Sixty years ago, Arizona Gov. Paul Fannin looked south across the border to Mexico and famously said, “God made us neighbors; let us be good neighbors.” It was then that the stage was set for the Arizona-Mexico Commission, an international entity that works to foster economic partnerships and an enduring friendship, which has only grown stronger through the challenges of the intervening decades.

Arizona is missing out on huge economic opportunities by not reaching out to its southern neighbor, owners of businesses near the Arizona-Mexico border say, and that message hasn't been taken seriously by state lawmakers.