Providing ongoing support for existing businesses while offering a strategic landing pad for international prospects looking to break into the U.S. market are key components of the city’s economic growth strategy, according to a top economic development official.
Leticia Adame, economic and workforce development director for the Pharr Economic Development Corporation, spoke with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service to detail the success of the city’s recent regional job fair and outline how the Pharr Global Business Hub continues to strengthen the local economy.
Pharr EDC recently partnered with Workforce Solutions and Progressive Talent Solutions to host its "Careers and Connections" job fair, an event that brought together more than 30 employers representing diverse sectors, including healthcare, logistics, transportation, staffing agencies, and law enforcement.
Adame emphasized that hosting such events at least once a year serves a dual purpose: connecting residents with career opportunities while aiding local companies with workforce retention.
"It's very important for residents in EDC to have those job fairs because we don't only recruit the companies, but that's also a resource that we have for them, where we also provide them the opportunity to connect with the talented area," Adame said. "It's a part of our business retention and expansion program."
The event drew job seekers and employers from across the region, with attendees coming from as far as Sebastian, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville. Adame noted that job seekers appreciated the wide selection of industries as they considered potential career transitions.
Among the employers present were key local companies preparing for upcoming seasonal demand, including produce operations such as Grupo Mendes and Miranda Produce.
"Start of the season is coming up in October, so they were wanting to see what they could recruit so that they can start the season product," Adame explained.
Looking ahead, Adame revealed that Pharr EDC plans to transition toward industry-specific job fairs to address target workforce shortages directly, starting with an upcoming event dedicated exclusively to the produce sector.
Transitioning to broader economic development initiatives, Adame highlighted the growth of the Pharr Global Business Hub, a specialized facility established over a year ago to assist companies expanding into the Rio Grande Valley.
Conceived by Pharr EDC President Victor Perez in collaboration with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the Hub was established to give international and out-of-state companies a formal environment to evaluate the regional market.
"It was created as a soft landing area," Adame said. "We had companies coming in from Mexico, from other parts of the world, and they wanted to come in here, but they wanted to test the market... they were having their meetings at Starbucks or at one of the coffee areas. So then Victor and the university got together and said, let's give them a soft landing area so that they're able to work from an office, have a phone, have a more private area to have meetings at."
Through UTRGV’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center, businesses utilizing the Hub gain access to no-cost business planning, APEX Accelerator resources, and workforce development services.
Adame, who was initially stationed at the Hub part-time to coordinate initiatives between the university and the city, now works out of the facility full-time to lead modern programming like the EDC’s Level Up and Tech and Trade initiatives.
"The synergy is there with the university and with the EDC," Adame noted, describing the Hub as an ecosystem built to foster long-term growth. "The Hub is more of a platform. Once you land here, you're able to expand. You see the area, you're able to network with the companies wanting to come in."
Situated near the Pharr International Bridge and key interstate corridors, the facility is uniquely positioned to capture international commerce and trade flow.
"We have the bridge, and then we have our interstate, and we're right in the middle," Adame said. "We're in a strategic location to be able to serve our community and also the international prospects."
