Key Reynosa business group endorses RioPlex marketing initiative

REYNOSA, Tamaulipas – The president of COBIFER says he was thrilled by the response of his members to the rollout of a new branding initiative for northern Tamaulipas and the Rio Grande Valley.

The initiative, called RioPlex, was created by the CEO Group and adopted by Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force. It has quickly won the support of the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.

COBIFER stands for Consejo Binacional de Fomento Económico de Reynosa. It comprises business and chamber leaders in Reynosa, along with representatives from universities and some government agencies.

COBIFER’s president is Luis Cantu.

At a meeting held at the headquarters of Grupo Rio San Juan, Cantu invited Mario Reyna, point person for the Prosperity Task Force, Adam Gonzalez, CEO of COSTEP, and Sergio Gracia, publisher of Mexico Industry, to make the case for RioPlex. Reyna gave an overview, Gracia presented a pdf showing the assets the RioPlex region has, and Gonzalez explained why COSTEP backed the branding initiative.

Over 30 members of COBIFER attended the meeting. The Q&A at the end lasted almost two hours as members of the group asked numerous questions of the visitors.

“We held this meeting to basically trademark this region under the RioPlex brand,” Cantu said. “We were hoping our members would acknowledge they are part of the project so we can go out and sell it. And they did, enthusiastically.”

Cantu said the reality is that northern Tamaulipas and the RGV are one region. 

“We have a unique location, a unique infrastructure. It is just that we never figured out how to put it all together. Now, through RioPlex, we have the tool we need to go out and sell it the proper way.”

Asked about the questions that were asked by members, Cantu said:

“We just got a really great response, with everyone saying we’re more than happy to be part of this. I’m really happy with the outcome of the meeting because everyone seemed to like the project, and everyone wants to join.”

Cantu continued: “Our members were pleased with everything they were hearing. But obviously, some had questions. Like, how do I become part of this? How do I advertise this? What are the restrictions for me to advertise? How do we make it grow? So, I think most of the questions were really positive because it was kind of like, they already felt the warmth. It was more like, how do I become part of this.”

Asked if an initiative like RioPlex has been tried before, Cantu said:

“I think there have been a lot of times when people have tried to do this. But this is the first time that it’s actually happening. I’ve been to many meetings where everyone says, this is what we should be doing. But because a lot of hard work has been put in already, a lot of time, energy and money, this time it is going to work, I am sure. This is the first time that I’m actually seeing it happen.”

Asked if he thinks Reynosa will see a lot of inward investment as a result of RioPlex, Cantu said: “We’re definitely going to expect positive results because, first of all, the first thing that we want to do is to put this region on everyone’s map. I mean we all know where we are because we’re from here. But every time I go to other countries, if I go to China, if I go to Korea, the hosts say, I love what you’re saying, I love what I’m seeing in your presentation, but where are you from?

“So, I’m expecting to see positive results, because now we are going to put this region on everyone’s map.”

Asked what the unique aspects of the region are, Cantu said: “Well, this is a region that has this many hundreds of industrial parks. We have many airports, we have interconnectivity, railroads, highways and everything. We have a young workforce, a population of three million people, we have good universities on both sides of the border. We have so much going for us.”

Asked for a wrap-up remark, Cantu said: “It was a very positive meeting. I am really happy for that. We all need to know that we’re part of this region. And we will need to support this region because it’s for the benefit of all of us. If we make this work the way we think it’s going to work, it’s going to benefit the whole region. And it’s going to benefit our quality of life.”

Reyna’s perspective

---

Reyna, the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force leader, was also thrilled to be part of such a positive meeting.

Asked how it went, Reyna said: “Today we had this very important meeting with Cobifer and my impression of this group of business individuals is that they are very favorable towards using RioPlex.

“They want to get the marketing information as quickly as possible so they can put it in their hospitals and their restaurants and all kinds of industries that they have here in Reynosa. So, as quickly as we can, we will give them the right marketing materials so they can start using it.”

Reyna added: “To me, they’re more than ready. They said this initiative was long overdue. So, I want to thank Joaquin Spammer for being the leader of the CEO Group and taking this initiative to this point. He’s going to continue to go forward and we’re going to support him all the way.”

Later, Reyna approached the Rio Grande Guardian with more feedback.

“Just a few minutes ago, I received a message from one of the most important group members from the CEO group telling me what it is to be greater. So, this is what we’re trying to do. The people in this meeting have the perfect attitude. They’re hungry to be greater, and they want to be part of a process that’s going to take them to the greatness we all want.”

Reyna added: “We had 30-plus individuals in this room, and they were paying attention to the nth degree. They wanted to hear and understand every word that was said. And then, in the question-and-answer session, they were repeating what we said. So, to me, it tells me that they are more than ready to be part of RioPlex.”

The post Key Reynosa business group endorses RioPlex marketing initiative appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.