night, and then we connect them to 50 uh locations within California.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: So you wanna uh travel between El Monte, California to Guadalajara, Mexico, right?
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: You take a bus from El Monte, uh, and then in CBX, we'll arrive to CBX, cross the border, and take a flight to Guadalajara.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_02: So this is called a multimodal hub.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and again, uh it's something very unique.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_02: In in Europe, there is some uh similar model, but mainly by train, right?
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_02: When you have this service which is very efficient.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_02: So we have developed that and and again connecting uh the a region very interesting, not only to California, you'll be surprised that we have uh bus frequencies to uh to Nevada, basically to Las Vegas.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: You can go from CBX to El Paso, to uh Phoenix, uh and in Arizona, Phoenix, uh Tucson.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_02: So again, this is this is uh a very, very unique model, um ground and air connectivity.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_01: And is this a CBX?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a CBX bus, right?
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because I believe we had a conversation like at the Mexican consulate like at a at an event, and I believe there was someone else from like a bus company, right?
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: You partner up with that company to like come up with this?
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, basically they they it's a vendor who provides the service, we supervise the security license standards of service, right?
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: Making sure that complies with every law, and but they operate uh independently.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: There's two bus companies operating, a group of sellers, LimoSynes uh and um among other subsidiaries of this company, are also Omex.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_02: So again, there's options for the customers.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we generate, we create competition to benefit our customers, but we don't regulate uh an instance rates or anything like that.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll make sure that I mean we comply with the law, we provide us that they provide a service and and and uses as a we use them as a vendor.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_03: That's like you know, you you can book air travel and options to rent a car might come up, you know, or even a hotel or something, all these collateral things.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, that's uh that's impressive.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_03: Moving all those people in a in an efficient and good way.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we have seven different brands operating in car rentals in CDS.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we have uh, of course, private transportation uh company, uh just Reichers company, we have ground transportation and we have the taxi.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_02: So options to our customers are are important for us and they can choose uh what to do.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_02: Or we have, of course, uh uh around 8,000 parking stalls, right?
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: So it's huge operation in parking as well.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I was gonna ask about that because you still have land, right?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's so much space out there, and I feel like a lot of people um they want to park there now because now it's costing them more to use a ride share service, let's say to go up to Del Mar or go up to North County, right?
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: So people actually drive down with like their whole families and then just park and leave it overnight.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh you see some people like that maybe don't have a lot of you just see them walking out from far away.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you see the people parking in the street.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how they do that.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I wouldn't risk like my car being like especially dumb.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but I mean I think it's great, just like the space.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, just with the connectivity, like John and I, we had the opportunity to tour the facility.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember when we got off, like and the uh Mexican airport, come out to Tijuana, and John was like, Are we in Tijuana already?
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like he was actually surprised that we were actually in Tijuana, not just the airport, but the city of Tijuana.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh pretty incredible, right?
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's not something.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's something that you can do in Seven Digital and then come back.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for allowing your team to give us a tour of the facility.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_01: It was that was great.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but that's good.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, and I feel like you know, throughout this time, uh, I feel like you guys have done their the the right partnerships.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but moving moving on, I know, and I think I read this in an article that maybe the CVX system is trying to be implemented at Port of Entries.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: Is that is that correct?
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_02: We're exploring different options.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh like the facial recognition.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_02: I I think um something that already happened is um recently or last year, we host a meeting in CVX with uh Smart Border Coalition and Diane Sabatino and CVP leadership team.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_02: And um basically uh Rafael Fernandez de Castro, who runs the US Mexico Center of Studies, um uh approach uh Miss Sabatino uh because for those who don't um uh are from this region, they don't know that there is um uh a new beautiful uh project to integrate the universities of Tijuana with the with the US uh and there's many people working on on this fact, right?
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: Many people cross the border to come to to study to high school or universities, right?
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_02: This is a very unique dynamic in the region.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_02: So Rafa uh approached to me, Sabatino, and say, can we do something to benefit these students that they cross every day?
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_02: And CBP came back just a few days later and say, you know, we can implement the same technology that is used on CBX for these students.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: We need to build a database, we need to know who and when are they gonna come to the US, and with that, having that information, boom, we can we can do it.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_02: So this program is already in place.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_02: Very, very proud that this project was conceptualized uh or or this new innovation and way to cross the border was following what we did in CBX.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_02: And and again, I think part of our responsibility as a Latino leader is what do we do to impact the lives of the community, right?
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_02: And and and again, I I I what I represent CBX, but I think my responsibility goes beyond and and again making impact for our community is something that is is just priceless.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, thank you for doing that.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_03: We have a lot of uh my one of my boys goes to St.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_03: Augustine High School.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you've heard of that, so he has a lot of classmates that come.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: Up and so I'm sure they're very grateful to you for that.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, again, I'm I'm always uh using this as a I like to sell things.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm selling the concept of CBX to all these uh gringos that are scared to the flat of TJ.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_03: We've heard uh better on-time performance, 40% savings, uh faster coming and going.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I have to say the uh the food's pretty good too.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_03: The the the terminals are nice, you know, really nice food, nice restaurants, like super clean, super fast, not too crowded.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_03: So talk to us about kind of the customer experience.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I mean, Grupo Reportero del Pacifico has transformed the aeroport.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_03: For all you Americans, right when you walk in, you got a Starbucks, right?
