COSTEP, Port of Brownsville, welcome Westa Foods

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BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Council for South Texas Economic Progress has landed its first deal since shifting its focus to economic development recruitment.

As first reported in the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, COSTEP has brought Turkey-based West Foods to the Port of Brownsville.

Westa Foods is a leading wholesaler in the food industry, specializing in high-quality food products and agricultural commodities. It has operations in the United States, Canada, and European countries such as Turkey and Ukraine. The company is to build a $25 million, state-of-the-art flour mill in the Port of Brownsville’s highly anticipated new 118-acre industrial park.

Executives from Westa Foods joined Brownsville Navigation and COSTEP leaders for a groundbreaking ceremony for the project.

“COSTEP is excited to welcome Westa Foods to the region as it’s a win-win, as they say, for everyone involved. The facility will be a good job creator for the area and creates the potential for further similar investments in the future,” said Rick Carrera, COSTEP’s director of economic development.

“The addition of Westa Foods as the first tenant for the Port of Brownsville Industrial Park is excellent for the entire region.”

Carrera, who coordinated efforts to find the company a suitable site, added: “Not only does it demonstrate the Port’s and the region’s capacity to easily support a variety of industries it exemplifies the region’s locational and logistical advantages as those factors were a big selling point for the project.”

In 2019, COSTEP decided to support economic development via business recruitment and foreign direct investment for the region of Rio South Texas. This region includes North Tamaulipas, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley.

Adam Gonzalez, COSTEP’s chief executive officer, said these efforts are now beginning to bear fruit with the landing of the Westa Foods project. He said the project showcases that COSTEP’s approach to regional economic development works. He said the approach is regional in scope, data-driven, and focused on business recruitment and industry-focused workforce pipeline development.

“COSTEP’s economic development initiatives have been crafted to complement and support, not compete, with local economic development organizations,” Gonzalez said. “The purpose of COSTEP is to bring together business and stakeholders and advance business prosperity and the economic success of the region and its citizens.”

Gonzalez said the West Foods project could not have reached the finish line without the support and collaboration of regional stakeholders. He thanked the Port of Brownsville, its commissioners on the Brownsville Navigation District, interim port director William Deitrich, and all staff.

Gonzalez said the landing of Westa Foods is only the beginning of COSTEP’s efforts in business recruitment. He thanked the nonprofit’s sponsors, AEP Texas, Texas Regional Bank, CIL (Commodities Integrated Logistics), Titan Fuel, SAMES Engineering, Mexico Industry, Port of Brownsville, Frost Bank, and IBC.

Site Selectors Guild 2024 Annual Conference

In other COSTEP news, Rick Carrera, the group’s director of economic development, recently attend the Site Selectors Guild 2024 Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Carrera said that each year the Site Selectors Guild holds its marquee annual conference with all its global guild members in attendance. The focus of the conference, he said, is to share knowledge, exchange of ideas, and network with guild members, economic developers, and investment promotion professionals from around the world.

Carrera said the event provides the perfect opportunity to connect with the site selector community in order to promote the region and create working relationships that can result in tangible industrial projects and primary jobs.

“COSTEP is continuing to make strides, inroads, and establish relationships with the site selector community. It was a pleasure to interact with site selectors, fellow economic developers, and other industry professionals,” Carrera said.

Carrera said COSTEP’s efforts to promote the Rio South Texas region were amplified at the event through a collaboration with Team Texas which included the Texas Economic Development Corporation, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, and Greater Brownsville. He said these entities provided a solid presence for the region at the event.

Business Facilities LiveXchange

Carrera said he also attended Business Facilities LiveXchange in Virginia this past March as part of COSTEP’s efforts to promote the Rio South Texas Region. The event is two-and-a-half days and focused on gathering business owners, real estate professionals, corporate site selectors, and consultants. It is hosted by Business Facilities magazine, published by Group C Media.

Business Facilities is a leading full-service media brand specializing in the site selection marketplace. Through a bi-monthly magazine, e-mail newsletters, a news portal, and its LiveXchange event, Business Facilities has created a dynamic community for C-level executives and economic development organizations.

Carrera pointed out that tttendees to LiveXchange are by invitation only. Invited attendees must prove to have relocation or expansion projects in the works. In exchange, the event provides attendees with the opportunity to find out about incentives and benefits that various states, cities, and utilities are offering to relocating or expanding companies during in-depth one-on-one meetings.

“COSTEP’s goal is to create awareness of the Rio South Texas Region among key decision-makers. The Business Facilities LiveXChange event accomplishes that goal in an extremely efficient manner,” Carrera said.

“Meeting and working with more than two dozen site selection professionals during the event provided exposure in a matter of days that often would require months if not longer. The site selectors present are involved with a variety of industries including automotive, medical device, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing.”

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