mcallen economic development corporation

MCALLEN, Texas - Attending MXLAN’s International Economic Summit at the McAllen Convention Center, Index Reynosa’s Enrique Castro looked around the ballroom and expressed pleasure at what he saw.

“Forty years ago you would not have seen this. It is full of Mexicanos. Back then there were not that many. McAllen was divided by the railroad tracks,” Castro said. 

The maquiladora industry leader said the culture and demographics of the McAllen metro area today can help land huge investment from Mexico.

“It's a very Hispanic-friendly city,” Castro said of McAllen. 

“I think there are a lot of investors from Mexico that are willing to put their money at the border. Not go north. Not go south. But stay here where they can have this (Mexican friendly) environment. We were talking a few minutes ago with some of the people and gosh there are a lot of Latinos here now. New kids, even those that are returning back. They left the Valley because their were no opportunities. Now they're coming back with experience. I think it's going to be very exciting.”

Castro gave an exclusive interview to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service immediately following the keynote speech at the International Economic Summit. It was given by Duncan Wood of the Wilson Center.

“I think what makes an area interesting is their own people, not just the money. If you don't have people that you can trust, that you can talk to…,” Castro told the Guardian. “Look at Monterrey. Monterrey is the new Shanghai of Mexico. Why is the border not like Monterrey?”

Castro said he remembers the vision Richard Cortez had when he was mayor of McAllen.

“I remember his plan on making McAllen like a small San Antonio. Remember all that? That's a really good opportunity. And they have already the projects and the money. I think it will come out very soon, something like that.”

Castro is a Mexican national who has lived and worked on both sides of the border for many years. His business interests now are mostly in Queretaro, Reynosa, and McAllen. He has been president of Index, the maquiladora trade association, at both the national and local level. 

During an earlier panel discussion at the International Economic Summit, involving four local bankers, Castro asked a question during the Q&A. He pointed out that Tamaulipas was not getting much of the near-shoring that is happening now. He said security and infrastructure issues must be resolved. 

However, in his interview with the Guardian, Castro said the Rio Grande Valley and northern Tamaulipas can land some big manufacturing projects. At present, the big winner in the near-shoring race is Nuevo León, a state where Elon Musk is building a new Tesla plant.

“I think there are other companies, big companies, large companies that are willing to come this way. I mean, Tesla is, right now, the new kid on the block. But, gosh, I know several companies that are coming this way that are even bigger and stronger, especially in the high tech (world), in electronics and all that,” Castro said.

Castro said he was not just talking about microchip manufacturing. 

“There is a lot of high tech, which I think Texas should take advantage of. Yesterday we were talking about that at the MEDC. There are a lot of schools here. The medical school. There are a lot of things. I'm really excited that we can grow. But, you know, it's all about trust.”

MEDC stands for McAllen Economic Development Corporation.

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

MCALLEN, Texas - The chief construction engineer for the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority has welcomed McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos’ efforts to pull in more federal dollars for the Hidalgo County Loop.

Ramon Navarro spoke about the various segments of the project at a recent McAllen Economic Development Corporation board meeting. 

“First of all, we'd like to thank Mayor Villalobos for advocating for the project,” Navarro said. “As you know we're in charge of… we've been tasked with the Hidalgo County Loop.”

Navarro continued: “The loop projects consists of approximately $1.7 billion worth of roadwork and infrastructure. We're willing to receive any grants or federal money that can help accelerate this project. We will work hand in hand with him (Mayor Villalobos) to move forward on that construction.”

As first revealed in the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, Villalobos is in discussions with his counterparts in Pharr, Edinburg, and Mission to secure more federal dollars for the county loop project.

Editor's Note: Click here to read the full story in the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.

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

MCALLEN, Texas - The new president of South Texas College says he will be unveiling some “great projects” in the near future, primarily in the automotive and transportation sectors.

Ricardo Solis spoke at a recent McAllen Economic Development Corporation board meeting. He said he is excited to be working with MEDC to improve workforce training. He said his big focus right now is developing higher education programs in the health and technology arenas.

