Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
The City of Pharr has been officially named the U.S. headquarters for the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment, and Technology (COMCE), following a formal trade mission by COMCE Zacatecas. The announcement was made during a ceremony at the Pharr Global Business Hub, a facility designed to foster international economic engagement and now recognized as COMCE’s new base in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Pharr Global Business Hub is jointly operated by the Pharr Economic Development Corporation (Pharr EDC) and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). This partnership combines Pharr EDC’s local economic development initiatives with UTRGV’s expertise in entrepreneurship and workforce development.
Víctor Pérez, President and CEO of Economic Development for the City of Pharr, called the designation “historic,” noting that the HUB will serve as a binational headquarters for COMCE and the City of Pharr. “We’ve been working on this partnership for some time,” he said. “This facility was built to support international commerce, and now we’re proud to call it home to COMCE in the RGV.”
The move aims to provide critical access and infrastructure for Mexican entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized businesses looking to expand operations into the United States. “It’s a significant step forward in supporting Mexican entrepreneurs,” Pérez said. “That’s precisely why the Pharr Global Business Hub was created.”
Pérez recalled that the idea first emerged nearly a decade ago, when Mexican delegations expressed interest in U.S. expansion but lacked guidance. “They didn’t know who to approach or where to start,” he explained. Those early conversations ultimately led to the creation of the HUB, designed to serve as a one-stop resource center for international investors.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed last year between the Pharr Economic Development Corporation and COMCE laid the foundation for this binational partnership. “We’re not one of those cities that signs an MoU and walks away,” Pérez said. “Here, we follow through.”
The collaboration includes participation in binational conferences and shared economic development initiatives. To reflect the structure of the new partnership, Pérez has been named President of COMCE Pharr, Texas; Liborio Alberto Flores Mendoza will serve as Vice President; and Lilvette Santos has been appointed Executive Director.
Flores Mendoza, President of COMCE Zacatecas, described the Pharr office as a culmination of years of groundwork and collaboration. “This new binational hub is designed to support trade and business development,” he said. “It will help small and medium-sized enterprises from Mexico expand into the Texas Valley and beyond.”
He emphasized the long-term mission of COMCE: to provide fundamental tools, infrastructure, and guidance that reduce risk and increase the success rate of international business ventures. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve worked with more than 700 Mexican entrepreneurs,” Flores Mendoza said. “Most of them would benefit from services like soft-landing programs and business incubators that ease the transition into the U.S. market.”
Flores noted that the new Pharr office is part of a larger U.S. expansion strategy, joining COMCE’s existing locations in Laredo and Brownsville. He also highlighted the potential of the agri-food sector, a key focus during the accompanying trade seminar.
The new office will be coordinated through COMCE Zacatecas with support from the national COMCE organization. “The leadership structure reflects our commitment to a functional and cooperative binational presence,” Flores Mendoza said.
He stressed that the initiative isn’t just symbolic—it’s practical. “This is no longer just about helping from the Mexican side. We are now positioned where our entrepreneurs want to be,” he said. “Thanks to strong partners like the Pharr EDC, who already have networks and infrastructure in place, we can save businesses time and money.”
The establishment of COMCE Pharr, Texas, marks a milestone in U.S.-Mexico trade relations. More than a symbolic gesture, it represents a shared commitment to opening new markets, streamlining investment, and helping businesses from both sides of the border grow in a competitive global economy.
