In the mid-20th century, unprecedented development began in Colombia’s Cauca River Valley. Missions of foreign experts supported the initiatives of the region’s economic elites, giving their endeavours national projection. This led to public investment in energy and transportation while also focusing attention on the need to adapt land and water infrastructures in the Valle del Cauca department. These developments fostered the growth and consolidation of the sugar-cane agroindustry, despite contingencies in the ever-changing international markets. Drawing from multiple historical sources, this article describes areas of convergence and dissidence between the visions of the Lilienthal Plan and the Valle del Cauca business community in their common effort to modernize this Colombian region, along with repercussions stemming from their implementation.