November 29, 2018

The evening included a conversation with special guest and featured speaker Julián Castro, former
U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development and Mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Castro shared
stories from his experience as mayor of the seventh largest city in the country – a city largely
dependent on trade with Mexico. He also addressed the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship,
from binational cooperation to trade and immigration.

During the Tribute Dinner, awards were presented in recognition of those whose extraordinary
efforts have helped define the region’s collaborative spirit. This year’s awardees are:

• Cross-Border Leader of the Year – former Congressmember from Mexico, Maria Luisa
Sanchez, for being a leader in supporting trade and immigration policies

• Cali-Baja Business of the Year – Calimax, for its corporate social responsibility and
philanthropy, such as donating trucks to the Mexico City earthquake relief efforts

• Cross-Border Collaborator of the Year – awarded jointly to U.S. Customs and Border
Protection and SAT (Mexican Tax Administration), for their work in unifying and expanding
the Unified Cargo Processing on the San Diego – Tijuana border to facilitate the movement
of goods