Frontier Trading

Wendy Gillespie
Executive Vice-President
Frontier Trading, Inc
1110 Rosecrans Street, Suite 209
San Diego (Point Loma), CA 92106
Tel/Fax: 619-225-0401
Email: frontiertrading@sbcglobal.net

Frontier Trading is an international export trading company headquartered in Point Loma, San Diego, with an extensive distribution network in Mexico and Latin America. Since its inception in 1986, the firm has marketed and distributed consumer packaged goods, with a specialty in grocery products. Frontier Trading has an affiliate company in Tijuana, which directly services Baja California and is the import point into the rest of Mexico.

Today, the firm's primary product is a ready-to-eat instant ramen noodle soup product called Maruchan "Instant Lunch." Frontier Trading, Inc. is the exclusive exporter and distributor of the bilingual Spanish/English package especially designed for Latin America.

Previous representation as Mexican importers and/or distributors has included: Continental Mills, Gerber Baby Products, Hunt-Wesson international, Phillips Electric, Ralston-Purina, Solo Cup, Turtle Wax, and Unilever International.

Frontier Trading, Inc. has a very well developed distribution network in Mexico and has achieved more than 95% distribution nationally. Virtually all national and regional accounts are serviced and explosive growth has been generated in recent years through aggressive marketing and television advertising. Since the devaluation in 1994, the firm has achieved an average annual growth of over 40% per year. Although more than 90% of current sales are to Mexico, Frontier Trading Inc. has expanded its distribution network to include several countries in both Central and South America.

About Ms. Gillespie

As Executive Vice-President and co-owner of Frontier Trading, Inc., Ms. Gillespie is responsible for developing new country distributors as well as managing financial controls, human resources, logistics and order processing functions. Special expertise includes fluency in Spanish with some knowledge of Japanese, along with a strong sales and marketing management background.

Prior to joining Frontier Trading in 1991, Ms. Gillespie spent over 13 years with the IBM Corporation, and has extensive management experience in both the marketing and technical support areas. Her international experience also includes an assignment to IBM World Trade Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan as program manager in charge of distributor strategy in 18 countries. After returning to San Diego, Ms. Gillespie worked with IBM San Diego and IBM Mexico to assist maquiladora customers in solving their cross border computing issues.

Ms. Gillespie graduated from Montclair State University in New Jersey with a B.A. Cum Laude in Spanish and Education and a post-graduate minor in Business Administration. Before moving to California in 1978, Ms. Gillespie was a secondary school Spanish teacher at Boonton High School and Lake Hopatcong Junior High School. She was born in England and immigrated to the United States in 1960 on the Queen Mary.

Ms. Gillespie has served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego World Trade Center since its inception. She has held the positions of Vice-Chair and Membership Chair, and is currently a member of the Executive Committee. This year she is also Vice-Chair of the World Trade Institute, a non-profit educational organization, and is spearheading a World Trade Institute for high school students to be held next summer. Ms. Gillespie also serves on the Advisory Board of Directors for San Diego High School's Academy of Finance and as a mentor in the program.

Ms. Gillespie was President of "Women in Business" in 1993 and was a YWCA TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) honoree in 1992. IBM awards include the IBM Latin America Achievement Award in 1990 and the IBM Golden Circle for top 1% of sales.

Other memberships include Institute of the Americas, San Diego Dialogue, Women in World Trade, the World Affairs Council, and Friends of Downtown. She also raises scholarship dollars for the ARCS Foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists). Community involvement includes four years as a volunteer Junior Achievement business consultant and she was recognized as "1998 High School Consultant of the Year" along with her husband Martin J. Capdevilla.

Ms. Gillespie really enjoys her involvement in the World Trade Center and working with students to broaden their global perspective, as well as giving back to the community. In addition to spending time with friends and entertaining in her home, she enjoys learning about other cultures and, if time allowed, would spend more time traveling internationally.