Texas Border Bsuiness
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
Adam Gonzalez, chief executive officer of the Council for South Texas Economic Progress, participated in the opening panel of Encuentro Internacional Empresarial 2026 on October 1, 2026. CANACINTRA and the Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation organized the gathering as part of a three-day program in Brownsville and Matamoros.
COSTEP announced before the event that Gonzalez was an invited keynote speaker whose presentation addressed the regional economic outlook and development opportunities across the Texas–Mexico border. The organization described his participation as part of its commitment to strengthening binational collaboration and advancing economic growth.
CANACINTRA is Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Transformación, known in English as Mexico’s National Chamber of the Transformation Industry. The business organization represents Mexico’s industrial sector and supports competitiveness, productivity, technological innovation, training, and connections among industry, government, and educational institutions.
The event ran October 1–3, 2026, with a program designed to connect business leaders through panel discussions, company visits, networking activities, and a golf tournament. According to COSTEP’s announcement, its objectives included building partnerships and exploring business opportunities in the neighboring border cities.
Gonzalez leads COSTEP’s efforts to promote Rio South Texas as a destination for industrial investment and business expansion. Previous Texas Border Business reporting has reported that COSTEP’s work connects economic development organizations, manufacturers and educational institutions across Rio South Texas and northern Tamaulipas.
During a presentation in August 2025, Gonzalez explained that Rio South Texas encompasses seven Texas counties, from Cameron County to Webb County, including the Rio Grande Valley and the Laredo region. COSTEP also works with partners in 10 Tamaulipas municipalities extending from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros.
COSTEP’s relationship with CANACINTRA includes a memorandum of understanding signed July 29, 2025, at the chamber’s national headquarters in Mexico City. Gonzalez signed the agreement with then-CANACINTRA President Esperanza Ortega.
As previously reported by Texas Border Business, the agreement established a framework to attract investment, strengthen supply chains, and support Mexican companies entering the U.S. market. It also included commitments to supplier development and workforce training for the binational manufacturing sector.
Gonzalez has also presented COSTEP’s Rio South Texas Region Industrial Data System, designed to compile manufacturing information from South Texas and northern Tamaulipas. The platform’s stated purpose is to identify industrial capabilities and provide information for investment promotion and regional planning.
In separate remarks reported in August 2026, Gonzalez discussed collaboration during the signing of an agreement with the Clúster Eléctrico-Electrónico de Tamaulipas in McAllen.
“I think together we can continue building the border of the future,” Gonzalez said at that earlier gathering. The agreement addressed cooperation in manufacturing, workforce development, and cross-border economic activity.
