Campos: Harlingen plans to reignite its relationships in Mexico

HARLINGEN, Texas – The City of Harlingen has to reignite its relationships in Mexico and in particular those in Matamoros.

That is the message from Harlingen Economic Development Corporation CEO Orlando Campos.

Campos and his EDC team recently accepted an invitation to meet with Index, the maquiladora industry trade association, in Matamoros. Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda joined the delegation. Campos said the visit was very productive.

“One of the strategies our city commission as well as our board of directors had for me when I came on board was obviously reconnecting and redeveloping the relationship with our sister cities right across the border,” Campos told Ron Whitlock Reports. “So, over the last few months, we had been in contact with them, working with them.”

Campos said the visit to Matamoros included a meeting with the secretary for economic development for Tamaulipas, Ninfa Cantú Deandár, the national president of Index, Humberto Martínez Cantú, and Matamoros Mayor Mario López Hernández.

“So, this was a great opportunity to meet with some of our key partners across the border and re-establish relationships with them. Our mayor, Norma Sepulveda was given an opportunity to address the (Index) membership. And so we felt that it was very, very successful, and the start of reigniting the relationship that Harlingen once had with the city of Matamoros.”

Campos continued: 

“Following the Index Matamoros meeting, the Harlingen delegation participated in a quick tour of the Las Ventanas Industrial Park, which is located on the west side of the community and is the industrial park park closest to Los Indios Bridge. So we met with the developers and also got a quick tour of the park. It was very, very impressive to see and to learn about the companies that have established manufacturing facilities at that park.”

“So, overall, we felt that it was a great visit, and it is definitely the start of something great between Harlingen and our communities to the south in Mexico.”

Asked why it is important for Harlingen to reconnect with Mexico, Campos said:

“Well, we are located in a binational region. And so a rising tide raises all ships. So if our Mexican cities are successful, we’re successful here in Harlingen as well. A lot of the manufacturing facilities that maintain operations here in Harlingen are suppliers to a lot of the maquiladoras on the Mexican side. So as they continue to grow and expand their operations on the Mexican side, so will the companies here in Harlingen.

“In addition to that, we also have quite a bit of space for expansion. So anything that we can do to support the maquiladoras’ efforts to attract suppliers, we are there to work with them. If they don’t establish on the Mexican side, hopefully we can track them here toHarlingen so that they can be closer to them.”

Campos has led Harlingen EDC for just seven months. Before this he worked in economic development in the Dallas region. He started his career helping the economic development efforts of Brownsville.

Editor’s Note: Here is the interview Orlando Campos gave Ron Whitlock Reports:

RGVP 2024 Leadership Class event

Campos recently spoke at a Rio Grande Valley Partnership 2024 Leadership Class event at the Center for Education and Economic Development in Mission. Campos was on a panel that included economic development corporation leaders from seven Valley cities.  Campos followed Keith Patridge, president of McAllen EDC, who had spoken about bringing Indian tech company Zoho to the Valley.

“I think statewide, what’s known as the Texas Triangle often gets a lot of attention. But I think what we’re seeing now is that those areas are starting to get saturated. And now more companies are expanding, they are stretching and coming down to the Valley. That is what I have observed in the last few months that I’ve been here,” Campos told the leadership class.

“When I was up in the Dallas area, most of the projects that I worked on were from California and New York. So these were high tech companies that were looking at relocating and taking advantage of the labor ecosystems that existed there. But, much like Zoho, these companies are starting to look beyond the Texas Triangle. 

“It’s important for the Valley to continue moving forward, especially in the education sector, to start developing the labor and staff that companies need. In the past, economic development was a lot about location whereas now economic development is more about…  especially in the high tech sector… where can I find the employees that I need for my company.”

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