MISSION, Texas - Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez says South Texas and Northern Mexico are not identifying themselves well enough and thus are allowing others to dictate the narrative.
That has to change if RioPlex is going to be attractive on the global stage, Cortez said, in remarks at Social Fest 2025. Hundreds of mostly young people attended the event, which was held at Mission Event Center.
“All of us in government have a duty to make things better for our people. The medium age in Hidalgo County is 29. So, we have a lot of young people. Many of you are here. So, how do we provide opportunity for that human capital to develop? Well, we have to be attractive. But one of the things that we have missed doing here is identifying ourselves as who we are,” Cortez said while participating in a panel discussion titled “Positioning South Texas for Global Campaigns.
“Who we are, I believe, is we're part of South Texas, but also part of Northern Mexico. And together, we are the region that I believe has the best opportunity to become competitive.”
Cortez said the region is not currently competing at the global level.
“What we want down here, everybody in the world wants. So, how do we become competitive? We cannot let others describe us. We have to describe ourselves. We must control the message and not let the message be controlled by someone else.”
Cortez pointed out that Hidalgo County has 22 cities. Add Cameron, Willacy and Starr counties and it adds up to more than 30. “So, who's responsible for that message? Who's responsible for doing that? I think that we have failed, somewhat, in defining ourselves as a region and taking responsibility for it.”
Cortez said once he has identified a problem he asks himself, what do I want done and who am I going to pick to get it done.
“Unfortunately, the media now is not interested in how good we are, because that doesn't sell. What they sell is how bad we are. We have a certain part that hasn't been good, and unfortunately, that's what gets published.”
Providing leadership means consolidating the message, Cortez said. “You have to not only know what the message is but also how you deliver the message. And that has been a problem in the past.”
Cortez said all the governments in the region should join as one to define the region and define the message.
“Then, let's go to all parts of the globe. We have a group (within RioPlex) that we call the Ambassadors. We’re going to have a message, and we're going to send the Ambassadors all over the globe to sell the region. We're not going to sell anything in particular. We're going to act like the mall. We going to say, we are the mall and we call ourselves RioPlex.
“And what will you find in RioPlex? You’ll find 12 international bridges, seven airports, three seaports. We even have a spaceport. We have a medical school. We have all of these things that no city or no county can say they have for themselves. But we as a region have it.
“So, what we want to do now is be able to build relationships with all parts of the world and send out the same message and act like the mall. And when they come to the mall, they decide what store to go to. They decide what city or what location is better for them.”
Another panelist, Arron Demerson, president of Texas Economic Development Corporation, asked if the State of Texas’ message would be included. Cortez responded: “Absolutely, we need you, my friend.”
Cortez added: “We are not going to reach our full potential by offering cheap labor. Our future lies with smart labor.”
