Christina Estes/KJZZ

Gov. Claudia Pavlovich of Sonora, Mexico, speaks at the Harvard Club of Phoenix.

(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)

Governor Claudio Pavlovich of Sonora, Mexico, greets a guest at the Harvard Club of Phoenix.

While speaking in Phoenix on Friday night, the governor of Sonora, Mexico, touted the economic ties between her state and Arizona. 

Gov. Claudia Pavlovich received a warm welcome from the Harvard Club of Phoenix. Before delivering her speech in Spanish she told KJZZ she considers Arizona a good neighbor. 

“If Arizona grows, Sonora grows. If Sonora grows, Arizona grows,” she said. “We can be the best example of what we can make two states of two different countries in the same way, in the mission: create jobs and create well-being for our people.”  

She used Lucid Motors as an example of what leaders on both sides of the border call the Arizona-Sonora Megaregion. It involves pitching the area’s supply chain, transportation infrastructure and workforce to businesses, especially in the aerospace, mining and automotive industries.

Lucid announced plans to build an electric car plant in Casa Grande while tapping into parts suppliers in Sonora.

During her speech, Pavlovich promoted her state’s higher educational attainment levels compared to Mexico’s average. She also said Hermosillo, her state’s capital city, ranks among the top for quality of life. 

Asked what she hopes the audience would take away from her speech, Pavlovich told KJZZ, “I want them to know Sonora and the great potential that we have to create jobs and the strength that we have and to be proud of our state.”