HARLINGEN, Texas - The Port of Harlingen has named Miguel Pereira director of business development.
Port Director Walker Smith said the role of director of business development is a new position at the Port of Harlingen, and was identified as a major need in the Port’s 2019 Strategic Master Plan to make the Port more competitive.
Port Director Walker Smith said that in his new role, Pereira will focus on business growth, identifying and cultivating new business opportunities and partnerships, as well as developing and implementing strategies for new domestic and international business, business retention and promoting port expansion.
“We are enthusiastic about having Miguel as part of our team,” Smith said. “He brings in so much experience with managing relationships, international business and knowledge of the industries we are hoping to target, along with many other skills that will translate will into this position.”
Prior to joining the Port, Pereira has worked in international business with more than 15 years in the oil and gas, and manufacturing industry, including project and financial management and operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Purdue University.
“The Port of Harlingen plays a vital role in our local economy, and I am excited to contribute to its continued success,” Pereira said. “I will focus on fostering new partnerships, growing our current relationships and identifying strategic opportunities to enhance our operations. The Port is a hidden gem, and my goal is to expand its reach further into the continental United States and across the border into Mexico.”
Pereira added: “I am honored to join the Port of Harlingen as the Director of Business Development. I look forward to working with the team to drive growth and strengthen our regional economic impact,” he said. “It is an exciting time for the Port of Harlingen.”
Over the past year, the Port of Harlingen has raised its profile in the Rio Grande Valley is now title sponsor of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s RGV Connect series.
The Port of Harlingen provides an efficient and economical transportation link along the Texas coast for shallow draft transport. Located near the southernmost tip of Texas on the Arroyo Colorado River. The Port is 25 miles inland of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), which stretches from the Mexico border along the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico and northward along most the US Eastern Seaboard to Florida. The Port is also connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW), a 3,000 mile inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, running from Boston, MA to the Southern Tip of Florida and encompassing the GIWW, which extends to Brownsville, TX.
The Port of Harlingen encompasses more than 2,000 acres of land with 650 linear feet of multi-cargo wharf and five docks. As the second largest port in Cameron County, the Port handles an overall cargo tonnage of about 2 million tons annually. Commodities transported through the Port now includes liquid fertilizer, cotton, sorghum, corn, sand and aggregate, diesel, gasoline, ethanol and raw sugar.
Not only does the Port of Harlingen keep commodities moving, it also drives the Harlingen and Rio Grande Valley economy, literally. Most of the fuel consumed in the Valley comes in through the Port of Harlingen. In addition, the liquid fertilizer distributed through the Port is used in local fields. By utilizing the Port consumers receive goods at a much lower cost than transporting by truck to the area.
