Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) Board of Directors names Jerry Briones as Interim Executive Director and CEO, effective immediately. Briones had been serving as GBIC’s Director of International Business and Industrial Park Development. Briones has over ten years ofcombined experience in Economic Development directing Global Outreach, Sales, Business Recruitment, BusinessDevelopment, Retention, Expansion, and Workforce.
As Director of International Business & Industrial Park Development, Briones has attended manufacturingconferences in Mexico, and in the US, including Space industry trade shows and conferences. Briones recently attended SelectUSA, the largest foreign direct investment event in the US hosted by the US Department ofCommerce. In conjunction with SelectUSA, a Spinoff event was hosted by Briones and GBIC staff, with six foreign direct investors in attendance.
In additional duties as Director of Business Retention and Expansion, Briones has implemented new guidelines for incentive applications and diligently worked with local companies to assist with their expansion efforts, retain existing employees, create new job opportunities, and generate training opportunities. Briones assisted in the recruitment of First National Bank Texas’s first Virtual Banking Center in Brownsville, a project expected to bring over 100 job opportunities within the next two years.
“The GBIC Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Jerry into this new position. He has been a valuable asset in his tenure as the International Business and Industrial Park Development Director. I am confident that he willcontinue to perform at a high level and continue to accomplish great things for GBIC and the City of Brownsville,” said John Cowen Jr., GBIC’s Chairman and the City of Brownsville Mayor.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to serve in this new capacity as the Interim Executive Director and CEO.I will continue to foster and create opportunities to build prosperity in our city and the region and provide added value to the organization,” said Briones.
Briones is a former United States Marine Corps Sergeant, a communication major from the University of Texas atBrownsville, previously licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance,
and has completed extensive training in various fields of economic development. Briones has led and participated in multiple boards and advisory committees including the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce.
GBIC is a non-profit organization, Type-A Economic Development Corporation, effectively working as the City of Brownsville’s economic development arm. Its news release says the group “seeks to promote economic growth inBrownsville and Cameron County by empowering a young and skilled intergenerational workforce that drives innovation to the area. It facilitates economic growth by promoting investment and working with regional andinternational partners with job creation, training, innovation, business development, and manufacturing.”
For more information on the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), please visit https://greaterbrownsville.com/. To schedule a media interview, please contact the Communications and Marketing Department at communications@brownsvilletx.gov or (956) 547-6505.
