The Cali-Baja region plays a pivotal role in the evolving relationship between the United States and Mexico and is a national model for productive and collaborative cross-border trade and commerce.

That was the main message of the International Tribute Dinner, organized by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

Held at the Omni San Diego Hotel, the Tribute Dinner brought together nearly 200 business, government, and community leaders from San Diego and Baja, including, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer who also addressed attendees.

“This event gives us an opportunity to talk about cross-border issues and to recognize leaders that have helped a lot in cross-border commerce,” said Jerry Sanders, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber to La Prensa San Diego. “We want people in San Diego to understand how important the trade is between our two communities, and this event gives us an opportunity to let sandiegans know how important it the binational relationship for the economies on both sides of the border.”

In San Diego, there are 400,000 jobs that depend on cross-border trade. The medical devices manufactures are the main cross-border cluster in this region.

During the Tribute Dinner, awards were also given to three trailblazers whose efforts have helped define the region’s cooperative spirit. The awardees also shared their perspectives from government, academia, and the private sector in a panel discussion on our region’s most pressing issues.

This year’s awardees included Marcela Celorio, who serves as Mexico’s Consul General in San Diego. She received the Leader of the Year award. For her efforts to support the binational community include the creation of programs to offer language lessons, school certification, and immigrant support services.

The San Diego Padres received the Binational Business of the Year award for their investment in the community and the region’s young people through partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club of Tijuana, support of Little League in San Diego and Tijuana, and creation of the first cross-border Major League Baseball All-Star Community Legacy project.

The University of California San Diego received the Cross-Border Collaboration Award for their efforts and leadership incorporating the Latino community through programs that foster opportunity, open dialogue, and cross-cultural collaboration.

This includes various exchange programs and development of resources that help increase student access and success as well as the research initiatives led by the University’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, which inform the creation, implementation and evaluation of public policy.