MISSION, Texas - Rick Carrera, economic development director for the Council for South Texas Economic Progress, has given two presentations lately on different topics.
At a monthly meeting of the South Texas Manufacturers Association, Carrera spoke about a top project COSTEP is working on right now - developing an automotive industry cluster.
At a Buenas Tardes Luncheon hosted by the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce, Carrera spoke about how well the Rio South Texas region is positioned for new business, largely because it has something every company is concerned about - a young and skilled workforce.
To coincide with his remarks at the chamber event, Carrera provided an editorial for the program notes. This is what the editorial said:
Strengths
Opportunities
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Rick Carrera's presentation to the South Texas Manufacturers Association:
Carrera said of the editorial:
“In your packet, there's a data snapshot of what I provided to the Mission Chamber that comes from our website, COSTEP’s website, the Council for South Texas Economic Progress. I wanted to include that in there because it's a snapshot that the audiences that we work with like to see, that they like to look at.”
Carrera continued:
“I do visit with a lot of site selectors, a lot of companies that are looking to relocate or expand. The people I work with are very, very data driven. But beyond the data you've got to be able to explain what the region can offer. Beyond what the data says.”
Carrera said the message he conveys to site selectors is music to the ears of many companies looking to relocate and expand.
“We have an extremely young, statistically speaking, a very, very young population here, And, during my travels throughout the country, going to conferences and industry meetings, the number one issue that I hear from everybody across the country is, they cannot find the workforce. And I think that is the number one thing that we have working for us here in this area: we’re very, very young population.”
Carrera said the Rio South Texas region also has “excellent” institutions of higher education.
“I know some of them are here with us this afternoon, and that is going to bode well for us moving forward. So, when I speak with the site selectors and the companies, these are the things that I really bring to the table. In addition to the bridges, in addition to the ports and that kind of thing, all that is very, very important. I bring the fact that the workforce that they're looking for is here, and we have the mechanisms and the tools in place to make sure that that workforce is up and running sooner, as opposed to later, if it's not in existence already.”
In his wrap-up remarks at the Mission Chamber event, Carrera said:
“We're in a really good spot to capitalize moving forward. I was in a meeting this morning, and there was some trepidation and some hesitancy. There are a lot of issues affecting the economy, just not us, but nationwide. The key point is, is we keep moving forward, right? We keep working as a region.
“Representing a regional organization that's been in existence for several years now, we're still getting the calls, and we're still getting the interest from people outside the area, outside the state. We're getting interest from our neighbors out in Mexico. The region is still very, very attractive, and we have a lot of really, really good stakeholders that we work with.”
Creating a cluster of awareness
In his presentation at the STMA event, Carrera said COSTEP is in the business of recruitment.
“Part of our current strategy, or strategy moving forward, is to start creating what are called in the industry clusters. And the first one we're working on is an automotive cluster,” Carrera said. “There is an auto cluster in Tennessee. Obviously, there's one in Detroit. They actually become membership organizations where you've got to pay membership, and they've got the bylaws and all that. We're not going to that level. What we're looking for here, mostly, is to create a cluster of awareness.”
Carrera said many people will be surprised to know there are 140 automotive suppliers in the area.
“I oftentimes travel to other areas of the country, and my boss often takes trips over overseas to promote our region. And we get questions from a lot of industry people like, Okay, that's great. You have a strong manufacturing base there, but what exactly do you produce? And I'll say we have 140 automotive companies. Well, great. What do they produce? So that's kind of what we're after here. We're just looking for information from a lot of our suppliers and producers here. Not so much, because we want to know all your trade secrets… it’s more about creating a good base of information that we can use to help promote the area, to help bring more industry to the area, and help our local EDCs with their recruitment efforts.”
Carrera added: “It is all about creating awareness of the region. Who's in the area? What can they produce? Oftentimes, I will talk to companies that are outside the area, and they're looking for companies here, within Rio South Texas that they can partner up with to help produce something. Maybe they're not ready to move their entire operation down here, but they're looking at, well, let's kind of get our let's get our feet wet. Let's start working with somebody in that area and see what the cost advantages are, and let's enjoy the advantages, but work with somebody there without taking that entire risk?
Editor's Note: Here is an audio recording of Rick Carrera's remarks at the Greater Mission Chamber's Buenas Tardes Luncheon:
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