Cowen tells advanced manufacturing summit Brownsville ‘is the place to be’ as multi-billion-dollar investments surge

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — With a transformational economic expansion underway across the borderplex, Brownsville is currently evaluating between 10 and 15 major multi-billion-dollar projects in its pipeline—a swell of development projected to bring 60,000 new jobs to the city over the next decade.

Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., shared the ambitious forecasts during opening remarks at the Star Courtyard in historic downtown Brownsville. The gathering, organized by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, brought together advanced manufacturing firms from across the nation to explore investment and expansion opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley.

“This is absolutely the place to be. I always tell everyone, this is our time. It's our time to shine,” Cowen told attendees.“Over the next five to 10 years, we're expected to generate another 60,000 jobs, which is incredible.”

Cowen emphasized that capitalizing on this influx of commercial interest requires close coordination between educational institutions, public sector entities, and private industry leaders.

“A lot of opportunity is in front of us, but we cannot reach that level of opportunity without collaborating, without having these types of forums to engage and to really help each other connect—and connect with new technologies, with ideas,” Cowen said.

Highlighting the city’s major industrial anchors, Cowen pointed to rapid growth across aerospace, energy, and defense maritime sectors:

• SpaceX Starbase: Currently employing 5,000 workers, with plans to expand its workforce to 8,000 this year to support a production target of up to 1,000 Starship craft annually.
• NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG: Constructing one of the largest liquefied natural gas export facilities in the world at the Port of Brownsville.
• Saronic: Developing an autonomous maritime facility spanning more than 4,000 acres, positioned to become the largest shipyard in the United States.

Beyond these flagship operations, Cowen noted that a dozen more industrial projects are currently moving through development channels.

To support incoming manufacturers, Cowen directed prospective investors toward local economic development resources,highlighting the Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC) as a key contact for site selection,municipal incentives, and workforce development programs.

“They are a great resource to work with and to be able to access for whatever you need in terms of workforce, connecting to programs that the city can offer, but also to p