MCALLEN, Texas - If you do not get results, you are not in economic development, businessman Joaquin Spamer told the RGG Business Journal at the end of a big announcement by global automotive technology firm Valeo.
CIL Capital, Spamer’s company, certainly secured a win with Valeo. The French company is building a $225 million state-of-the-art manufacturing plant on 20 acres at CIL’s new industrial park in south McAllen.
Spamer praised Ralph Garcia, COO for McAllen Economic Development Corporation, for helping bring Valeo to McAllen. McAllen EDC’s point person in Mexico, Angel Ortiz, had visited Valeo managers at their plant in Rio Bravo. Lopez thought Valero wanted to expand in Mexico, possibly in Querétaro. When the company said no, we want to expand into the United States, Garcia got to work. “And when Ralph called me, I said we can make this happen.”
Spamer had a speaking role at a news conference the City of McAllen hosted for Valeo that was held at the city’s Performing Arts Center.
“Around the world, companies are deciding where to invest, where to grow, where to build their future operations,” Spamer said. “Those decisions are not based on promises. They are based on results. Companies invest in places where projects can move forward and where partners know how to deliver, at the speed of business.”
Spamer said CIL is developing a built-to-suit facility on 20 acres at the company’s McAllen Nearshoring Industrial Park. “It will be designed specifically for Valeo’s needs,” Spamer said.
“Projects like this require preparation, coordination, execution and teamwork between the City, the EDC and partners across the private sector, at the speed of business. No one builds projects like this alone.”
One of the reasons Valeo’s investment is happening in McAllen is because of preparation, Spamer argued.
“The ground war was already in place. We were shovel-ready. We have the utilities, the streets, the planning, we're aligned so this project will move forward with confidence, at the speed of business. This level of preparation is what investors look for, and McAllen continues to prove that it is ready for investment.”
Spamer said CIL’s role is to help create that readiness, preparing sites, aligning utilities and making sure projects can move forward from planning to construction, at the speed of business.
“Our industrial park, the McAllen Nearshoring Industrial Park was designed for this type of project in mind, offering an all-round solution for manufacturing companies to move quickly. Projects like this require alignment between many partners: the company, the city, the county, and the private sector working towards the same goal. When partners align, projects move at the speed of business.”
Spamer continued: “At the end of the day, economic development is about results, investment delivered, facilities built, jobs created and growth for the community. Just like the judge (Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez) said, building prosperity for the future.
“Today’s announcement is another step forward for the great City of McAllen and for our region, and we are very proud to be part of making this happen. It is kind of unique to work with a city, with a county, with Valeo, with Francois. Everybody's in agreement, everybody's moving this at the speed of business.
“We are moving so fast that it is unreal,” Spamer added.
In a statement, Valeo said the new facility in CIL’s industrial park will cover 337,000 square-feet, with up to 500 new jobs created. Production will begin in late 2027.
“This new U.S. footprint is being built to deliver one of the largest orders in Valeo’s history. This is fully aligned with Valeo’s ‘Elevate 2028’ strategic plan and supports the industry’s transformation toward software-defined vehicles,” a Valeo press release stated.
“Valeo McAllen will include production of General Motors’ central compute unit, which is a liquid-cooled system powered by next-generation processors. These units process vast amounts of data from multiple sensors and systems to control essential functions.”
Kristin Toth is purchasing executive director for electrical systems, software and connectivity at General Motors. Toth said: “A software-defined vehicle architecture is a key enabler to dramatically improve the customer experience through faster connectivity, richer entertainment options and more frequent updates. Projects such as Valeo’s plant in Texas will play a crucial role as we bring our next-generation electrical architecture to market.”
Jeffrey Shay, is Valeo’s North America president. He said: "We're proud to contribute technologies that enable the next generation of software-defined vehicles with this significant investment in the region and the future of automotive technology. We’re grateful for the opportunity to grow our business with GM in the state of Texas.”
