At 7 years old, I arrived with my parents to Tijuana, the cradle of the export of tequila and the origin of the margarita, two great synonyms of Mexico. There, I had the opportunity to see my dad's work and experience closely the development of that city that was 100% touristic. In the United States there were already many attractions that were a source of employment. From there, migration was partly born, many of the people who work in the fields, in the factories and in tourist services, are of Mexican origin.

So it is a culture, and we have the challenge of turning Tequila into a new pole of touristic development. It has been transforming from being an industrial population, with the challenge of making it a tourist and cultural hallmark.

I thank my wife very much, I owe her a lot. My first job, already married, was in Tequila, we lived inside the factory, That experience and the support that the people from here, from Tequila, gave us have made us change culturally. And yes, we have to return to Tequila, much of what it has given us.

We are going to need the support of the other industrialists and we have to integrate small, medium-sized entrepreneurs, all, the work behind it must be accepted by them, so that together we can move Tequila forward. We can do it by ourselves, but I think that with the integration of the other Tequila entrepreneurs of all kinds, we can do better.

Honestly, as simple as it is, education is everything, since childhood we have to instill and demand excellence, so it is a challenge. We are including innovative models from the most prestigious universities in the country. Tec de Monterrey´s Community Learning Center of the will help us a lot, we believe that the technology behind all this will generate a great impulse forwards.

Many of these ideas were born and are being born with people from Tec, and they have already been permeating our people. But we believe that we have an obligation to do better and complement it with the musical part and also integrate it with sports.

All of these will help us to give Tequila a very special place. So as it was achieved with the drink and the effort of many tequileros, here must be the effort of as many businessmen as possible.

We receive and appreciate the support of the State Government through the Ministry of Innovation, from where we have been heard and guided and there is will to continue helping us to make this a real success. It had been difficult to integrate the municipality, we appreciate the support they are giving us, already integrated, together, we can make enormous achievements for the people here.

A thousand thanks really, and let's build a better Mexico and a better Tequila. And as they said, "tequila is synonymous with Mexico", we are synonyms of Mexico in the world.

Juan Francisco Beckmann Vidal (born February 9, 1940) is a Mexican businessman. He has a degree in Accounting and a Master in Business Administration and Management from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies (ITESM), in addition to having completed postgraduate studies at Stanford University.

He joined the family business, Tequila Cuervo, in 1964, and in 1972 he became president. Since 2004, his son Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, became CEO of the company. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Two years after taking office, he became a promoter of the Denomination of Origin category for tequila. During his tenure as group president, he achieved several milestones: UNESCO recognition of the Agave Landscape in 2006; its support for the World of Tequila project in 2009; the creation of Jose Cuervo Express as a tourist product in 2012; his contributions to the Mundo Cuervo Knowledge Management System certifications; in addition to leading the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of José Cuervo on the Mexican Stock Exchange in 2017.

As part of his commitment to the people of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, he created the Jose Cuervo Foundation in 1998, in order to preserve the customs and traditions of the region, provide support to community programs and create leadership programs among the youth of the region.

His drive to turn the tequila industry into a factor of national competitiveness, has earned him important honors, such as the Industrial Merit Medal, awarded by the Council of Industrial Chambers of Jalisco (CCJI), which he received in 2010 from then-President Felipe Calderón. Among other recognitions are the following: Entrepreneur of the Year, by the Employer Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) in 2006; the 2014 Tourism Merit Award from the Government of Jalisco by the then Governor Aristotle Sandoval, and the 2015 Exatec Merit Award, awarded by his alma mater.

He has had a long career in the private sector as a member of the Boards of Directors of companies such as Banamex, Peñoles, Aeroméxico and Banco Ve por Más. He has also been part of business organizations such as: The Business Coordinating Council, the Mexican Council of Entrepreneurs and the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness.

In 2017, it was ranked 29 in the Ranking of the 100 most important entrepreneurs in Mexico by Expansion.

Juan Francisco Beckmann has established himself as a business icon and his strategic vision has promoted the world tequila industry, in addition to being the main promoter of Tequila as an Intelligent Magical Town and positioning Jose Cuervo as the largest tequila producer in the world

On Friday, May 31st, 2019, within the framework of the celebrations of the XXV anniversary of the Tequila Regulatory Council and LX of the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry, a well-deserved tribute and the delivery of the highest Eagle in Flight award were paid to our Board President Don Juan Francisco Beckmann Vidal, for his work and support to the tequila industry.

The tribute was very emotional, recognizing the effort of our maximum leader and example of what it means to be a great visionary. Without a doubt, Don Juan Beckmann Vidal is one of the people who, with his actions, has changed the course of the tequila industry and with that, the history of a country, thus creating a great legacy.

The recognition is a bronze sculpture by the Mexican artist León Fernández, it is an allegory that tries to relate two very important symbols for Mexicans:

The eagle, a symbol linked to mexicanity, present in the coat of arms of the Mexican flag and that appears in the national iconography in different representations; it is currently in the collective consciousness of Mexicans and its presence dates back to our pre-Hispanic history. And another important symbol, the agave, plant that directly evokes tequila, our national drink.

Let us ask God that he remains with us for many more years to continue leaving his mark, since he is a human being with a great love for his country and its people.

Great projects are gradually consolidating, but there must be long-term planning that allows for orderly and sustainable growth, economically, socially, urbanly and ecologically, which guarantees the well-being of all the inhabitants and of future generations.

The Beckmann Foundation supports the social development of Tequila through its strategic lines of the Social Innovation Model, where we work with different local actors to conserve, preserve and spread the tangible and intangible heritage of Tequila, not only as a drink, but as a destination that has history, culture, tradition and gastronomy.

In this 2040 vision, the Foundation wants Tequila to be recognized as a cultural destination, a heritage city and that its inhabitants are the guardians of this legacy and leaders of a positive transformation.

In this journey, the joint work of all the institutions is needed, public and private, of universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations; that through social innovation, new creative and sustainable strategies are developed for solving social problems.

We want to work comprehensively with the Tequila community, where all sectors come together to find the best solutions in a changing environment.