By Steve Taylor, Rio Grande Guardian
Blas Castaneda
EDINBURG, Oct. 24 – One of the great champions of workforce training and economic development along the Texas-Mexico border is leaving Laredo Community College after almost 40 years of service.
However, Blas Castaneda is not retiring. He plans to start a consultancy firm in the New Year with associates in San Antonio, Austin and Washington, D.C. The firm will focus on economic development, workforce training, organizational leadership and governmental affairs.
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“I am retiring from the college but do not rule me out. My work with the community and the border region is not finished,” Castaneda said, in an exclusive interview with the Guardian.
In the interview, Castaneda gave a glimpse of the sort of things he still wants to achieve and the passion he still has to help the region grow.
“We can probably land one or two more assembly plants along the border. We are poised for great things. We have a high caliber workforce. We have the mindset,” he said.
“Just because we live on the border does not mean we cannot have the best level of education, the best level of workforce training, the best level of health care. We have to continue to work together to make sure we get the resources we need. They (state and federal government) never used to give us any money. Now, we see our students recognized at the national level. Imagine with a little bit more money what we could do.”
The news that Castaneda’s work as a tireless advocate for the border region is not coming to an end will delight his legions of friends from Brownsville to El Paso, and Matamoros to Juarez. A measure of the esteem in which the former migrant worker, educator and grant writer extraordinaire is held was on show last Thursday when University of Texas-Pan American President Robert Nelsen held a reception in his honor.
This reception followed a meeting of the North American Advanced Manufacturing Research and Educational Institute’s core leadership team at UTPA. Castaneda has been a key member of the NAAMREI team since its inception. Among those in attendance at the reception were McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez and NAAMREI Executive Officer Wanda Garza.
“I was honored that Dr. Nelsen and NAAMREI had the reception for me,” Castaneda said. “People like Wanda Garza and my friends at NAAMREI treat you like family. You think you are going to do one day’s work with them and you end up doing ten years. And that is OK because when you are treated so well you are really motivated and inspired.”
Castaneda has worked under five presidents at Laredo Community College. He is currently Chief of External Affairs and Economic Development. His other posts have included clerk, teacher’s aide, and faculty member. Asked to list his greatest achievements, Castaneda said he has been most proud of his work in helping Laredo’s students and business community succeed, his efforts to help rural communities with their economic development needs, and getting border leaders to think and act regionally. He is also pleased to have helped find the resources to bring a number of technological, allied health and learning centers to Webb and Zapata counties.
“I believe every opportunity we can get to help our business and industry we must take. The more successful they are the more job creation is going to happen in our community,” he said.
Asked what changes have had the most impact during his many years at LCC, Castaneda pointed to technological advances.
“Twenty years ago your competitor was across the street. Today your competitor is across the ocean. Due to technology and cost efficiencies we are having to compete with other countries that are trying to take our lunch,” he said.
For many years, Castaneda has chaired the Texas Border Coalition’s workforce training and education committee. This has meant taking the lead in developing a legislative agenda to bring more resources to the border for, among other things, adult basic education. He has also chaired Future of the Region, Inc., otherwise known as FORI. It was through this vehicle that he helped rural communities between Laredo, Corpus Christi, and the Rio Grande Valley secure broadband and other online capabilities.
“With the Texas Border Coalition, it has been important to develop a legislative agenda and take it to Austin and Washington, to ensure the state and federal government learns about our workforce training needs,” Castaneda said.
“TBC’s weekly conference calls have been invaluable. It is difficult sometimes but if you make the effort and you use your time wisely you can do it. I pay tribute to Mayor Richard Cortez, Mayor John David Franz, Mayor John Cook, and (Maverick County) Judge Pepe Aranda.”
In recent years, working with NAAMREI has been a priority for Castaneda. He said it is vital LCC play an active role in the group once he has retired, including having a seat at the core leadership team’s table.
Castaneda said he has been most impressed with the regional partnerships that have developed because of NAAMREI and with the leadership shown by UTPA President Nelsen and his predecessor, Blandina Cardenas.
“It has been leadership by example. This president and the former president sometimes get criticized for what they do but people do not realize this work is not being done to achieve results today. They are doing the work for the next five to 20, 25 years for the region, for the students. It is strategic planning,” Castaneda said.
Castaneda said he has especially enjoyed working on economic development projects with Wanda Garza, who, in addition to being NAAMREI’s chief executive has headed economic development and workforce training for South Texas College. “Wanda is considered the best of the best in Texas. She is a true planner. Within NAAMREI, she has helped everyone. She has not put anyone less than any other,” he said.
Castaneda said he cannot stress enough the importance of border leaders working together for the betterment of the entire region. He said his experience as a former city council member in Laredo has helped in this regard.
“I have sometimes had to tell the elected officials, take your turf hats off and come and sit down and work for the betterment of all the communities. We are not here to promote one city. We are here to promote the entire region,” he said.
That strategy is already paying dividends, he said, citing the “great strides” being made by border universities and community colleges such as UT-El Paso, UT-Brownsville, UTPA, Texas A&M International, LCC, STC, and TSTC.
“This border region is poised to become ten times better than it was ten years ago. You can see it in our colleges. We have a lot of smart young folks who are willing and eager to become doctors, to become engineers, to become nurses, to become welders,” Castaneda said. “Sooner or later, the whole border region is going to be one of the best economic blocs anywhere in the country.”