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M Mauricio Guerrero, owner and founder of 211 Café in Bentonville, knows as well as anybody the benefits of international partnerships. The Guatemalan native moved to Northwest Arkansas a few years ago when his wife, Norma, was offered the chance to come this country for her Walmart career. "I worked in banks and that was my career, in the commercial area of a bank," Guerrero said. "But I was also always drinking a lot of coffee and had a dream to open a coffee shop." And when he arrived in Arkansas, that's just what he did. 211 Café, located in the Bentonville Library, serves up coffee made from beans from his native homeland in Guatemala, as well as Brazil. When the delegation from San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala came to visit Northwest Arkansas last year, 211 Café was on the list of businesses to visit. "To tell you the truth I was surprised to see a delegation from Guatemala come to Fayetteville," Guerrero continued. "But I was very excited that they did and it gives me hope that we can help bring more prosperity to those rural areas of Guatemala. A lot of people have no idea the level of poverty in those parts of the country." Guerrero sees the opportunities that establishing partnerships with Guatemala and other countries could benefit Northwest Arkansas as well. "When something like this delegation from San Vincente comes to Arkansas they are putting our area on the map of the world," he said. "I think the benefit for the region is opening the area up to new markets to come in from other countries." Guatemala, Guerrero feels, can help our area grow both culturally and economically. "I think food is a big contribution they can make to our area," he said. "We have Mexican and some Salvadorian food here, but Guatemalan food is very different and we have zero at this point. Another huge opportunity is tourism. We call ourselves the mountain biking capital of the world and mountain biking is very big in Guatemala and El Salvador. Boosting our tourism helps our economy in many different ways like hotels and restaurants. And that all translates into more tax revenue for our local communities." Guerrero appreciates the business friendly communities found in Arkansas. "I'm lucky that my experience living in America has been right here in Bentonville because this community is great," Mauricio said. "Since day one, I have enjoyed the fact that this is kind of place that has people helping you succeed." 17 Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce

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