HARLINGEN, Texas - Orlando Campos, the new CEO of Harlingen Economic Development Corporation, says he has been very encouraged by everything he has seen in the city.
“Everything that I've seen has been very, very positive. The community is moving in the right direction. There are a number of great projects in the pipeline that I think will benefit the community,” Campos said, in an exclusive interview with Ron Whitlock Reports.
“I think that the city leaders, not only our board, but also local elected officials are all working cooperatively to ensure the successful growth of the community and that we move in the right direction as it relates to economic development.”
Asked how the first month or so has gone, Campos said:
“So the first month has primarily been focused on looking at the community from all over the place, learning a little bit more from key stakeholders and basically listening to individuals to learn more about what their vision is of economic development. So that in the near future we develop a strategic plan and we can begin executing on that plan.”
Asked what the strengths of the Harlingen economy are, Campos said:
“I think that Harlingen is very fortunate to be in a great location right in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley. You have two very strong economic powerhouses, one to the west and one to the south of us. And I think that any company that's looking at taking advantage of the tremendous growth throughout the entire Rio Grande Valley region would benefit by setting up here within the community itself.
Asked what the weaknesses of the Harlingen economy are, Campos said:
“In terms of weaknesses, it's probably something that a lot of older communities face, not just Harlingen, but all over the state and even all over the country. Obviously, you have aging infrastructure, you have structures, or areas of the community that might have a higher and better land use. So we need to focus on continually reinventing ourselves to ensure that we remain economically competitive in the entire region.”
Asked for his short-, mid-, and long-term goals for Harlingen EDC, Campos said:
“I think short term one we've got to wrap up our strategic economic plan that will set the roadmap for us moving forward in the next few years. But for now, we've got to reconnect with our key stakeholders and ensure that there is true collaboration happening amongst all of us. Because, obviously, all of us have our own unique strengths and by bringing all these strengths together, it will definitely benefit the community.”
Campos continued: “Also, I've got a lot of contacts throughout the region. So it's a matter of reconnecting and determining how we can leverage their support for our our own efforts.”
The Free Trade International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande connecting Los Indios with Matamoros. It is also known as the Los Indios-Los Blanco Bridge. On the U.S. side it is co-owned by Cameron County, the City of Harlingen and the City of San Benito.
Asked how important the bridge is to Harlingen, Campos said:
“It is a very important facet and something that's very unique here in the Valley, something that we should be very blessed at having. Within the last two weeks alone we have already met with the Index Matamoros, which is the economic the Matamoros Maquila Association and, earlier this week, we met with representatives from the Matamoros Economic Development Committee so that we can start strengthening our relationships with our counterparts on the other side of the border.”
Campos said the plan is to “work collaboratively to help ensure that the Los Indios Bridge stays top of mind with them so that we can start developing strategies on how to increase traffic at that bridge.”
Editor's Note: Here is an audio recording of the Ron Whitlock Reports interview with Orlando Campos:
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