BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez called for greater cooperation among Rio Grande Valley communities and a stronger workforce pipeline as the region competes for investment with Texas’ largest metropolitan areas.
Cortez spoke during a RioPlex gathering of economic-development professionals, civic leaders and business representatives at IBC Bank’s corporate office in Brownsville. He said communities across South Texas and northern Mexico should present themselves to investors as a connected economic region instead of competing against one another.
He identified the “Texas Triangle,” anchored by Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, as the region’s main competition for corporate relocations and expansion projects. Cortez said the Valley must be prepared to capture investment as growth pressures increase in those metropolitan areas.
A skilled labor force will be central to that effort, he said. Cortez pointed to the loss of educated young adults who leave the Valley when local employers cannot offer jobs matching their training and earning expectations.
He urged economic-development organizations to recruit industries that align with graduates emerging from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas Southmost College and other regional schools. Doing so, he said, could help retain local talent while creating a more dependable workforce for prospective employers.
The discussion comes as Brownsville and the surrounding region pursue major projects in advanced manufacturing, maritime construction, energy and aerospace. Cortez said those opportunities will have broader benefits when communities coordinate workforce preparation, infrastructure and regional marketing.
Source: Remarks by Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez at the RioPlex gathering
