UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center is set to promote its programs in Central and South America

PHARR, Texas – The manager of UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center says her department is about to start promoting its soft-landing program in Central and South America.

Linda Ufland Romo says ECC is already having a lot of success attracting entrepreneurs from Mexico. So, she told the Rio Grande Guardian, it is time to start looking further south.

“We have had a tremendous influx of small- to medium-sized businesses or ventures that are coming through from south of the border,” Ufland Romo said.

“So, we are expanding our footprint through the rest of Mexico, Nuevo Leon Jalisco, Mexico City. And, of course, above and beyond, we are about to start targeting Central and South America.”

Ufland Romo gave an exclusive interview to the Guardian at the official opening of the Pharr Global Business Hub. Asked if the Pharr Global Business Hub is similar to the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization, Ufland Romo said:

“It is similar. We just wanted to expand our footprint in Pharr. We have been working with the Pharr EDC for a few years to develop a facility that will also host a lot of those international companies that are coming through the Pharr International Bridge, which is the one of the largest international bridges in the United States,” Ufland Romo said.

“So, we wanted to have a footprint here to be able to support that ecosystem and those entrepreneurs coming in that want to be close to the bridge, to be part of the City of Pharr. An, also, to expand our services so that we are able to support the local entrepreneurial community through all the programs that we have across the Valley.”

Ufland Romo said while the soft-landing program is in Brownsville and now Pharr, it is regional in nature. “It is available throughout the entire Valley.  Whatever companies would like to go through that program, then it’s the same program.”

An advantage of becoming a member of the Pharr Global Business is the membership is also valid at eBridge. And vice versa.

Steve Perez, an entrepreneur housed at the eBridge Center came to Pharr for the official opening of the new hub. He said he was pleasantly surprised to learn his Brownsville membership now extends to Pharr. “There is a lot happening in Pharr that can benefit my high-tech company,” Perez said.

Asked if UTRGV’s ECC is seeing the benefit of looking south for budding entrepreneurs, Ufland Romo said: “It is working well.”

Another speaker at the official opening of the Pharr hub was Eduardo Cerda, chairman of La Asociación Internacional de Socios de Canal de Microsoft. Cerda is based at the E-Bridge Center in Brownsville. Asked about his role, Ufland Romo said:

“Mr. Cerda is one of our soft-landing members. Wenhave supported him for about two years with his venture to become a U.S. company and expand his services through the entire nation. But he is also a tremendous mentor. He has so much experience in the technology sector, the process-based software and hardware, that he’s able to also support our other entrepreneurs that are coming into this emerging industry.”

Asked if she had any wrap-up remarks, Ufland Romo said: “I invite all the community to come and visit our Pharr location. This is a great site. It’s small, but we will be able to provide all the services and the members that join will be of our ecosystem.

“We are a regional center. UTRGV has a regional approach, and we really want to make sure that all our community across the Valley feels that we are here to support them.”

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