Reyna: RioPlex – Gateway to the Future

Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez established The Prosperity Task Force four years ago to address the urgent need to improve human capital.  

The troubling statistics in our region with a 27% poverty rate compared to a state average of 13.7% in Texas, 68.8% of our population 25 and over with a high school education compared to 85.2% in Texas, and  20.1% with a bachelor’s degree compared to 32.% in Texas, presented challenges in our community that needed a collective effort to change the trajectory of the region to a better place where most if not all, our citizens can look forward to a better quality of life.  

The task force, with over 160 community and business leaders, is committed to developing human capital to uplift our society and ensure everyone can have a better quality of life.

The Prosperity Task Force comprises 15 groups actively seeking innovative strategies to advance human capital development. Among these, the CEO Group is a standout, featuring over 60 influential CEOs from our region who are firmly committed to investing in our community and driving its success. A significant initiative spearheaded by this group is the establishment of RioPlex, which will significantly contribute to our region’s growth.

Selecting the name RioPlex is quite a story. To summarize, a talented group of marketing professionals from South Texas College, the Region One Education Service Center, Hidalgo County, and various private entities collaborated for many hours to research the region and choose an appropriate name. After generating a list of around 50 names, they narrowed it down to three finalists, ultimately deciding on RioPlex by, the CEO Group.

RioPlex is an organization dedicated to promoting our region to the world. It encompasses all communities in the Rio Grande Valley and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. With its rich historical connections, promoting this region as a cohesive unit makes perfect sense.

Location, location, location is what any real estate broker would say is needed to sell a piece of property.  RioPlex, however, has a unique commercial attraction that no border community has anywhere on the U.S. and Mexican border. This region has one spaceport, three seaports, one international railroad crossing, seven airports, and 13 bridges. What part of the country has these assets? No one! So, this region is not just ripe but bursting with potential for industrial development, offering a hopeful future for those who invest in it.

With these assets at its disposal, RioPlex will act as a communication hub where all the stakeholders will see what each other is doing and select trade missions that fit their interests. RioPlex will not be an economic development agency. Instead, it will support all the economic development organizations in having a more significant impact on their community by increasing the level of collaboration needed to succeed. In addition, promotional materials will be produced that will help every trade mission bring greater focus to their city and RioPlex region, which has over 3.5 million citizens, the majority of whom are young working adults.

RioPlex stands out as the premier strategic location in North America. With world-class educational institutions such as the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College, Texas State Technical College, and Texas Southmost College, with a young, educated workforce and the world’s largest economy seamlessly integrating with Mexico’s 12th-largest economy, there’s no better place for companies to develop and execute their strategic or operational plans than at RioPlex.

RioPlex’s vision is to attract more industries to our region that offer better-paying jobs above the poverty level.  Our area has many college graduates and highly skilled individuals who deserve improved job opportunities with competitive wages and benefits. These benefits include access to medical care, educational opportunities, and clear pathways for promotion. RioPlex will create an industrial revolution to bring more prosperity to the region.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Mario Reyna, a top coordinator for the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service with the permission of the author. Reyna can be reached by email via: prosperitytf@gmail.com.

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