Attracting investment from India has always been on COSTEP’s radar – Rio Grande Guardian

ELSA, Texas – South Texas Council for Economic Progress (COSTEP) CEO Adam Gonzalez is pitching Mumbai-based manufacturers to set up factories in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo, and is now moving to Delhi. .

Gonzalez is participating in a trade mission to India co-sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism and the Texas Economic Development Corporation. Governor Greg Abbott is leading the mission.

The delegation will depart for India on January 19th and return to India on January 28th.

Gonzalez said in a social media post: “Discussions were held on promoting cross-border trade through innovation, investment and technology partnerships. The delegation also visited leading technology companies with a focus on engineering, cloud, software and digital technologies.”

Gonzalez said the fourth day concluded with a meeting with young business leaders in Delhi.

“COSTEP’s mission has been successful and we will begin building on established relationships this week,” he added.

According to COSTEP’s website, COSTEP promotes regional prosperity through a strategic framework for economic development. “The framework is data-driven and market-validated, with a focus on job creation and building the region’s talent pipeline, all of which will drive sustainable economic growth and prosperity for the region. “We are working towards the goal of creating a virtuous cycle for our people and our people,” reads the COSTEP website.

While Gonzalez is in India, COSTEP is being led in South Texas by Economic Development Director Rick Carrera. The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service spoke with Carrera in Elsa earlier this week.

When asked what Gonzalez’s goals are in India, Carrera said: “The goal of his visit to India, our primary goal, is to increase South Texas’ exposure to people around the world who are looking for a viable space to land, expand, and start.”Excellent , build a solid, industrial company. ”

Carrera said in an interview that Gonzalez was not in India simply because the governor’s office organized the trip.

“India has been on our radar for a while. Before I started here, COSTEP was on a lot of business trips overseas. They weren’t ready to go to India yet. Therefore, this was a great opportunity for us to visit as this country had our attention. Obviously, the Governor’s Office has a number of contacts that Adam will be visiting with during his stay. We’re helping them get established. So it all came together at a very right time.”

Asked if the fact that Indian tech giant Zoho Corporation has opened a facility in McAllen is an advantage, Carrera said: If someone is here and has already set up shop, that sets a series of precedents. They (Zoho) can really speak to the quality of the entire establishment process here in the Rio South Texas area.

When asked about what else COSTEP is currently working on, Carrera said: It will probably be held around the end of February. ”

In his last interview with the Guardian, Carrera said that COSTEP is planning a site selector tour in 2024. When she was asked about this, she said she was “working on some of that right now.”

The Guardian also asked Carrera about COSTEP’s efforts to acquire two large manufacturing companies in the food and aerospace industries.

“They’re progressing well. Still positive. But I couldn’t give any further details. But they’re progressing as well as we expected.”

When asked if he had anything else he would like to add, Carrera replied: This is to increase the exposure of the region to all companies looking to expand into the region. We think this is a treasure trove. This is a great opportunity for all kinds of redevelopment, new development, and expansion. So we’re going to take advantage of that as much as we can. ”