BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brian Godinez, CEO of ERO Architects, says he is incredibly impressed by all the economic activity happening at the Port of Brownsville.
Brownsville Navigation District CEO William Dietrich gave Godinez a tour of the port recently. Godinez then learned even more about the port at a high-powered strategy meeting RioPlex held at Texas National Bank in Brownsville.
Godinez is a member of RioPlex and Dietrich was one of two main speakers at the strategy meeting.
When asked what he learned from the meeting, Godinez said:
“I got the chance to find out what's going on in the Port of Brownsville. That was the centerpiece of our conversation today, having William Dietrich here, the CEO of the Port of Brownsville, to talk about the expansion and growth that's happening over there,” Godinez told the RGG Business Journal.
“The strategic investments that are coming in to expand the port, how that impacts the economy of this region, we learned a lot. And I also gathered, from listening to the conversation - of course we all participated - just how RioPlex can play a role in that growth as well.”
Godinez continued:
"I love what RioPlex is doing. RioPlex is wanting to be not only a single voice and a single marketing entity working with the other marketing entities and the EDOs here, but also the fact that they are building a brand of excellence surrounded by companies and institutions that are all part of the same mission - to bring more investment to this community."
EDO stands for economic development organization.
Godinez continued: “The plan is to shift the conversation; that this is a prime market, not a subprime market, and to shift the conversation that there is value here for investment and growth and that returns will occur when doing that. RioPlex is on the right path, moving in the right direction. I love being a part of it, and we'll see where it goes. We'll see what happens in the future.”
The other main presenter at the RioPlex high level strategy meeting was former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos. Pablos has joined RioPlex’s board of directors and is house hunting in the region. His new colleagues on the board wanted to know more about his time as CEO of BorderPlex, a private sector group similar to RioPlex that operates in El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces. Pablos recommended RioPlex develop a code of ethics that its members adhere to. He said this would be reassuring to potential investors in the region.
Asked about Pablos’s presentation, Godinez said:
“I like the fact that RioPlex is building a brand of excellence as it relates to its members - specifically (as it relates to) my family of architects, engineers and contractors. The fact that we are all collaborating, working together to share what potential wealth there may be, but also sharing resources, best practices, what's working, what's not working (is testament to this).
“I love that RioPlex has an open door policy and that all can participate, all can become members, and all can participate, and we can all collectively work together as one.
“I like the idea that we are a one-stop shop of development and marketing resources for this region. That's a good thing. I like when companies are sharing and companies are working together, and that it's not an exclusive club. It's not just a single group of members that are part of this, but that all get to participate representing this region. We like that. We like it when communities connect, and we like it when our professional services and contractors are connected together, working down that same path to grow this region.”
Asked if there was anything else he would like to add, Godinez said:
“I just love what's going on at the Port of Brownsville. It's good to be in this conversation, and I like that there was the ability to host an institution as powerful and as impacting as this one on our region. I hope that we continue to do that with other other assets in our community, that we get a chance to talk about what's coming up, what's working, what's not working, and what is the best way to unite this region in terms of investment. It was good to hear what they (the port commissioners) are doing and what's going on in our region and how the port plays an important part of that. That was a big takeaway for me today.”
