Perez: Pharr is about to land a 700,000 square foot warehouse, the largest in the region

PHARR, Texas – The biggest warehouse in the region – covering 700,000 square feet – will soon be announced in south Pharr, says Victor Perez, president of Pharr Economic Development Corporation.

Perez broke the news in an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service following a meeting with visiting site selectors. 

“This is going to be great year for us. We have some retail and commercial, some restaurants coming hopefully this year. We have a couple of projects that we’ve been talking about, a million square feet facilities,” Perez said.

“We have a 700,000 square feet facility that is going to be the biggest warehouse in the region. One warehouse, 700,000. We already signed the contract. I think we’re very close to announcing who it is and once we do that, we will proceed with some ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings and so forth.”

The site selector event was co-sponsored by Pharr EDC and the Council for South Texas Economic Progress. It was held at the Forum by Regency in Pharr.

In a video presentation to the site selectors, Perez chose to highlight the quality of life on offer in Pharr, rather than a video of the city’s industrial parks and international bridge. Perez said he did this because the site selectors were going to visit the bridge and the Pharr Produce Park later in the day.

“When you bring investors and they bring their families they want to know about education, they want to know about the quality on offer,” Perez said. “We have several parks, we have a natatorium, we have an aquarium, a golf course. We have a lot of things to offer to these business people.”

When he focused on education, Perez cited UT-Rio Grande Valley’s nursing program in Pharr.

The Guardian also asked Perez about a visit to the Pharr the previous week by COMCE Zacatecas. COMCE is a private sector group dedicated to the promotion of foreign trade, foreign investment, and technology. The visit comprised a trade mission and export seminar with a particular focus on agribusiness.

“COMCE Zacatecas brought 30 representatives. They were from all over, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Puebla, Monterrey, Querétaro, Michoacán. It was a great visit. They did a lot of touring and had a lot of questions,” Perez said.

“They got to see our produce park. They met some of our business partners. We had the international bridge do a presentation about the bridge and the expansion of the bridge that is coming. They were really glad to know that everything is growing in Pharr and the region.

“Since they left, I have had about three or four commitments already, of them wanting to come and invest in Pharr. So, it was great.”

Editor’s Note: Here is a video recording of the Guardian’s interview with Victor Perez and the site selector event:

Collaborating with the Pharr Bridge Board

The Guardian also asked Perez about the increased collaboration now taking place between Pharr EDC and the Pharr Bridge Board. This was evident with both the COMCE Zacatecas visit and the recent Viva Fresh conference in Houston.

“This collaboration is an initiative that the mayor and the Pharr City Council and our city manager came up with, that we need to work together. I think we have (over the years) been going to the same places but separately. And so, we decided to collaborate,” Perez said.

“To me, it’s an added value. So, when you get the bridge, you’re going to get the EDC. When you get the EDC, you’re going to get the bridge. It’s a great initiative and we’re glad to be doing this. I think we’re going to be more powerful than doing it on our own.”

Editor’s Note: Here is a video the City of Pharr produced about Viva Fresh:

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