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UTB-CBIRD Report: “At The Crossroads” Economic Development 110
Assets
Cameron County and Matamoros possess a competitive advantage over many
regions of the U.S. because of the region’s international border and Gulf of
Mexico location where a unique combination of transportation infrastructure,
inter-modal transportation connectivity, and geographical location supports
multidimensional networks in international transportation and logistics. This
transportation infrastructure and inter-modal connectivity provides the area with
access to domestic and international markets, an attractive location in which to
transport and conduct trade. However, the potential ability to transport
internationally has not been fully realized by the region’s maquiladora and other
manufacturing sectors.
Another asset of the region is its young bicultural workforce with high potential
for technological training. Seventy-five percent of the regional workforce speaks
both English and Spanish. 1 Complementary assets are the area’s universities,
colleges, and technical centers which provide the basis for education and
workforce training. UTB/TSC also provides a natural location to conduct
research and development focused on transportation, logistics and distribution
needs for the 21 st century.
Overview
Challenges of increased crossings at international ports of entry have been
aggravated by national security concerns, inhibiting trade expansion and the
unfettered movement of goods and services toward enhanced global economic
integration. This report suggests that the Cameron County/Matamoros region
could:
⇒ Be a global leader of transportation and logistics technology development
and implementation
⇒ Be seen as a model multi-modal port of preference
⇒ Capture global business transport opportunities that would facilitate the
growth of other regional industries as well as the sustainability of the
region’s maquiladoras.
In recent years, Cameron County/Matamoros trucking, warehousing, and other
regional transportation services have benefited from expanding national and
state economies as well as from increasing trade with Mexico. In 2001, while
the U.S. and Texas economies were challenged, trade with Mexico remained
fairly resilient through much of the year. The current U.S. recession is taking its
toll on border trade, and Texas-based employment in trucking and warehousing
was down 2.6%, or 3,700 jobs, by April 2002. Yet overall projections remain
strong and industry growth is expected to accelerate by 4% in 2003. 2
Transportation and public utilities account for five percent of total employment in
the Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area (BHMSA). This is
compared to four percent in the McAllen MSA and seventeen percent in the
Laredo MSA. Table 5.8 provides a comparison of the number of firms and
employees of transportation industries in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Webb Counties.
Cameron County shows a strong Air Transportation industry for both scheduled
and non-scheduled flights: Thirteen firms support a workforce of 380. While
Webb County has fourteen firms in this industry, these companies support a
smaller workforce of 254. Cameron County also leads in water transportation, in
1 Census Bureau, City County Data Book 2001, Cameron County, Texas
2 Carole Keeton Rylander, Texas Comptroller, Texas Regional Outlook: The South Texas Border
Region, June 2002, page 13.
Una Region -- Un Futuro