Texas Border Business
By Roberto H. González / Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas — COSTEP presented Rio South Texas region as a binational transportation and investment corridor during a June 11, 2026, meeting with representatives of the San Luis Potosí automotive industry.
The presentation at the Cambria Hotel in McAllen described a regional network of 19 international trade bridges, three seaports, seven international airports, and direct connections to Class I rail systems.
The Council for South Texas Economic Progress, known as COSTEP, hosted the visiting delegation. The South Texas Region connects cities across Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata counties with 10 municipalities in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Adam Gonzalez, chief executive officer of COSTEP, and members of his team hosted the meeting and welcomed the visiting delegation from San Luis Potosí, Mexico. COSTEP invited regional economic development corporations and strategic partners to participate.
COSTEP’s presentation identified the Port of Brownsville, Port of Harlingen and Port of Matamoros as the region’s principal maritime assets. The presentation placed the Port of Brownsville’s regional economic impact at more than $3 billion. It said the Port of Harlingen handles more than 3 million tons of cargo annually and described the Port of Matamoros as a connection for oversized cargo and offshore support.
Those figures and descriptions were supplied in the COSTEP presentation.
The regional overview placed annual trade operations at $15 billion and the corridor’s annual economic impact at $40 billion. It also said thousands of commercial trucks are processed daily. The presentation described the region as part of a major foreign-trade corridor operating under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Air transportation was presented as another part of the network. COSTEP said seven international airports provide passenger, cargo and corporate aviation connections. The presentation placed annual cargo and regional corporate aviation operations at $500 million.
SpaceX’s Starbase operation in the Brownsville area was also included. COSTEP placed its direct and indirect economic impact at $900 million. The information was presented to visitors involved in automotive manufacturing, industrial parks, engineering, energy efficiency, and logistics.
Mauricio Galindo, who represented a warehousing and logistics company, said the region offered potential for storing and moving products on either side of the border. “I believe there are significant opportunities in this area, great potential for us to expand and establish operations here,” Galindo said. The first session focused on presenting regional capabilities and identifying possible business connections.
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