Texas Border Business –
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
You have a commitment to attend INNO’ 2016, the 4th Annual Bi-National Innovation Conference that takes place on Friday, October 7, 2016. This year, the conference is featuring as the keynote speaker Dr. Carlos Marin, P.E., President and CEO of Ambiotec Engineering Group.
Dr. Marin has over twenty-five years of experience in helping both public and private clients in identifying cost-effective strategies in the areas of infrastructure management and development. He has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Rice University and his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Harvard University. Dr. Marin is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas. His topic will be Bi-National Entrepreneurial Innovation.
The INNO Conference is a collaborative effort between South Texas College, McAllen Economic Development Corporation, Mission Economic Development Corporation, Pharr Economic Development Corporation and Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, McAllen Chamber of Commerce and Instituto Internacional de Estudios Superiores.
The conference in its fourth year has served its purpose of fostering cross-border relationships for local businesses, entrepreneurs, students, and our community members. According to STC Dean Mario Reyna, INNO conferences act as a platform to discuss new economic opportunities for both sides of our border.
Dean Reyna told Texas Border Busines in exclusivity, that the first Bi-National Innovation Conference was conceived by the South Texas College and the Instituto Internacional de Estudios Superiors. “The first conference was held at the Technology Campus on Sept. 27, 2013, in McAllen, Texas.” He said, “The reason for creating this event was to convey the importance of the potential economic impact our region has in the border cities.” He also said that conference already created a platform to discuss new opportunities for our local businesses, entrepreneurs, and as a result, help our community meet these growing demands through training and education.
One of the strict areas of preparation of the event is the uncompromised criteria to select guest speakers to be invited to this conference. The requisite is to be outstanding proven leaders, academic and professional experience, and their continued service to our communities.
Dean Reyna also stated that INNO also offers a unique opportunity for students to participate in workshops to interact with local business leaders, experts in the field, and other students; thus, creating opportunities to learn from each other and acquire leadership skills.
He also pointed out that the INNO conference has continuously taught us the importance of keeping the communities informed about all the new economic opportunities that are always developing across the region for local businesses and students. “This is an essential opportunity for students to learn from other students, local business leaders, experts in the field of business, and community members,” said Dean Reyna.
According to him, the conference will accomplish that this community to become aware of the business opportunities available to them. “The majority of the speakers will concentrate their discussion on the tools available for entrepreneurs to succeed with the help of our local chambers and economic development corporations.” He continued, “We want to make this INNO 2016’ even better than ever before based on the robust platform that we have built through the years. We believe that we are here to make everything possible to continue ‘changing lives’ for our students and our communities.”
INNO takes place at the STC Business and Technology campus because is strategically placed in an area where we are close to local businesses, maquiladoras, McAllen Trade Center.
“Currently the facility has all the necessary state-of-the-art equipment to train students and get them ready for the walk out the door to join the workforce.” Dean Reyna finalized.
Click the link below and get the agenda:
BiNational Innovation Conference 2016 Agenda
