Our market

More competition and changing global trends are making overseas markets harder to read and navigate.

But Mexico remains one of the world’s most open markets, and serves as a gateway to Central America. It’s an increasingly prosperous emerging market of 125 million people. The region from Guatemala to Panama adds another 37 million. Are you selling to Mexico or Central America? Your competitors may be.

Business Development Partners is a private sector consultancy specialized in helping companies that are expanding or new to exporting do business in Mexico and Central America. Since 1994, we have earned the trust of hundreds of companies that we have assisted to enter or expand their business in the Mexican and Central American markets.

Our experience

Business Development Partners, S.A. de C.V. (BDP), is a market research and trade promotion firm.

Based in Mexico City, serving businesses, government agencies and industry organizations in North America, Europe and Asia. Founded as Trade Management Services, Inc. in 1994, the company became a Mexican corporation under the name Business Development Partners, S.A. de C.V. in 2005. The principals of BDP have worked in Latin America for many years, ranging across manufacturing, export promotion and research consulting for numerous public and private entities.

We are trade facilitators with decades of experience. Over the past 25 years, our company has provided hundreds of foreign clients with customized market research, advising on market entry, partnership building, support in solving logistics problems and a wide range of related services to help them develop their Mexico and Central America business carefully and successfully.

Our clients come from many different industries, from agri-business and food value chain to advanced manufacturing, renewable energies, environmental services, heavy industry, housewares, information technologies and healthcare, among many others.

Agri-business

Food value chain

Environmental technologies

Advanced manufacturing

Retail industry

Our team

José Antonio Jiménez

José Antonio Jiménez holds a degree in Economics from Long Island University in New York, and pursued post-graduate research at Chung-Ang University in Korea, the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Long Island University. He has worked in international research and trade promotion for over 30 years. José provided consulting services in Mexico for the Australian Embassy Trade Commission, the Délégation Générale du Québec´s trade promotion office and the trade offices of Illinois and the Massachusetts Port Authority. A founding member of Trade Management Services, Inc. in 1994 and Business Development Partners in 2005, he has helped hundreds of companies achieve their export marketing goals in Mexico and Central America. He has vast expertise and experience in the agriculture, food, feed and livestock industries, and in other industries such as construction and transportation.

Lourdes Ramírez

Lourdes Ramírez began her work in export promotion in 1986 at the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico. Joining the California Office of Trade and Investment in Mexico in 1992, Lourdes served as Senior Trade Specialist and Acting Director during her 12 years with California. Lourdes’ professional training in trade topics includes advanced courses on export-import operations, international market research, trade financing, NAFTA and Mexican Customs regulations. Her areas of industry specialization include the retail industry, consumer goods and medical and health care products.

Tom Johnston

Tom Johnston is a public policy specialist with background in research and manufacturing. Prior to joining BDP he provided consulting work for the Agency for International Development and the World Bank in Central America and the Research Foundation of the State University of New York in Chile and Argentina. Early on in the NAFTA era, he joined a New York-based apparel outsourcing firm and spent several years supervising export manufacturing operations in Mexico. Tom holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from the State University of New York. His areas of industry responsibility at BDP include industrial machinery and advanced manufacturing technology, aviation and aerospace, renewable energies and environmental technologies.

Mónica Ramírez

Mónica Ramírez holds a degree in international business from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), with English studies at the British Council. She is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Senior Management at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Monica’s professional experience includes handling Customs and logistics procedures for the importation of general merchandise from China for importer Vaysia International, as well as sales for logistics services provider M&Z Trading Logistics, both in Mexico City. She also has experience in the importation of ingredients for the paint company Sherwin Williams. At Business Development Partners, she is responsible for market research, event planning and coordination and client relations.