By Joey Gomez
Valley Town Crier
June 29, 2011
McALLEN – With a renewed focus on innovation, commercialization and research, McAllen is on the right track to be a player in tomorrow’s global world, according to economic experts in the city.
An early master plan for the city’s future research and education park is poised to take the region into the next quarter century of prosperity and progress by tentatively developing a sub-community where the free exchange of ideas can take place, according to McAllen Economic Development.
At a meeting held at the Chamber of Commerce last week, McAllen offered an early preview of the master plan, which gave the details for the upcoming park in the city’s Foreign Trade Zone.
City leaders, along with the McAllen Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), South Texas College, the University of Texas-Pan American, as well as representatives of the North American Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education Initiative (NAAMREI) were on hand at the event.
“So what this does is gives us that nest where people land. It gives us a place for people to come in and say, ‘I can do my work there.’ It’s also where we bring everyone in, the talent,” said MEDC CEO and Executive Director Keith Patridge. “It’s where local citizens, students and professors, it’s where the research scientists and engineers, it’s where everyone will co-mingle for that sharing of ideas.”
Master planning for the new research facility is currently taking place. Austin-based Broaddus and Associates, the management firm in charge of the plan, hopes to have it ready by fall 2011. The park will be located on 400 acres of public and private land near the McAllen Foreign Trade Zone, a stone’s throw from manufacturing facilities in Reynosa.
“What’s interesting is that there is no research park model. So I think part of what we’re trying to show here is getting people up to speed, and wrapping their brains around what this is,” said Stephen Coulston, vice president of Broaddus Planning. “It’s not good enough for those locations to come in and say ‘it’s business as usual.’ It’s really about saying ‘how can we create an environment, that will be different, but sustainable.’”
NAAMREI, a collaboration of more than 60 entities including stakeholders from business, education, economic development, industry and government, is currently spearheading the development of the park.
Headed by leaders from MEDC, Rio South Texas Economic Council, STC and UTPA, NAAMREI’s impact will be developing the talent which will comprise the proposed park.
“We’re developing human capital to form the talent pipeline,” said NAAMREI Executive Director Wanda Garza in a statement.
“We see ourselves as a world leader in rapid response manufacturing,” Garza said, referring to the idea of taking product from concept to completion in as little as 30 days. The focus is bringing about the companies who may develop product in key market areas including aerospace, automotive, or medical equipment
The ultimate goal for the upcoming research park, would be to develop the next Microsoft in the region, according to Patridge.
“The community has developed and grown a lot of assets. We now have to take those assets and figure out how to move us to the next level, and that new level is what we are talking about here,” he said. “My goal is to have the next Microsoft come out of this park. I can’t ensure anything, after all everyone in the country would like to have that happen. What we need is a lot of hard work and a lot of luck.”