Henry Cisneros wrote a thorough analysis of the Texas Mexico region and the economic powerhouse it has become. His opinion piece in the Express News op-ed (https://lnkd.in/gsWk2hd7) builds on the automotive super cluster work we started in 2007. The latest Texas Mexico Automotive Super Cluster report can be found on our Bexar County website (https://lnkd.in/g8Nctimv) along with an archive of the 2008 and 2012 reports.
There remains much to be done to maximize the economic benefit, and the future remains bright, even with the threat of tariffs and trade wars. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai has been promoting greater collaboration with the South Texas region stretching from San Antonio/ Austin to Corpus Christi, the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and Laredo - a “diamond” that could also include the Monterrey/ Saltillo manufacturing hubs that are part of our economic region.
The key factors that will drive growth are workforce, water, power, and transportation. Laredo is the dominant border crossing, and increased capacity is also important to ensure we reach our fullest potential.
The real upside, however, comes as we continue to climb the value chain, expanding on the great manufacturing careers that Toyota, International, Caterpillar, and JCB provide. International’s Advanced Technology Center is an amazing showplace of applied engineering, adding to assets such as Southwest Research Institute.
And as vehicles become more and more technologically advanced, the “software defined vehicle” will require the most advanced cybersecurity engineering and AI research that can leverage UTSA’s rapidly expanding competency in those areas.
Cisneros doesn’t get enough credit for serving as the catalyst for this growth. Without his decades-long work building strong personal ties to Toyota, the growth would likely have occurred, but much more slowly, and San Antonio’s leadership in driving this wave of economic prosperity would not exist.
See Henry’s op-ed here:
https://lnkd.in/gsWk2hd7