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_02: Which, if you allow me, I uh I'll I'll I'll share the story of this Starbucks on CVX.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_02: Just again, as we uh the shareholders got a tough job convincing about the feasibility of this project.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_02: Management has the same issue, right?
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_02: To bring companies to operate.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_02: We needed to offer this service.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_02: But 10 years ago, nobody believed in this project, right?
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_02: Are these guys crazy?
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_02: Is this really gonna happen?
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_02: Is the authorities gonna allow to really operate?
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_02: So when finally we were about to open, um the previous CEO reach out and to different companies and say, come, we need food and beverage option, we need grant transportation, we need, and there was everyone closed the door.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_02: So uh one of the companies that we reached out was Starbucks, right?
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_02: And Starbucks say, no, there's impossible, I'm not going there.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_02: But you can purchase a franchise, right?
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_02: You can just you can be a franchise of Starbucks, and our shareholders didn't doubt and say, let's do that, let's operate and do uh and and and become a franchise, uh franchise of Starbucks.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_02: So uh we own that franchise.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_02: Oh good for you guys, and it's always busy.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's always busy, has gained for three years in a row top three in customer satisfaction in the hospitality region, and has become the top 20 in sales as a single location in the whole western uh western of the US and Canada, right?
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: So like always shareholders, you have a vision pretty smart, yeah.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_02: So uh again, options as well.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_02: We still have um when you come back to the U from to the US after um spending uh three hours, three and a half hours on the plane and crossing immediately to the US, we have food and beverage options.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_02: And in Tijuana, when you are leaving the US and prior to take your flight, the Tijuana Airport has uh had a huge transformation.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um if anyone listening remembers Tijuana Airport 15, 20 years ago on what is today, I think the transformation, the investment that the shareholders have made is incredible.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so as you say, there is uh many different options to food and beverage, uh many stores, and really the airports around the world have become a destination, right?
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh when you, of course, you have VIP rooms, when you have uh places for meetings, when you have food and beverage options, when you have uh many stores, retail stores, and I mean the duty freeze and many airports in the world is just uh uh similar to the best in class um malls in the US and places.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, this is the way the the industry has evolved from just become to or come to the airport, do check-in, and go to security and take your flight to a place when you can spend two, three hours, or imagine right there's airports in the world when uh you can in Istanbul is a great example, you can arrive to Istanbul and you can have a layover of 12 hours, go to the city without a visa, tour the city and come back to take your next way.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: So again, the the industry has evolved very, very positive.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and definitely in CBX and Tijuana, people will see this transformation in the next coming years.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_01: Do you feel like CBX had uh an influence?
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I I assume they had an influence and did they push to have the Tijuana airport uh renovated because I know it needed the help, right?
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm assuming like CBX had a lot to do with it.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, very important role.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_02: Again, I mean, uh and 32 years ago, 34 years ago, when I started my career in Mexica and I mentioned this earlier.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, when I was doing check-in for those passengers coming to Tijuana, I was very surprised on the ticket slips to see people coming from Oregon, from Idaho, from uh, of course, uh Washington, Nevada.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_02: So Tijuana has been an airport with influence of Mexican first, second generation who take their flight out of Tijuana.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_02: But Mexican leisure, high-end customers who wanted to come to a vacation, they won't take Tijuana as an option and spend three hours in the border, right?
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_02: Neither the US travelers uh who didn't know that Tijuana was offering this service uh and they wanted to explore Mexican destination, they would never use Tijuana.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_02: So CBX has been a uh project that really complements the demand that it was there, stimulate new markets, and has been a again win-win for the airlines, for the authorities, because uh the the security piece, the taxes that are collected among these these travelers, and and of course, uh the private and public entrepreneurship has been very, very important as well.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's a lot of crossers, a lot of crossers through that border.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the numbers are like big.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's giving us ideas, John.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's what happens, that's what happens.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe an office right next to the top of it.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_03: Rubby when you rub it when you cross that bridge and you get to the US side, it's just us in a little boot.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_01: Welcoming people from Mexico.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_01: Good, good.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I think that's great.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_01: Just the visibility, uh, how many people are crossing, and then how it really like fixes our daily lives on going to Mexico, you know?
