Cortez: Mexican empresarios, Valley business leaders, will meet to discuss how best to market the region

EDINBURG, Texas – The CEO group, an offshoot of the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force, is to meet soon to discuss how to better market the region. 

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, who set up both entities, says he expects over 50 empresarios, business leaders, bankers, mayors and economic development officials to attend. 

“We are going to be meeting with a group of empresarios, a lot of people from Mexico and the United States business community. We are going to be discussing how we can market our area better,” Cortez said.

“We need to have name identification. When you are going to market a region you need everyone to know who you are and where you are. You need name  recognition. So we’re going to be talking about that and, hopefully, creating a more aggressive economic development effort.”

Asked what the name of the region might be, Cortez said that will be up the empresarios. 

“I met with the Travis Bush, the new head football coach for UTRGV. He said we are a metro are. So, maybe our name should be the RGV Mega Metro. I think that would give an indication of the size that we are.”

Mario Reyna, the former dean of business at South Texas College, manages day-to-day operations for the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force.

Reyna said he has been liaising with CEO group leader Joaquin Spamer to plan the meeting with the empresarios. 

“Joaquin is instrumental in what we need to do. He has been pushing for One Region, One Voice and knows all the empresarios. These guys are the money behind the ideas. Our economic development leaders pay attention to these guys.”

Reyna said Spamer has invited Arturo Gomez, deputy port director and director of operations at the Port of Brownsville, to the meeting. Other than this the meeting will largely comprise folks from Hidalgo County and Mexico, Reyna explained.

Among those expected to attend are Carlos Canales of Transcasa, Art Ortega of Freedom Bank, Brent Baldree of Texas Regional Bank, Jim Collins of Rioco Partners, Rene Alcala of Killam Development, Andres Zuniga of Zuko, William Millan of Dekal Industrial, Daniel Silva of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, Bob Norman of Plains Capital Bank, David Deanda of Lone Star National Bank, Adam Gonzalez of COSTEP, Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza, and Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza.

As for the name the region should be marketed as, Reyna said: “We are going to give the empresarios, the business folks, a number of options and tell them, choose one.”

Reyna added: “It’s going to be a very, very important meeting. From here, after this meeting, the Prosperity Task Force is going to kick in a different set of activities.”

The post Cortez: Mexican empresarios, Valley business leaders, will meet to discuss how best to market the region appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.