MCALLEN. Texas - The RGG Business Journal recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Mario Reyna, executive director of RioPlex.
Asked for an update on the group’s activities, Reyna said:
“The update is very exciting because last week we had a board meeting, and we increased the number of board members by two. And as a result of that particular action, Rolando Pablos is going to join our board.
“For some of the viewers and listeners that may not be familiar with Rolando Pablos, he used to be secretary of state for the State of Texas, and also the first CEO of Borderplex. And Borderplex is an entity similar to RioPlex that's out there in El Paso, and they cover El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Las Cruces.
“So, when we started talking about how to do RioPlex, he (Pablo) was the first one that we reached out to, and he came and talked to us. He attended a (RioPlex) meeting in Harlingen, and then, obviously, we had a lot of meetings afterwards where he advised us on how to set up RioPlex and how to conduct business as RioPlex.”
According to Wikipedia, Rolando Burgoa Pablos is an American executive, attorney, and Republican political from the state of Texas. He was born in Sonora, Mexico, and grew up in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. He graduated from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio with a degree in biology. He then earned a master of business administration from UT-San Antonio, a master’s in hospitality management from the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, and a juris doctor from St. Mary’s School of Law.
Pablos formerly served as a Texas Public Utility Commissioner and then chairs the Texas Racing Commission. He became Texas Secretary of State in 2017, serving for two years.
Pablos co-founded Uriel Americas and served as CEO of the Borderplex Alliance, a bi-national economic development corporation. He ran for mayor of San Antonio in 2025, losing in the runoff to new mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
Reyna was asked how Pablos, who resides in San Antonio and is best known for his work in Austin and El Paso, could help the RioPlex region.
“Well, he brings a lot of connections, and he is very well-known throughout the business community. So, just like everybody else who is on the board with RioPlex, he is another extra dynamic individual that's going to increase our visibility,” Reyna responded.
“And not only does he have a lot of connections within the state and the country, he has a lot of connections in the international community. So, we expect that with him being with us, it is going to attract a lot of investors.”
Reyna added: “Obviously, that is what we're trying to do, bring investors to the community so they can invest and create the jobs that are needed for everybody here in in the RioPlex region.”
Click here to read an RGG Business Journal story titled: “An Interview with Rolando Pablos.”
Click here to read an RGG Business Journal story titled: “Pablos: I was happy to help the RioPlex marketing initiative.”
