MCALLEN, Texas - RioPlex plans to hold meetings every month across the region to explain to communities what the group is doing to bring in more investment and better paying jobs.
Mario Reyna, RioPlex’s executive director, spoke about the group’s vision, mission statement, core values, and strategic direction at a Leadership Gathering event, held recently at McAllen Country Club.
“We're going to have engagements every month throughout the region to tell people what it is that we're trying to do,” Reyna said. “People have to understand, the community has to understand, what it is that we're trying to do, how we're going to do things that are going to make them better.”
RioPlex is looking to bring longterm prosperity to the region, Reyna explained. The region consists of the Rio Grande Valley and northern Tamaulipas.
“We have to remember why we're doing it. We're doing this because we want to lower the poverty rate in our region, and the only way we know how to do this is by bringing better jobs, bringing more investment. That is going to create better paying jobs.”
Regional unity is key, Reyna explained.
“We want to bring everybody together, private, public, nonprofit, everybody. Everybody that has anything to do with bringing more investment to our community. That's our mission,” Reyna said.
“We cannot move forward if we're not united, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure people understand what it is that we're trying to do. We want to bring more industrial development to this area. So, we're going to be investor-focused. That's what we're trying to do, bring additional investment to the area. We want to promote the region, not internally, but externally.”
Reyna continued: “We want to work with everybody, everybody, including the economic development corporations and the Foreign Trade Zone.”
Foreign Trade Zone No. 12’s president and CEO, Mark E. Garcia, was in the audience. His group has just joined RioPlex.
Reyna said the next part of his presentation was critical.
"I used to tell people, when I was at STC… you can have the best of anything. But if you don't tell someone that you have the best of something, you’re not going to sell it. So, brand outreach, that's what we're trying to do. We're going to do it. We're not trying. We're going to do it,” Reyna said. “We want to engage with investors. They're going to bring money to our community, they're going to create jobs and make us prosper.”
Reyna was formerly dean of business at South Texas College.
Reyna said everyone in the room understood the need to form partnerships. He said RioPlex understands it too.
“I think all of us understand the importance of forming partnerships, and we will do that, not only here, but outside of our region. So, the more we partner with people, the better it is going to be for all of us.”
Reyna also announced RioPlex’s board directors. He said the board consists of Joaquin Spamer, Steve Guerra, Martin Anzaldua, Nick Rhodes, Morgan LaMantia, Lucile Cavazos, George Cardenas, and Carlos Garcia, and himself.
Editor's Note: The above news story is the second in a six-part series based on RioPlex's recent Leadership Gathering event. Click here to watch Part One.
