Louis Fuentes is President of Air Conditioning Guys, Inc, an international air conditioning company and a leader in the air conditioning industry in the Southern California and Baja California Region and Director of Marketing & Outreach for Grupo Becerril in Mexico. Elected to the Board of Directors of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America 2016.
First President & CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation. He developed the marketing plan that led to the designation of an Enterprise Zone in Brawley-Imperial County in 2004-2005.
Louis 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.
Lead project manager for a Cargo Airport concept in Imperial Valley, leading the consulting teams in the analysis of a cargo market from Baja California, availability of airspace use and site-selection process. He co-authored the agreement of the “Tri-Valley Alliance”, between Imperial Valley, Palm Springs, CA and Mexicali, Baja California Mexico. He was nominated as "New Economic Development Professional of the Year" in 2004 by California's incoming Chairman of CALED and the incoming Chairman of the International Economic Development Council.
Louis was elected to sit on the Calexico City Council in 2006, serving as the cities 100th Mayor 2008-2009. A former member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), Former 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. He also served as Chairman of the Imperial Valley Association of Governments (IVAG).
In April 2009, and under invitation from the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Louis Co-hosted a White House Health Care Forum, sharing the California perspective along with Gov. Schwarzenegger and Washington Gov. Gregoire to White House Director of Domestic Policy Melody Barnes.
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 in 2009.
Appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in November of 2009 to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors District 1 seat. Elected Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in February of 2010 - January 2011. Elected President of the US-Mexico Border Counties Coalition in Nov 2010. Appointed to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Board of Directors in 2016.
In Mexico Louis 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 was a Co-founder of the Economic Development Institute at CETYS University in Baja California. Co-founder of the Economic Research Institute-Imperial Valley housed at San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus. In 2005, he was given special recognition by Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy for his contribution to Economic Development.
He has a degree in Development Studies with a concentration in Economics from the University of California Berkeley. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute.
Louis was born in the California border region of Calexico-Mexicali. He currently resides in Chula Vista, Ca. He has extensive business and political ties in the state of Baja California. Louis holds a black belt in Aikido Karate and Jujitsu and has three young children that drive his motivation to improve the quality of life in the region in which he lives.