Demerson: Texas Economic Development Corporation’s statewide stakeholder meetings bring great value

4 hours ago 14

MISSION, Texas – Aaron Demerson, president and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation, has spoken about the key stakeholder meetings his group convenes in Austin, including one that discussed the future use of artificial intelligence in Texas.

Demerson gave the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service an exclusive video interview when he met with the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) at the CEED building in Mission. He said Adam Gonzalez, COSTEP’s CEO, often attends TEDC’s stakeholder meetings.

Asked about the stakeholder meetings, Demerson said: “There’s a lot of energy going on here in Texas. Adam joined us for one event back in October. Right before that, we had an event that we called our Investor Summit. That was an opportunity for us to bring together not only our investors, but potential folks that belong to the organization or that want to become a part of the organization,” Demerson said.

“We talked about the future of artificial intelligence in Texas, the future of the Texas CHIP Act and semiconductors in Texas. We had (economist) Ray Perryman come out and talk about the “The Future is Texas. “ We followed that up with the Gvernor’s luncheon and reunion, where the Governor and the First Lady were actually there. They were doing that to really convene individuals that we’ve got coming to this (upcoming) legislative session. So that Texas is on board, on point, and in a position to make a difference.”

Attendees also heard from Adriana Cruz, executive director of the Office of the Governor’s Texas Economic Development and Tourism team.

Asked what TEDC is all about, Demerson said: “The Texas Economic Development Corporation is an organization that’s been around for quite some time, we have a ten-member board of directors. The governor appoints those board members, and so our mission is really to assist with the marketing efforts of Texas, both domestically and internationally, to make sure that we’re in a position to showcase the best that Texas has to offer. When we’re talking about Texas, it’s not automatic that companies will be here in our state. They can go to California, New York, these other states. And so, we want to make sure that they know what we’re doing here in Texas, so that they not only come here, but they stay here as well.”

During his visit to the CEED building, Demerson picked up a $100,000 check from COSTEP.

Editor’s Note: Here is a video recording of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service’s interview with Demerson: