MISSION, Texas - Aaron S. Demerson, the recently appointed president and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation, says he loves visiting the Rio Grande Valley because he gets to experience the can-do attitude of its people.
Austin-based Demerson was in the Valley recently. Asked what the region’s best assets are and why investors should take a look, he said:
“The best food America. No, no, aside from that I leave at least five pounds heavier all the time. I joke about that. But, the people. The people are pretty phenomenal,” Demerson said.
“I hold that if they see it, touch it, feel it, they (potential investors) will be impressed as well. And then, the can-do attitude, the innovation, the willingness to get down there to make a difference is extremely important and its exist here in this community.
“And so I'm always excited to get down here to see what's new. See what's happening from the standpoint of… the energy that's here is pretty phenomenal and it is just an opportunity for us to take additional levels.”
The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service interviewed Demerson, the former business representative on the Texas Workforce Commission, at Mission Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Education and Economic Development.
He was at the CEED building for both a meeting with the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) and to speak at a ribbon cutting ceremony for an outreach center that Valley Grande Institute for Academic Studies was opening.
Asked what the purpose of the Texas Economic Development Corporation was, Demerson said: “We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization set up, really, to showcase and market Texas both domestically and internationally. We're trying to showcase the best of what Texas has to offer so that if a company is looking at expanding to another state, we want them to expand here in Texas. Even international companies that are looking at other states to expand their operations, we want them to come to the state of Texas.”
Demerson explained that the Texas Economic Development Corporation is not the same as the economic development division housed within the Governor’s Office.
“So we're the Texas Economic Development Corporation. It's a nonprofit organization, separate. The Office of the Governor has an Economic Development and Tourism division that's headed by Adriana Cruz and her team. They go out, they take leads, they work projects, they work with local communities to make that happen,” Demerson said.
“Our job is to market those results. Showcasing that Texas has the best business climate in the nation. That Texas is the best place to do business. Texas is No. 1 in terms of foreign direct investment, No. 1 in terms of exporting. All of those good things that Texas has to offer. That's what we do. We market that and then if a lead comes in, we will go to the Governor's Office to work those projects. They work with the local communities to make things happen.”
Demerson took to social media recently to say great things are about to happen. Asked to explain, he said:
“Stay tuned and get ready to rock and roll because we're going to be doing some phenomenal things as we go forward. I always talk about bringing together the world of workforce, economic development and education. Workforce, economic development and education. And we do that very well here in Texas.
“Couple that with an elected leadership that gets it and we're well on our way to success. And so (I am) looking forward to doing some great work here in the Valley area. I’m extremely proud of our partners (such as) COSTEP, a number of other groups, the Valley Partnership, that are members of our organization. Mission EDC is a member of our organization as well. We're going to be working together to do some phenomenal things as we go forward.”
Editor's Note: Here is the Rio Grande Guardian's full interview with TEDC President and CEO Aaron S. Demerson:
