McAllen, RioPlex, Foreign Direct Investment, Mario Reyna, Rio Grande Valley
Staff Report
McAllen TX - RioPlex will bring public- and private-sector leaders from the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Tamaulipas to Mexico City this week for the RioPlex FDI Summit: From the Border to the World, where representatives from embassies and international business, government, trade and investment organizations will be presented with the region’s economic scale and investment potential.
RioPlex is a nonprofit initiative that works to coordinate, develop and promote the interconnected Rio Grande Valley and Northern Tamaulipas economic corridor, according to organizers.
The summit will be held Sept. 9-10 at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma. The event begins Sept. 9 with registration at 5 p.m., followed by welcome remarks and a networking reception through 8 p.m. The main program begins Sept. 10 with registration at 8:30 a.m., running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to RioPlex, the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Tamaulipas already function as a connected manufacturing and trade corridor, with the Rio Grande Valley offering advanced manufacturing capacity, ports, energy infrastructure and logistics assets, while Northern Tamaulipas contributes manufacturing scale and cross-border production capabilities.
RioPlex cited several major private investments in the region, including SpaceX’s continued expansion of its Starbase launch and manufacturing operations in Cameron County; NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG development at the Port of Brownsville; America First Refining’s planned oil refinery on more than 240 acres at the Port of Brownsville, described by the port as the first new U.S. Gulf Coast oil refinery in nearly 50 years; and Saronic’s announced $3.2 billion Port Alpha project at the Port of Brownsville, expected to create more than 10,000 direct jobs.
Mario Reyna, executive director of RioPlex, said the growth across the region reflects significant investment. “The growth happening across the Rio Grande Valley is real,” Reyna said. “We are seeing major investment in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, energy, maritime industry and other sectors, and that is strengthened by the manufacturing and supply-chain relationships we have with Northern Tamaulipas. The opportunity now is to make sure people outside the region understand the scale of the economy that exists here and what the Rio Grande Valley can offer companies looking to invest and grow in the United States.”
The summit program will address the changing geography of international investment, the economic value of integrated regions, the RioPlex investment advantage, private-sector experience operating in the region, port infrastructure, and opportunities for companies seeking to invest in Texas.
RioPlex identifies the broader region as including 89 industrial parks, seven airports, 13 international bridges, three ports and Starbase.
Organizers said the initiative’s longer-term goal is to strengthen recognition of the region’s economic identity in Austin, Washington, Mexico City and international investment markets, while continuing to support the individual cities, counties, ports, economic development organizations and institutions that serve the region.
Source - RioPlex