Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
The McAllen Citizens League (MCL) announced a new chapter in its enduring legacy of community engagement and discourse with the recent monthly meeting titled “A 2024 Economic Update.” This gathering, marked by its notable location change to the Rio Bank, the League’s 2024 Platinum sponsor, underlined its commitment to fostering economic dialogue and development in McAllen.
Among the distinguished speakers invited to this event was Mark E. Garcia, the Executive Vice President of the McAllen Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). With a tenure at MEDC that began in 2001 as Director of Operations, Garcia has been at the forefront of the organization’s strategic initiatives to stimulate business growth, job retention, and capital investment within the community. His role has been instrumental in shaping the economic landscape of McAllen, navigating through the complexities of geopolitical shifts and technological advancements to ensure the city’s prosperity.
In his address, Garcia embarked on a visionary speech about McAllen’s future economic trajectory. He posed critical inquiries about the city’s future direction, the types of companies targeted for recruitment, and the skill sets needed to propel McAllen into a new era of innovation and growth.
Reflecting on the strategic planning efforts initiated in 2022, Garcia highlighted the imperative for a revised approach considering evolving global dynamics. “In 2022, we sat down and said, you know what? We need to look at where we’re going. We need to develop a new plan because what we did was working fine, but things are changing,” Garcia explained. This reflection led to the development of a long-term strategic plan, emphasizing a 10 to 15-year horizon, beyond the usual 1 to 3-year planning scope, to navigate the shifting economic and technological landscapes.
Three core strategies—workforce development, infrastructure enhancement, and the creation of specialized districts—are central to this strategic plan, which was developed after extensive consultations with steering committees and stakeholders. Garcia’s vision for McAllen includes establishing medical and technology districts, each aimed at fostering innovation and industry-specific growth through strategic clustering and incentivization.
“The development of these districts is about more than just geography; it’s about creating ecosystems where companies can thrive, collaborate, and drive the core industries we want to focus on,” Garcia remarked. He cited Zoho’s collaboration, the software company, and the development of the STC Advanced Manufacturing Centers as essential moves towards realizing these technology and medical districts.
Garcia’s insights into the strategic direction of McAllen’s economic development illuminate a path of deliberate and thoughtful advancement. McAllen is preparing to embrace the future with a robust and dynamic economic strategy through workforce development, infrastructural improvements, and the cultivation of industry-specific clusters. Garcia said the MEDC’s vision sets the stage for a thriving community ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades.
In an era of rapidly transforming economic landscapes, the McAllen Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) is at the top, steering the city of McAllen toward a future of unprecedented growth and innovation. Garcia, provided an insightful update on the economic outlook for 2024, underlining strategic initiatives and forward-thinking projects set to redefine McAllen’s economic circle.
Garcia illuminated MEDC’s tactical advancements, particularly highlighting the significance of infrastructure development, a cornerstone of McAllen’s economic blueprint. “Infrastructure is one of those long-term projects, but it’s critical for us,” Garcia emphasized. The Loop 365 project is a demonstration of this strategy, unlocking new opportunities and facilitating seamless connectivity across the region.
To anticipate and accommodate industrial demands, MEDC has strategically acquired property around Moore Air Base, envisioning this northern tract as a critical growth area. “The projects are getting bigger, and we’ve observed a shift from requiring 15 to 20 acres to now needing up to a thousand acres,” Garcia noted, stressing the changing landscape of industrial and commercial development.
This northward expansion is not merely about acquiring more space but strategically positioning McAllen to attract large-scale projects and leverage the unique assets of the Moore Air Base area, including its airbase and private airport. This initiative is part of a larger vision to ensure McAllen remains at the forefront of industrial development, emphasizing building the necessary vertical structures to complement the available land.
Garcia also highlighted workforce development as a critical pillar of McAllen’s economic strategy. Recognizing the universal challenge of talent acquisition across industries, he detailed MEDC’s proactive steps in addressing this issue. “We were up at a consultant’s forum in Louisville, Kentucky, and the common theme was workforce development,” Garcia shared, pointing out the widespread nature of this challenge.
MEDC has hired a workforce development director to bridge the gap between industry needs and educational institutions. This role is key in creating synergies between business requirements and the academic programs offered by institutions such as UTRGV, A&M, and STC. “It’s about bridging that gap between industry and our institutions,” Garcia stated, emphasizing the strategic importance of aligning educational outcomes with industry demands.
Garcia’s address to the MCL highlighted MEDC’s comprehensive and strategic approach to economic development in McAllen. From infrastructure development and strategic land acquisition to fostering workforce excellence, MEDC is laying the groundwork for a prosperous future.
As McAllen moves forward, the concerted efforts of MEDC, local businesses, educational institutions, and the community will be central to realizing the vision laid out in the 2024 economic plan. Garcia’s closing remarks resonated with optimism and an invitation for ongoing dialogue: “We’re excited about the future and all the things happening,” Garcia finalized.
This article is available for reading in 102 languages, including Spanish.