“It is a pleasure to be here. I look forward to being part of these economic efforts for the McAllen region,” Solis said, pointing out that he has known MEDC President and CEO Keith Patridge for man years.

“Keith Patridge and I go way back. Practically, about 30 years when I was doing economic development back in the lower Valley. And then I transitioned into the private sector, and then went into higher education,” Solis said.

Solis previously served as president of Laredo Community College. While there, Solis and Patridge worked together to develop the North American Advanced Manufacturing Research & Education Initiative (NAAMREI), which covered the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo.

“We truly believe that higher education is the key for communities to thrive. It is a pleasure to be part of it. There is no other place that I would rather be than in this part of the Valley and especially working with the MEDC for our workforce efforts,” Solis told the MEDC board of directors.

Transforming education

Solis said a lot of changes are happening at South Texas College.

“At STC we are going to continue transforming education, primarily focusing on health and technology programs. We are very excited. We have some great projects we are going to be announcing very soon, primarily in the automotive and transportation areas,” Solis said.

“But also, at the same time, the health, we are going to expanding even more programs, and expanding the capacity because we know there is huge demand, especially for the nursing areas. So, very excited that we are going to be engaging in these areas.”

Editor's Note: To read the full story, go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website.

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

MCALLEN, Texas – Three topics will be featured during an international trade webinar being hosted next Thursday by the McAllen Economic Development Corporation.

The topics are: an update on how USMCA is working, the impact of COVID-19 on cross-border commerce, and the agenda the Biden Administration might follow for international trade.

“This webinar is free. It is a service to our companies or our community,” said Keith Patridge, president and CEO of McAllen EDC.

Keynote speaker will be Jorge Torres, president of Interlink Trade Services, a customs brokerage based in McAllen, Pharr and Brownsville, Texas. 

“Jorge does an excellent job,” Patridge said. “I consider him to be a resident expert here in the Rio Grande Valley on the USMCA, on trade policy, and trade regulations, including the 301 tariffs that exist with China still.”

Torres has been a licensed customs broker for 25 years and has worked with maquiladoras and in customs brokerage operations for 30 years. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Texas A&M University and a Master of Professional Accounting from Texas A&M International University.

Torres was keynote speaker on a similar webinar McAllen EDC hosted last June. Then, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was just about to start.

“The feedback we got from our first webinar was excellent. Everyone felt like it was extremely helpful for them,” Patridge said.

“Jorge provides information that is really useful on a day to day basis for our companies. Because of that first one, the reaction we got, we wanted to do an update. Hopefully, those that tuned in last time will watch this one and we will get many more people to join us.”

Editor's Note: Click here to read the full story in The Rio Grande Guardian.

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

MCALLEN, Texas - Jorge Torres, president of Interlink Trade Services, gave his analysis of the new USMCA trade agreement recently, via a webinar hosted by the McAllen Economic Development Corporation.

Torres has been a licensed customs broker for 25 years and has worked with maquiladora and customs brokerage operations for 30 years.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement took effect July 1, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement. 

Topics covered by Torres during the webinar included:

• Key Aspects of the Transition from NAFTA to USMCA
• General Overview of the USMCA Rules of Origin for Automotive and Textile Products
• Certification of Origin Requirements
• General Overview of USMCA Origin Verifications and Record keeping.

More than 200 people signed up to watch the webinar. Keith Patridge, president and CEO of McAllen EDC, said his organization has been getting a plaudits for putting on the event.

Patridge said a counterpart in another economic development corporation in the Rio Grande Valley told him it was the best webinar on USMCA he has heard.

“Interlink and MEDC believe it is essential to help educate the members of our trade community and clients on the benefits of conducting business within our region under the new USMCA,” Patridge said. 

Interlink Trade Services has offices in McAllen/Pharr and Brownsville, Texas. Its founder Torres holds a Bachelor in Business Administration in Accounting from Texas A&M University and a Master of Professional Accounting from Texas A&M International University. 

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

MCALLEN, RGV - McAllen Economic Development Corporation and the Binational Council of Economic Development of Reynosa (COBIFER) recently took a potential Chinese investor on a tour of Mexican seaports. 

