EXCLUSIVE: Harlingen is close to landing a major manufacturing company from Europe

HARLINGEN, Texas – Harlingen Economic Development Corporation is close to landing a major manufacturing firm from Europe, the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service has learned.

Video journalist Daniela Capistran sat down for an in-depth interview with Harlingen EDC CEO Orlando Campos to coincide with his second anniversary there. During the course of the interview, Campos spoke about the conversations he was having with a manufacturing company from Switzerland.

Campos said the lead came via the Governor’s economic development office. He said he was not in a position to name the company at this stage because a non-disclosure agreement had been signed.

During the interview, Campos said that when it comes to recruiting new business, the “low hanging fruit” is often to be found in Mexico. This explains why he attended a big trade event in Monterrey with Cameron County and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation. He said the event was highly successful and that he enjoyed collaborating with Cameron County’s economic development office and GBIC.

“One of the prospects that we’re working with is an overseas company, not from Mexico, but from a European country,” Campos said.

“The company is based in Switzerland. It’s a new type of industry. We do have a non-disclosure agreement executed with the company, so obviously I can’t go into too much detail or discuss the product that they manufacture.

“But I will say that it’s a new industry, a fairly large capital investment and good amount of new jobs that would come to Harlingen. They have identified Harlingen as the only city in the state of Texas that they’re looking at, but obviously we’re competing with other communities in other parts of the country as well.

“So, we’re rolling out the red carpet, doing everything we can to convince them to come to our community. And so we’re also working very closely with the governor’s office for economic development to help close the deal and bring the company here to the community.”

Asked what kinds of jobs the company would bring, Campos said:

“They would bring in over 600 manufacturing jobs. I can’t be specific, once again because of the NDA that we have executed. But, they would be good paying jobs for the community.”

During the in-depth interview, Campos also spoke about the state of the Harlingen economy and the EDC’s work in producing a more talented workforce pipeline. He said he would be attending a big international trade conference in Mexico City this week that is being hosted by the Texas Lyceum.

Here is the interview Orlando Campos gave the Guardian’s Daniela Capistran:

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