Peña-Valdés: We need to make the AEM-COMCE tour of the RGV a regular event

PHARR, Texas – Bringing 45-plus business owners from the southern part of Mexico to the Rio Grande Valley to network and expand trading opportunities was such a success it should be replicated annually.

This is the view of Francisco J. Peña-Valdés, a partner in the law firm of Cacheaux Cavazos & Newton, secretary of Asociacion de Empresarios Mexicanos (AEM) and chair of the McAllen chapter of AEM.

Peña-Valdés organized the recently concluded trip in conjunction with Josefina Lombard, director of COMCE Sur. COMCE is a private sector organization in Mexico dedicated to the promotion of foreign trade, foreign investment and technological development.

The business owners on the trip came from the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Jalisco. They watched numerous presentations and a few panel discussions at the McAllen Convention Center, the Pharr One Center, the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization in Brownsville, and the Port of Brownsville.

The Rio Grande Guardian secured an interview with Peña-Valdés on the Pharr leg of the visit. That was less than halfway into the tour, but the seeds were already being sown for similar trips in the future.

“We’re already planning the next endeavor. So, stay close,” Peña-Valdés told the Guardian. “McAllen says, let’s do it again. With Pharr, I’ve already been talking to Lil and Victor, and they are asking, when are we doing the next one?”

The “Lil” Peña-Valdés referred to was Lilvette Santos, director of economic business development for Pharr Economic Development Corporation. The “Victor” Peña-Valdés referred to was Victor Perez, president and CEO of Pharr EDC.

Members of COMCE Sur and AEM. Francisco J. Peña-Valdés is pictured center. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Peña-Valdés said AEM and COMCE Sur had been planning the trip since May. The hardest part, he said, was finding a time when all the key leaders from UT-Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, Pharr, and Brownsville would be available.

Looking ahead, Peña-Valdés said: “We need to plan this, and we need to institutionalize this. We need to make it happen on a regular basis, not kind of like an isolated thing. That’s because, if you do an isolated thing, what is going to happen is it is going to die out. The momentum will die out. And once the momentum is dead, is going to take an arm and a leg to revive it and bring it back.”

Peña-Valdés said such visits are based on trust. “Everything is about trust. They (the cities in the RGV) trust us. We (COMCE Sur and AEM) can trust them. We can make business.”

Asked if the next trip will involve bringing business owners from a different region of Mexico, Peña-Valdés said:

“Well, could be a different part of Mexico. I’m talking to Andres Franco. Andres Franco is the director for COMCE Noreste. He’s interested in this kind of event. So, we will see if COMCE Noreste will come in the same numbers as this one.”

Members of COMCE Sur and AEM are pictured at the McAllen Convention Center. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

On the McAllen leg of the tour, the Mexican delegation heard from McAllen City Commissioner Omar Quintanilla, McAllen Assistant City Manager Joe Vera, McAllen Chamber of Commerce President Elizabeth Suarez, McAllen Chamber Vice President Jorge Sanchez, McAllen Retail & Business Development Director Rebecca Olaguibel, McAllen Airport Director Jeremy Santoscoy, McAllen Economic Development Corporation Vice President Susie Flores, and McAllen Director of International Relations Daniella Plata.

On the Pharr leg of the tour, the Mexican delegation heard from Perez, the Pharr EDC president and CEO, Santos, the Pharr EDC economic business development director, Pharr EDC Property Development Manager Janie Cavazos, Pharr EDC Economic Development Manager Karina Lopez, Pharr City Assistant Manager David Friedlein, Pharr Bridge Director Luis Bazan, and Pharr Chamber of Commerce President Carlos Sanchez. There was also a panel discussion on real estate in the Pharr market with Peña-Valdés, attorney Patricio Belden, and real estate agent Huicar Peña.

After the presentations and panel discussion at the Pharr One Center had ended, the Mexican delegation was given a tour of the new Pharr Global Business Hub. The delegation then had dinner at Top Golf in Pharr.

Members of COMCE Sur and AEM are pictured at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization in Brownsville. (Photo: Ron Whitlock/Ron Whitlock Reports)

On the Brownsville leg of the tour, the Mexican delegation heard from Linda Ufland Romo, director of entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization at UTRGV, Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation CEO Cori Peña, Mexico’s Consul in Brownsville, Judith Arrieta Mungia, and Brownsville Mayor Pro Tem Linda Macias.

There were also three panel discussions at the eBridge Center. One focused on economic development opportunities and featured Rick Carrera of COSTEP, Cameron County Economic Development Director Ramiro Aleman, and Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation Deputy Executive Director Jerry Briones. Another focused on soft landing opportunities at the eBridge Center and featured Peña-Valdés, Ufland Romo, David Ortiz, director of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center. The third panel discussion focused on immigration and featured Peña-Valdés, Ufland Romo, Joel Fernandez of Burton, McCumber & Longoria, Adrian Gonzalez, president of Global Alliance Solutions, and immigration lawyer Matthew Myers.

At the Port of Brownsville, the Mexican delegation heard from Port Sales Manager Guillermo Rico-Leal.

Francisco J. Peña-Valdés. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Editor’s Note: The above news story is the first in four-part series on the AEM-COMCE Sur tour.

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