BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The national president of the American Chamber of Mexico says RioPlex will become one of the strongest economic regions in the world.
Carlos García, who lives in Mexico City, spoke at an evening reception hosted by AmCham at IBC Bank in Brownsville. He said he had not been to the Rio Grande Valley in several years. He said he was “overwhelmed” by what he saw.
“It’s been a great pleasure to be here. I think it’s been six or seven years since I was last in the RioPlex area – we’re slowly getting used to using this brand. And it’s incredible. It’s incredible what’s happening,” said García.
“We were lucky enough to tour SpaceX this morning and I was completely blown away. There are a bunch of engineers there, also Michigan Wolverines, who are just amazing. I feel like SpaceX is changing the world and space, and with the port and everything that’s happening there, it’s great to be a part of that.”
García and other AmCham members had toured the Port of Brownsville and SpaceX in the morning. In the afternoon, the Chamber held a private, invitation-only gathering at the Brownsville Events Center. The event was titled “US-Mexico Leaders Summit: High-Level Binational Dialogue.”
Opening speakers included Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and Roberto Velasco of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Guest speakers included Adriana Cruz, Executive Director of Economic Development and Tourism in the Office of Governor Greg Abbott, Glenn Hamer, President and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and State Senator Morgan LaMantia.
“We at AmCham are very excited to be working with Joaquin and RioPlex to really promote bilateral trade. Well, trilateral trade with Canada as well,” García said at the evening reception.
The “Joaquin” García was referring to was Joaquin Spamer, a board member of AmCham’s northeastern office in Monterrey.
“As I said this morning, I am convinced that we will overcome our challenges together. And this region will be the economically strongest region in the world,” said García.
Earlier, García heard a presentation about RioPlex from Mario Reyna, head of the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force. Reyna had pointed out that RioPlex was a marketing effort to attract more businesses and well-paying jobs to the area. He said the campaign was born out of discussions about how to fight poverty in the county. García said Mexico also suffers from poverty.
“I think it’s great what you’re doing with RioPlex. Because one of the things we’re struggling with in Mexico is economic prosperity across the board. In Mexico, over 40 percent of the population still lives in poverty. I think that’s a crime and we need to work on that,” García said.
“And so we share that vision. And it’s a vision that we really need to share across North America. So, I applaud you. Thank you again for this wonderful day and for this incredible event.”
Other speakers at the reception included Richard Abete, senior vice president of IBC Bank in Brownsville, Spamer, and Lorenzo Barrera, president of the Northeastern chapter of the American Chamber of Mexico in Monterrey.
Editor’s note: Here is an audio recording of García, Barrera and Spamer’s remarks at the AmCham reception at IBC Bank in Brownsville:
