Lifestyle may have helped build this region’s population up over a million people but if it is to continue to grow and prosper it will take more than “sun, fun, cheap land and a low cost of living.”

Speaking before the May 22 meeting of the Sunbelt World Trade Association, Joe Snell, president CEO of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO), said it will take business n including international business n and now is the time to bring together the divergent groups supporting international trade “to present a common voice and bring all of our many international interests to the same table.”

Snell told the international business group that TREO is now making its move into the global arena. The economic development organization has started assessing what the city is already doing and developing plans for telling the story to a broader multinational audience.

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Citing an example of the problem in communication, Snell said TREO led a trade group to Mexicali, Baja California, and found another delegation from Tucson was already there.

Reaching out to Global Advantage, the University of Arizona’s international technology collaboration with Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Israel, and Puerto Nuevo, Tucson’s inland port initiative, Snell said he is trying to “bring everyone into the fold, to make sure we’re connecting and making smarter use of our assets.”

It’s a matter of providing the place to do it, he said, and TREO is the best choice.

“We need to attract foreign companies because they pay an average of 17 percent more than domestic companies,” he said. “We need to leverage our ties with Phoenix and Flagstaff to focus on the United Kingdom and Germany. We can work together to develop the leads, to find companies ready for relocation.”

Once their sold on Arizona, “we can discuss which city in the state to choose, and I’m confident we can make a case for Tucson.”

When it comes to the inland port, Snell said TREO intends to be “the next evolution” of the concept, bringing together the facilities with the international business connections, “to put the rubber to the road.”

What’s needed is more business involvement, which is why Snell said he’s speaking to business groups. “The reality is we need to compete in a global market,” he said. “In doing that, our missing link is the private sector. The difference between Tucson and other communities is the engagement of the business leaders.”

If TREO is to succeed, “we need the willpower to get it done,” he said. “For that, we’ll need your help.”

Philip S. Moore

Inside Tucson Business

Contact Philip S. Moore by

e-mail at pmoore@azbiz.com or call (520) 295-4238.

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