MCALLEN, Texas - Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez wants to see a re-evaluation of the RioPlex region’s economic development strategies, in order to see what is working and what isn’t.
RioPlex comprises the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Tamaulipas.
“Many of us believe that the RioPlex region is still hasn't reached its full potential,” Cortez said, at a recent meeting of the CEO Group.
The CEO Group is an offshoot of Cortez’s Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force. The task force was set up to address poverty in Hidalgo County. The CEO Group has recommended rebranding the region as RioPlex, something Cortez agrees with.
If the rebranding project is successful, Cortez believes the region will be able to land more high tech companies from around the world, thus reducing poverty.
Cortez kicked of the CEO Group meeting, which was held at the McAllen Country Club. He began his remarks by thanking Joaquin Spamer, president and founder of CIL Group and the leader of the CEO Group. Cortez said Spamer has provided “leadership and clear purpose” to the group.
Cortez also recognized two VIPs in the audiance: Pharr businessman Robert Lozano, the new chairman of Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority, and Valley native Alejandro “Alex” Meade, a commissioner with the Texas Transportation Commission. “Mobility is going to be a big part of our strategy,” Cortez said.
In his opening remarks, Cortez focused mainly on economic development. He said it is important to break down any economic development plan into measurable steps. “The more specific we can be, the better,” Cortez said.
Cortez said the business leaders in the audience must play an important role in economic development.
“When I came here from Weslaco to McAllen, McAllen was very unique in a certain way. It had very good leadership, and that leadership mostly came from the business community. So you are an important, integral, part of the success of any plan,” Cortez said.
Cortez rhetorically asked those in the audience if they knew that most funding for economic development comes from governmental organizations.
“It’s time to evaluate what they’re doing. We need to stop doing what we shouldn't and start doing what we should,” Cortez said.
“This region has been really working in silos with each organization focused on its own goals, initiatives, strategies. So who is responsible for developing a gap analysis of what we have versus what we need? Regardless, any plan that we come up with is going to need resources to effectively and efficiently implement it.”
Following the meeting, Judge Cortez gave an exclusive interview to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. Here is a video recording of the interview:
Editor's Note: The above video interview is the fourth in an eight part series from the CEO Group meeting.
Editor's Note: The above test story is the first in a four-part series from the CEO Group meeting.
