City of Phoenix Delegation Visits Empereon Constar's Nearshore Center

In February 2018, a City of Phoenix trade delegation visited Tijuana, Baja California, as part of a Trade, Tourism and Protocol Mission focused on strengthening cross-border business relationships and creating new opportunities between Phoenix and Tijuana.

The City of Phoenix Trade, Tourism and Protocol Mission took place on February 15 and 16, 2018, bringing together representatives from business, education, and government to explore opportunities for Phoenix companies and strengthen economic and institutional relationships with Tijuana.

Phoenix Delegation Visits a Nearshore Contact Center in Tijuana

As part of the mission, Empereon International and Constar International hosted the Phoenix delegation at their nearshore contact center operation in Tijuana.

Empereon/Constar had expanded its U.S.-based customer engagement and customer management operations into Mexico, providing the delegation with a real-world example of how a Phoenix-based company could establish and manage a cross-border operation while remaining closely connected to its U.S. organization.

The delegation included 24 participants. Among the attendees were Laura Pastor, who served as Phoenix Vice Mayor at the time, and Hank Marshall, then Community and Economic Development Executive Officer for the City of Phoenix.

The original event photograph also included Phoenix Councilman Michael Nowakowski, CCSI Vice President of Operations Jorge Oros, and CCSI Vice President of Sales & Marketing Frank Esparza.

Nearshore Operations Strengthen Cross-Border Business Relationships

Tijuana's proximity to the United States makes it particularly relevant for companies in the Western U.S. that want to establish additional operational capacity while maintaining close communication and management access.

The Empereon/Constar operation demonstrated how a U.S. company could establish a nearshore contact center in Tijuana and integrate the Mexico workforce with its broader organization.

For companies in Phoenix and other Western U.S. markets, Tijuana also offers geographic and time-zone alignment, bilingual and bicultural workforce opportunities, and convenient access through Southern California.

CCSI's Otay contact center is located within Tijuana's International Business Park, close to the U.S.-Mexico border and directly across from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC). The facility was developed to support large-scale contact center operations with enterprise technology infrastructure and convenient cross-border access.

Cross-Border Collaboration in the Tijuana-San Diego Region

The 2018 visit was about more than one contact center. It reflected the broader economic relationship between U.S. cities and Baja California and the opportunities created when companies can operate across the border while remaining closely connected to their domestic management teams.

That proximity continues to be one of the defining advantages of the nearshore contact center model.

Companies can access additional workforce capacity and operating advantages in Mexico while maintaining real-time communication, compatible working hours, and direct access to their nearshore teams.

Explore CCSI's Nearshore Contact Center Facilities

Historical note: This article documents the City of Phoenix Trade, Tourism and Protocol Mission to Tijuana on February 15–16, 2018. The public officials, CCSI executives, company roles, and delegation details described above reflect the participants and positions associated with the event at that time. The article has been updated to provide current context while preserving the original visit as part of CCSI's cross-border business history.

Originally published: February 16, 2018
Last reviewed and updated: July 26, 2026