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_03: Makes it so much easier.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but I feel like a lot of people don't understand the concept, especially people that are not from here.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because I gotta explain it more to people.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's why I wanted to like talk a little bit about it, you know, what it looks like, you know, and and how it helps and what the advantages are.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think it should be a model, you know, obviously, for for anyone.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I think the the lucky thing was when when those guys turn around in that tower, they could see like the airport was right on the border.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_03: They're like, oh, this is perfect.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know, um, exactly.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a great example of again entrepreneurship, uh, vision, risking their their money.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, who at that moment thought, I mean, this is gonna be feasible, this is gonna first of all be approved, and then become a feasible project.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it's uh it's a great example, uh, and um and has become really a symbol of innovation and collaboration among the US and Mexico, no?
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_02: We typically hear all the issues that um that happens between the two the two governments and and the immigration issue as well.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but we rather hear success stories and and again century 25 years ago, uh now CBX.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_02: This is the kind of uh of things that should make us very, very proud of what it can be achieved with collaboration um among the two countries.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, very, very proud of it.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_03: Agree, congratulations for your part in it.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_03: Really important part, and thank you for your leadership.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, thank you, Joe.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_03: For making our lives easier.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and for our listeners, you know, we'll we'll be uh we'll be touring the CBX facility again now with Jorge, and hopefully with the help of Rudy, like our guy, we'll be able to do document it so that people understand how fast it is, what the process is coming coming down and coming back.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so that people actually are visualizing, you know.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_03: And the light and and everybody speaks English.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_03: The lines are never there's the lines are like not long.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_03: It makes like, you know, US airports, not uh, you know, we love our US airports, but like it is way, way easier across the board.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely, definitely.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_02: And something that if you allow me that I I would like to add is this is not only about being a business, a profitable business, uh, or impact the way uh the people travels.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um we have a very deep um community and social responsibility uh in the company.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we support seven different uh campaigns during the year to benefit uh different different causes.
• 54:16
  SPEAKER_02: So um from health, education, hunger, uh so every every year um we support different organizations.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_02: Our main one is um with Fundacion Tijuana Sinambre in conjunction with the International Community Foundation.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we donate around$120,000 a year for Fundacion Tijuana Sinambre, who serves warm meals to uh 3,000 people a day.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_02: So again, um this is probably one of the things that make me more proud of the company.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, not only impacting uh the region by 1.3,$1.4 billion a year, but also I mean making sure that we're a company that uh just put a seat there to benefit others, to help others in need.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_02: So our customers donate through our website when they purchase a ticket, they they make a donation, we just match pretty much of those donations, bring another players, and and again around$350,000 a year to benefit different causes.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_02: So uh and and if I can just inspire some people, uh let's let's just bring to to help others, right?
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_02: Businesses cannot be just a way to make people rich and profitable, but also to give back to our communities.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I think this is something uh that um really it's uh I feel I feel very proud of it.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_02: So good.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what my wife is donating every time I buy the ticket.
• 56:05
  SPEAKER_01: Well, no wonder.
• 56:06
  SPEAKER_01: I see like an extra charge there.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, okay, right.
• 56:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to know that it's going to a good cause.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's going to a good cost.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_03: Now you know, yeah, increase your giving because they're matching.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_01: Good, good.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's incredible.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know you guys uh participated with Fundacion.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know that they have that gamma coming up.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they reach out to us.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll keep chatting with them.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_01: But that's good.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see a friendly face if we go up.
• 56:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we'll see you over there.
• 56:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_03: Although uh we won't we won't use uh, well, maybe we maybe we can use TV next to the door.
• 56:38
  SPEAKER_03: Now uh well this kind of wraps it up.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we've been gone for about an hour, and so uh we like to end the podcast with, you know, we want you to put on your creative hat and think about there's uh have you ever heard of the Cracks podcast with Oso Trava?
• 56:53
  SPEAKER_03: Have you ever heard of him?
• 56:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so he's all at the end he always says to his guest, you know, if you could write words in the sky for millions of people to read, you know, what words, what message would you choose to give to others?
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_02: I I would say just uh innovation and uh and supporting people, it's uh it's a great cause and gives a lot of benefit to people, right?
• 57:21
  SPEAKER_02: So uh don't stop believing just like the song, but uh just uh just get a dream, picture that, go for it, and and and again be humble, remember to to serve others, and and that's the best thing you can do, right?
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_02: So again, I I like uh to lead by example um and um and inspire others.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I'm very very proud, grateful of leading these this great US Mexico project, and again just just keep keep working hard.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_02: Some joint generations believe that things are granted just automatically, right?
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_02: And uh that is not the case.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_02: You need to work hard, you need to uh take challenges and and and and keep going.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much, totally agree.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh well said, and you know you emulate everything that you just said.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you for being an amazing guest.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, thank you, Dabby, for as always for being a co-host.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, John.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for working.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_03: My pleasure.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_03: This will wrap up this episode of the Latino.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_03: If you like us, uh if you like what you heard, like us, follow us, share with friends, um, and we'll keep talking to leaders and keep exploring this incredible uh you know dynamic and relationship that we have among our uh our our Latino community and our Cali Baja and our our bicultural and binational you know community.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_03: So uh with that um thanks again and um signing off.