No Man is an Island

September 22, 2021

COSTEP’s on a Mission to Expand Rio South Texas’ Reach
by Faith Chua

The Rio South Texas region has always been known for its strong sense of camaraderie and closeness. Each business, city, and individual help contribute to strengthening one of the region’s most significant assets: it’s people. However, there is also the famous saying, “no man is an island.” As strong as the sense of community is, it does not do the people any good if it is isolated from most of the world. Though not intentionally, the Rio South Texas region, which includes the counties from Webb to Cameron county along the Rio Grande River, is not as well-known as it could be. COSTEP’s Board of Directors and Management saw the potential the seven county Rio South Texas area  offers and has set out to raise awareness and further widen the region's reach.

On Sept. 1, both COSTEP’S Vice President of Economic Development Matt Ruszczak and Senior Vice President of Business Development Adam Gonzalez flew off to Munich, Germany, to attend the IAA Mobility 2021 tradeshow. This past week they attended the North American Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Expo in Novi, Michigan. Currently, they are traveling to Pontiac, Michigan, to attend the North American International Automobile Show’s Motor Bella event. The main goal COSTEP wants to achieve is increasing awareness of the Rio South Texas region and hopefully attract more domestic and international mobility industry manufacturers to invest in the area. The trade shows also serve as a fact finding undertaking for Ruszczak and Gonzalez that will help them to not only garner knowledge about current and upcoming industry technology, but they will also learn which companies are looking to localize or expand their operations.

“One of the challenges that our region has, is not the value it has to offer but the fact that it may not be well-known. So one of the things we are excited for is to tell the story to our new contacts and really engage actively in promoting our region to a new audience. The second thing that is exciting for both of us is to learn how this industry is changing… We’re getting all these different angles and learning which direction the mobility industry is going to head to next. So it’s not just exciting to learn about how things are going to be changing but the fact we’re going to get to be on the cutting edge of that knowledge. And with any industry that changes, this always creates opportunity” said Matt Ruszczak.

“Things have been going well. We have been talking to a lot of people. It’s not just cars, trucks, and trains… It’s very interesting to see the direction where it is all headed.  It is becoming clear that in order to supply the necessary workforce, the region’s colleges and universities cannot just focus on the current demands, but also need to focus on future skills requirements in the advanced technology area and the STEM field. I think there will be a lot of opportunities for our region” said Adam Gonzalez.

More information can be found on COSTEP’s social media (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn).