Paso Del Norte Group

The Paso Del Norte Group (PDNG) is a private organization of approximately 360 business and civic leaders of El Paso, Texas, United States. The group, meant to be representative of the El Paso region, also includes members from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and Southern New Mexico.

Patterned after similar leadership groups in cities across the country, and specifically the Commercial Club of Chicago, Illinois, a venerable institution that stepped out of the background and into the middle of public policy issues several years ago, the Paso Del Norte Group is involved in promoting—quietly—such major policy initiatives as the Regional Mobility Authority and the Medical School of the Americas.

Much of the group's history and past actions have not been made public. Most of what has been made public about the group was acquired via the Freedom of Information Act.

The Paso Del Norte Group was in part an evolution of the El Paso Leadership Research Council, a group formed in 1999 by businessman Woody Hunt, whose company is one of the leading corporations in the region. Hunt is a member of the PDNG Executive Committee today.

The Council was made up of 40 CEOs, and focused on research-based public policy. After several years, The group failed to move forward and serve its potential, so it changed its name in 2003 to “El Paso Business Leadership Council”. Hunt served as the initial chairman; into 2004, with Bob Hoy as chairman, Myrna Deckert was brought in as COO. She, in turn, with Jack Cardwell, who founded the Petro chain of truck stops and gas stations, and William Sanders, a real estate developer who brought his Verde Realty Group to El Paso, developed the current structure. In March 2004 the group changed its name to “Paso Del Norte Group.”

Sanders, in particular, has been described as a driving force in developing the Paso Del Norte Group. Sanders, who originally is from El Paso but made his fortune in Chicago, brought a model from that city—the Commercial Club, a storied organization of great influence in that city. He is the co-founder of the Paso del Norte Group.

...
Wikipedia