The two groups believe there are logistical advantages for companies to use Mexican ports when moving raw materials and goods between the United States and China. 

Joaquin Spamer, a Mexican businessman based in the Rio Grande Valley, sells U.S. cotton to Asia. He has dubbed the use of Mexican ports in the Pacific Ocean basin the “Third Coast” approach. Spamer, a member of the McAllen EDC board of directors, was on the recent trip. 

The tour included visits to the seaports of Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo, which are on the Pacific side of Mexico, and Altamira and Veracruz, which is on the Gulf of Mexico side. s Lazaro Cardenas is the largest Mexican seaport and one of the largest seaports in the Pacific Ocean basin, with an annual traffic capacity of around 25 million tonnes of cargo. Manzanillo handles Pacific Ocean cargo for the Mexico City area.

The tour also included visits to Mexico City, where almost 22 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product is produced, and Monterrey.

In addition to Spamer, MEDC was represented by Ralph Garcia, who handles business recruitment and expansion for MEDC in Reynosa. Representing COBIFER on the tour was its president, Luis Cantu.

On the tour they met with state government officials, economic development leader, investors, and port terminal chiefs.

The Mexican tour followed a recent visit to China by McAllen and State of Tamaulipas leaders. 

“We wanted to showcase the competitive advantages of the Third Coast option,” said Garcia.

The above podcast features an exclusive interview with Garcia about the Mexican tour.

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

MCALLEN, RGV - Thanks to certain provisions in USMCA, the successor trade agreement to NAFTA, U.S. suppliers to the big auto manufacturers will no longer be moving to Mexico or the U.S.-Mexico border region.

That is the prediction of Keith Patridge, president and CEO of McAllen Economic Development Corporation. 

However, also thanks to USMCA, Asian and European manufacturing firms will be attracted to the U.S,-Mexico border region, the MEDC chief believes.

Indeed, one Chinese manufacturer is close to making a decision on moving to McAllen-Reynosa, Patridge said, in an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian.

Patridge’s in-depth analysis of the changing patterns of international trade and the key provisions of USMCA for the manufacturing industry are featured in the above podcast. Go 4 minutes into the podcast to hear discussion on the ramifications of USMCA. Before that there are four minutes of discussion on the need for the Rio Grande Valley to develop a highly-skilled workforce. 

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

MCALLEN, RGV - McAllen Economic Development Corporation is taking a trade delegation back to China for the second time this year.

The group has never visited the world’s most populous country twice in one year before. McAllen EDC President Keith Patridge says this is an indication of just how much interest Chinese manufacturing firms have in opening plants on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“It is a combination of the tariffs, the provisions under USMCA, and the fact that China is no longer a low-cost operation,” Patridge told the Rio Grande Guardian, in an exclusive interview.

“Because of USMCA, because of the tariffs issue, because of the size of the market here, they (Chinese manufacturers) are saying, we need to be in North America. So, the question then is, where?”

The upcoming trip will take place Oct. 7-13. An MEDC delegation that included McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, visited Shanghai and Shenzhen July 13-22.

In his interview, Patridge said McAllen EDC’s connections to China have blossomed thanks to the work of a husband and wife team from that country. He did not wish to name the couple.

Editor's Note: Click on the link above to hear KEDT 90.3 FM's story previewing McAllen EDC's upcoming trip to China. KEDT is the NPR station for Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend area of Texas. KEDT has a tie-up with the Rio Grande Guardian.

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

MCALLEN, RGV - As we go to press, McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, members of McAllen Economic Development Corporation, and a representative from the state of Tamaulipas are in China.

They are there at the invitation of a major Chinese company. They were invited to speak to hundreds of Chinese companies in Shenzhen and Shanghai that are interested in investing on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, McAllen EDC President & CEO Keith Patridge said the interest from Chinese companies in investing in North America has been spurred in part by the new USMCA trade agreement. 

In the interview, Patridge also spoke about two new companies the MEDC has landed. These companies will be bringing almost 1,000 jobs to McAllen.

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