Thanks to the FTZ No. 68 team: Jose Quinonez, Jr., Liz Bellegarde, Rosa Villa & Jaclyn Jacquez

Launched in June 2009, the SMBA is a project that helps small manufacturing companies expand their markets or compete on a global basis through the use of El Paso’s Foreign-Trade Zone (1). 

• A business selected for this project would be permitted to activate a FTZ facility for a period of one year without any Grantee/Operator transaction fees being charged to the business.
• Receive start up support from FTZ No. 68 Grantee/Operator, and
• FTZ Operations Training fees waived for up to four (4) key employees during initial year.

 Selection criteria:

• An application must be submitted to the City’s FTZ Manager for review and approval.  If the business is selected for the SMBA, it will sign an agreement with the City Manager or its designated representative.
• The business must have less than 500 and be legally established in the U.S.
• The business must conduct manufacturing as defined under U.S. Customs regulations.
• The business must go through a manufacturing approval process through the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board, and will be responsible for paying any consultant and FTZ Board fees necessary to obtain manufacturing approval in Foreign-Trade Zone.

About the Foreign-Trade Zone No. 68

The City of El Paso is the Grantee and Operator of Foreign-Trade Zone No. 68, under El Paso International Airport.  

FTZ No. 68 office is located at the International Trade Processing Center (ITPC).  The zone consists of 21 sites containing 3,443 acres spread out through the eastside, central, northeast and lower valley areas of the city and outside the city limits but within El Paso County. 

FTZ No. 68 is:

• It's a One-Stop International Trade Hub;

·         Fifth largest general-purpose zone in the nation based on dollar volume;

·         Largest FTZ on the U.S./Mexico Border;

• First of its kind on the U.S. - Mexico Border
• It houses both FTZ No.68 administrative office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Accessible to multi-modal facilities

·         Over 70 firms use the FTZ, handling more than 200 different items from more than 80 countries.

For more information about the FTZ or to participate in their SMBA contact:

Jose Quinonez, Jr.
Foreign Trade Zone Manger
501 George Perry, Suite I
El Paso, Texas  79906
http://www.ci.el-paso.tx.us/ftz/

We invite all of you to get a discussion going.  Please submit your comments at the end of this article, Thanks.