gerry schwebel

LAREDO, Texas - Renowned international trade and finance expert Gerry Schwebel says Texas need to invest more in land port of entry infrastructure.

The executive vice president, corporate international division, for IBC Bank says failure to make the investment will result in the state failing to capitalize on the current near-shoring phenomenon in Mexico. 

Schwebel is based in Laredo. Across the Rio Grande from his city, the state of Nuevo León is currently securing 72.2 percent of near-shoring activity. That is according to GBM and CRB data.

The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service interviewed Schwebel at a recent transportation event in Laredo. The banker was asked to comment on the planned expansion of the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge, in readiness for the EV manufacturing plant Tesla is building in Monterrey. 

Here is the interview.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

LAREDO, Texas - USMCA, the reopening of the Texas economy, and the travel ban on Mexican visitors are the topics under discussion in a podcast with IBC Bank President Dennis E. Nixon, and Vice President Gerry Schwebel.

The two bankers are not pleased that Mexican visa holders cannot visit the United States. They warn that the border region’s economy could collapse if Mexican nationals are not allowed to shop and stay in the United States.

Indeed, during the 45-minute discussion, Nixon said he had approached the federal government about allowing Mexican visa holders to shop and stay in border communities but not be allowed, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to cross the inland checkpoints.

Nixon is a member of the strike force Gov. Greg Abbott set up to advice on re-opening the Texas economy following stay-at-home orders. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.