Air Conditioning Guys, Inc.
El Centro, CA
Louis Fuentes is the President of Air Conditioning Guys, Inc, located in El Centro, CA. Under Louis’ management, Air Conditioning Guys has grown to become an HVAC leader in the Southern California and Baja California regions. Louis is also the Director of Marketing & Outreach for Grupo Becerril in Mexico and was elected to ACCA's Board of Directors in 2016.
Louis has dedicated his life to community development and public service. He served as the first President & CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation and was elected President of the US-Mexico Border Counties Coalition. He also co-founded the Economic Research Institute-Imperial Valley at San Diego State University - Imperial Valley Campus and sits on the Board of Directors of the research arm “Centro de Estudios Economicos del Sector Empresarial de Mexicali” (Center for Economic Studies for the Private Sector). He has been called upon to represent the California Economic Development perspective and rural communities at state congressional hearings, testifying to the State Assembly's Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy. He has received statewide media coverage in the LA Times, San Diego Union, CSPAN, Univision and numerous Southern California Business Journals as well as national media coverage in Mexico. Louis is also a former member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), the California Technology Trade & Commerce-Team California Marketing (co-chair), Imperial Irrigation District Energy Consumer Advisory Committee, County of Imperial-Airport Exploratory Committee and Local Transportation Agency (LTA) administrative board.
Throughout the early 2000s, Louis was heavily involved in local politics, holding a position on the Calexico City Council and eventually serving as the city’s Mayor from 2008-2009. He was one of only 4 U.S. Mayors asked to give the perspective of cities along the U.S. Mexico Border by the Border Trade Alliance in Washington D.C. to newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Nepolitano and key Congressional leaders.
Louis’ interest in community development began when he was in college, where he graduated with a degree in Development Studies with a concentration in Economics from the University of California Berkeley. He is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute. Louis has three young children who drive his motivation to improve the quality of life in the region in which he lives.