COSTEP: Roma’s new industrial park is awesome

ROMA, TEXAS – Adam Gonzalez, CEO of the COSTEP, the Rio Grande Valley’s regional economic development organization, has praised everyone involved in developing Las Americas Roma Logistics and Industrial Park.

Gonzalez attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a secondary Customs and Border Protection inspection station at the new park on June 18.

Gonzalez said the state-of-the-art 30,000 square-foot facility will ensure efficient cargo examinations offering dry and cold inspections, unified cargo processing, and USDA inspections. 

 The inspection station will foster the development of warehouses, manufacturing plants and other businesses related to the import/export industry.

“This is awesome. The inspection station will foster the development of warehouses, manufacturing plants and other businesses related to the import and export industry,” Gonzalez said of the park. “It creates a lot of energy and a lot of synergies for us to be able to attract new industry to the region.”

COSTEP stands for the Council for South Texas Economic Progress.

“Roma has always had a bridge but now I think this is going to augment the opportunity for industry attraction. The wait times here are not as bad as other bridges. This is exciting for us. I think all the people that have worked on this deserve praise, the bridge owner, the county judge, the mayor, the city commission, US customs. We are glad to be part of it.”

Interviewed after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Roma Mayor Jaime Escobar, Jr., said: “This is a community I have loved wholeheartedly. I have grown up here so this is a dream come true. It is a game changer for Roma and the region. It is a catalyst for economic development. So, I am very proud of all the work that has been done in Roma.”

Roma is the nearest U.S. city to Monterrey as the crow flies.

“We are finally going to take advantage of that. We have not been able to capitalize and monetize that in the past. But now we are positioned – thanks to all the nearshoring – to do extraordinary things, especially in terms of economic development. The city commissioners, the EDCs, Mr. Andres Guerra (the port director), I am so very grateful for all the team work.”

In his remarks Congressman Henry Cuellar said:

“Thank you for joining us today. I am honored to join you for the grand opening of CBP’s Secondary Examination Station. The station inspects refrigerated produce crossing the border and will ease congestion at the port.”

Cuellar pointed out that the new 30,000 square-foot facility includes 12 cold bays, 11 dry bays, and overflow parking.

“This is a privately funded facility, leased by the City of Roma and operated by CBP. CBP has transferred their cargo operations to the station, where they will continue to offer Unified Cargo processing for all imports.” 

Cuellar said the facility has an ANAM official from Mexico and a CBP officer working side by side, so commercial trucks only need to make one stop at the border for processing and inspection. “This is really important for the produce industry because it will make sure the cold chain isn’t broken.”

Cuellar said the city has also partnered with the Texas Cooperative Inspection Program, so it can assign a USDA inspector and offer an improved and smooth inspection process.  “The improved facilities and connections will be crucial in handling the growing demand and helping the economy to grow.”

In 2023, the Roma Port of Entry saw 36,000 total commercial crossings. In 2024, Cuellar said, the port is on pace to surpass 50,000. “The port has also seen the value of trade grow from $59.3 million in 2018, to $645.7 million in 2022.”

So far, the secondary examination station has improved waiting times in Roma from 35 minutes to less than 30 minutes on average, Cuellar explained.

“The Roma Port of Entry is the closest and most assessable port of entry from the Monterrey area and provides easy access to the rest of the country via Highway 83, Highway 16, and nearby Highways 35, 281, and 755. This secondary examination station is crucial to supporting the port and encouraging growth. Together, in less than a year, we have developed an industrial park and the secondary examination station to serve the industry, create jobs and alleviate the congestion of commercial traffic at the southern border.”

Cuellar said that in last year’s appropriations bill, he secured $1 million in federal funding for the second phase of the Las Americas Roma Logistical and Industrial Park, which will further develop the park.

The funding will be used for improving the the 328-acre park’s infrastructure, including:

• Street development 
• Drainage
• Lighting
• Water and wastewater systems
• Gas lines
• Electricity
• And telecommunications

“These upgrades are really important to make sure the park can handle the demand for warehousing, cold storage, and light manufacturing. And the thing is, these industries are seeing a big surge in demand because of the increases in commercial traffic over at the Roma Port of Entry. The $1 million in federal funding I secured, along with the investments by the city, state and private industry, will make sure the part has the capacity to support this growing need,” Cuellar said.

Among those to speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, in addition to Escobar and Cuellar, were state Rep. Ryan Guillen, and Ana Garcia, South Texas district director for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Here is an audio recording of all the speeches made at the ribbon-cutting ceremony:

The post COSTEP: Roma’s new industrial park is awesome appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.