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A key resource to IBC international customers, Mr. Schwebel offers special expertise in international trade finance, industrial/economic development and transportation. Widely regarded as one of America’s leading experts on international trade and finance, Mr. Schwebel frequently represents IBC and its customers in consultation with top government and business leaders in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. His knowledge and unique overview have resulted in his being called upon on numerous occasions to testify before Congress on issues of U.S/Mexico trade, including the North America Free Trade Agreement NAFTA. Mr. Schwebel’s opinions and perspectives have also been featured in some of the major business journals and magazines in the U.S .and Mexico on various topics related to bilateral trade relations, economics and banking.
Following service in the United States Army where he attained the rank of Captain, Mr. Schwebel held administrative positions in such fields as higher education, food service, communications and the securities industry. For more than two decades, he has served leading financial institutions in Texas, culminating in his arrival in 1988 as International Bank of Commerce’s First Vice President, Business and Industrial Development. He was promoted to Executive Vice President of IBC’s International Department and joined the Executive Management Team of IBC in 1996 as International Division Head.
A regular speakerin both of his fluent languages, English and Spanish and resource on NAFTA and Mexico, Mr. Schwebel’s many affiliations and officer ships include 1993 National Chairman of the Border Trade Alliance (BTA), President of the Laredo Development Foundation, President of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, President of the Laredo Country Club, Board Member of the NAFTA Institute, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, Laredo Manufacturers Association, American Red Cross, and International Good Neighbor Council. He continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Unites States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the North American Supercorridor Coalition (NASCO), Doctors Hospital of Laredo, United Way of Laredo, Laredo Country Club, IBC Insurance Agency, IBC Investments, Inc. and the Association of South Texas Communities. His extensive service and leadership in these areas of interest earned him numerous awards and recognitions in both the U.S. and Mexico.
Most recently, Mr. Schwebel and other business and government leaders in Texas have formed a coalition, known as the Alliance for Security and Trade (AST). AST has been working together with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and members of Congress addressing critical issues impacting our trade relations with our partners of Mexico and Canada as a result of increasing security measures on our borders. AST was instrumental in creating a series of public forums along the Southern Border of United States to address and discuss the latest developments of the U.S. Visit Program.
Mr. Schwebel earned his undergraduate degree at Texas A&I University of Laredo (now Texas A&M International University) and has done graduate work in the fields of International Trade and Banking at Texas A&M International University, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. | 