Anonymous - 6-6-2004 at 03:07 AM
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/6/emw131038.htm
Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 4, 2004--David Butterfield, President of The Trust for Sustainable Development and Founder of The Villages of Loreto Bay
in Baja California Sur, has been honored with the private sector Good Neighbor Award by the U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce (USMCOC). Butterfield was
honored along with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge among other dignitaries at the annual USMCOC
Good Neighbor Awards Gala on May 26 at the International Monetary Fund Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Each year, the USMCOC, a non-profit bilateral coalition of businessmen established in 1973 to promote trade, investment and joint ventures on both
sides of the border, honors public and private sector leaders for their vision and continued commitment to closer commercial relations between Mexico
and the United States. Over the past decade the Good Neighbor Award has been presented to ministers, ambassadors, governors, congressmen, former
presidents, CEOs, chairmen of organizations and others who have made significant differences in U.S. ? Mexico relations.
In presenting the Good Neighbor Award to Butterfield, USMCOC President & CEO Al Zapanta praised Butterfield for his work in bringing together a team
of U.S., Canadian and Mexican partners to build the largest sustainable community in North America. ?David Butterfield?s leadership and vision for the
Villages of Loreto Bay is emblematic of the spirit of NAFTA,? he said. ?This new community will fuel job growth, benefit the environment and stimulate
tourism and economic development in the region. He and his team are committed to working with local recreational and conservation groups as well as
micro lending programs and job training. They are truly good neighbors.?
John McCarthy, Director of FONATUR, Mexico?s tourism development agency said the project is "excellent news for Mexico and for the state of Baja
California Sur, and in particular, for the townspeople of Loreto."
Mexican Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo Torres said the Loreto project would ?without a doubt be fruitful for national tourism, particularly for
Baja California Sur.?
The Villages of Loreto Bay is the last of five areas identified by FONATUR as prime tourist development sites in Mexico. Currently under construction,
The Villages of Loreto Bay will be a series of sea-side villages built on 8,000 acres in the foothills of the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains and along
three miles of coastline on the Sea of Cortes near the historic town of Loreto. Five thousand acres will be designated as a nature preserve and
sanctuary for native plants and animals and will also include trails for hiking, horseback riding and other recreational use.