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The grant, which NAHB will be matching on a two-to-one basis, will support trade missions by members to Mexico and trade missions from Mexicans to the U.S.
Dubbed “Access Mexico,” the project will also support the development of a consultative group made up of U.S. and Mexican partner organizations, a series of international housing conferences in Mexico and the establishment of an Access Mexico Center at the next three International Builders’ Shows.
In addition, the project will create trade support seminars in five major urban centers in 2005; a hub of trade-related information and resources on the association’s Web site, www.nahb.org; and a mentorship program through local District Export Councils in three U.S. states.
Housing is a key focus of the U.S./Mexico Partnership for Prosperity initiative of Presidents George Bush and Vicente Fox, and the Mexican president has set a goal of meeting the housing needs of 45 million new Mexican households by 2030.
Rita Feinberg, executive director of NAHB’s international efforts, said that the new program will help the association support its members in entering new markets “where U.S. technology and know-how can contribute significantly to meeting pressing housing demands.”
“What we learn and accomplish through Access Mexico will have far-reaching implications for markets in other countries as well,” she said.
The project got officially underway last week, Oct. 16-18, at NAHB’s First Housing Conference of the Americas in Mexico City.
For more information from NAHB on its international activities, click here. Or e-mail Rita Feinberg or call her at 800-368-5242 x8415, or e-mail Matt Monjan, or call him at x8419.
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