Port of Brownsville has first tenant for new industrial park – a $25 million-dollar state-of-the-art flour mill

MISSION, Texas – A $25 million-dollar state-of-the-art flour mill will be the first tenant at the Port of Brownsville’s highly anticipated new 118-acre industrial park, port and economic development leaders have confirmed.

Westa is a leading wholesaler in the food industry, specializing in high-quality food products and agricultural commodities. It has operations in the United States, Canada, and European countries such as Turkey and Ukraine.

Westa has been lured to the Rio Grande Valley by the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP).

“Our 118-acre industrial park should be finished by July or August. But there’s great news on that front. We’ve already got one tenant that’s getting ready to sign up. We’re in negotiations right now. We’re looking about 160 jobs,” said William Dietrich, interim port director, and CEO for Brownsville Navigation District (BND), proudly.

“It’s going to be a flour mill. The company is going to take advantage of the maritime component that we have there.”

Dietrich made his comments in an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service at a recent economic development and marketing meeting in Mission. 

He said that of the 118 acres given over for the industrial park, 113 acres are usable for light industrial complexes.

“There’s a lot going on at the port right now, but it is a good problem to have,” said Dietrich said.

“But, nevertheless, it is our responsibility to make sure that we’re getting the right companies in. And what we mean by that is, are they going to provide the high paying jobs, are they going to provide the opportunities for the community that we desire and that we deserve?”

Dietrich continued: “We understand our value and our value is very high. And so when a company comes in, we’ve already got our ducks in a row. We make sure that we get what we need for the region and good work for the people in the community.”

Dietrich said he has another big project he and his team are working on for the industrial park. However, he could not reveal any more details at this time. “There’s a lot of interest and we’re hoping to have the park filled within the next year.”

That is so incredibly ambitious, Dietrich was asked to repeat that. After all, the industrial park is not even open yet. Dietrich said: “I’m very optimistic and I’m trying to get it completely filled within a year. If I was to take an educated guess, right now, I would say the park would be filled in two to three years. But I want to do it in a year.”

And then BND would need to build another industrial park? Yes, responded Dietrich.

COSTEP CEO Adam Gonzalez also spoke about the flour mill project at the economic development and marketing meeting in Mission. He confirmed it was one of two big manufacturing companies COSTEP had targeted in an exclusive interview with the Guardian last November.

Asked about the two projects, Gonzalez said: “As a matter of fact, one of the projects is actually going to be presented to the Port board today, for the authority to negotiate. So, hopefully, within the next month and a half or so, they will be signing a contract, and we’ll start breaking ground, inside the new industrial park. It’s exciting.

Asked if he was talking about the state-of-the-art flour mill project, Gonzalez answered affirmatively.

“It is on the agenda for today’s meeting. As a matter of fact, from here I’m traveling to meet with Mr. Zaur Kafkas, CEO of Westa Foods.”

Asked what the size of Westa’s investment is, Gonzalez said: “The initial investment is $25 million with perhaps another $25 million after they get this one up and running.”

Asked how the connection with Westa came about, Gonzalez said: “It was an opportunity that came through our many efforts of marketing the region, advertising on our website, visits that we make, both domestically and international.”

Gonzalez continued: “What I’m hearing about and what I’m learning about more and more is the opportunities to do business with companies from Turkey. This is where Westa is coming from.” 

The other big manufacturing project COSTEP is working on will take a little bit longer to reel in, Gonzalez acknowledged. 

“That one is going to be a longer-term project. It is a half a billion to $2 billion investment, with 3,000 jobs. Those take a little bit longer to land. But I can’t talk too much about it just yet. But we’re continuing with what we call the courtship phase and having conversations. We look forward to bringing them in as well.”

COSTEP looks after Laredo as well as the Rio Grande Valley. Gonzalez said the key to the Valley and Laredo landing big projects like Westa is getting the CEOs and decision-makers to visit the region.

“Once we get them down here and we invite them and we host them here, the region sells itself. Once they see what we have, they see the warmth of the people and the weather, that we have all the amenities, that we have all the assets, once they see all this, the Valley and Laredo sell themselves,” Gonzalez said.

“So, all we need to do is market it, bring them down to see what we have to offer, and they will invest.”

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