Honorable Judge, Commissioners, my name is William Dietrich, CEO and director of the Port of Brownsville. I'm here today to respectfully express the Port of Brownsville's strong support for Saronic Technologies.
Over the past year, the Port of Brownsville, along with many local and regional agencies, organizations - GBIC, Harlingen, Point Isabel ISD, Cameron County, the State of Texas - we've all worked together, and I think it's a testament to everything that's been built over the years to see all these organizations come together to bring a project of this quality and this magnitude to Cameron County.
Throughout that process, we've come to believe that Saronic is an excellent fit for the community, our workforce, and our long-term economic future. The economic potential of the project is enormous, as Saronic has proposed an investment measured in billions of dollars and the creation of approximately 10,000 direct jobs over time. These jobs will include skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, engineering, technology, logistics, administrative careers. And beyond these direct jobs, thousands of more indirect jobs will be created throughout Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley.
Local suppliers, contractors, restaurants, retail businesses, housing developers, and service providers will all benefit from this investment. And what makes this opportunity especially unique is that Saronic is not just another industrial project. This company is on the forefront of autonomous maritime technology and artificial intelligence-driven manufacturing and shipbuilding. Their presence would place Brownsville and Cameron County at the center of a rapidly growing industry that is critical to both America's economic competitiveness and our national security. For decades, United States has seen a decline in commercial shipping. Saronic represents an opportunity to help reverse this trend while establishing our region as a leader in the next generation of maritime manufacturing.
This project aligns perfectly with the investments already made at the Port of Brownsville, one which includes the channel deepening project, infrastructure development, workforce development initiatives, and partnerships with Texas Southmost College, UTRGV, and Texas A&M.
Tax abatement exists to encourage transformational investments that might otherwise locate somewhere else. In this case, the return on investment for Cameron County has the potential to be extraordinary: employment opportunities, business activity, and overall economic growth. Simply put, this is the type of project communities spend generations hoping to attract.
Today, we have the opportunity before us. On behalf of the Port of Brownsville, I respectfully ask for your support of this tax abatement request, and your support in helping secure one of the most significant economic development projects in the history of Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your leadership. And I humbly request you say yes on this tax abatement. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The above remarks were made by William Dietrich, port director for Brownsville Navigation District, at a public hearing held by Cameron County Commissioners Court on June 2, 2026. The hearing was held to consider giving Saronic Technologies a tax abatement on a $3.2 billion shipyard and manufacturing hub project at the Port of Brownsville. No decision was taken by the commissioners.
