Everything Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda said at the recent RioPlex event in her city

HARLINGEN, Texas - When Mario Reyna, a leader with the Prosperity Task Force, made his opening remarks at a RioPlex event he described Harlingen as the center of the Rio Grande Valley and the center of the universe.  Up next was Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda. She was happy to receive Reyna’s accolade. “Good morning, everyone. I like that welcome to the center of the universe. I love it,” Sepulveda said. “It's truly, truly wonderful to see so many innovators and leaders within community right here in the city of Harlingen.” For far too long, Sepulveda said, people would think and talk about Houston, Dallas, and Austin when considering development and growth in Texas. “However, we are now witnessing a pivotal shift, if you will, and all eyes are on South Texas. Our region is emerging as the new center of growth and opportunity.” But, said Sepulveda, the region can only benefit if everyone collaborates. “By uniting our efforts, we can drive economic development, foster innovation, and improve the quality of life for all of our residents.” And as the region includes northern Tamaulipas, Mayor Sepulveda said, talks “must include cross border collaboration with our partners in Mexico.” She said: “I'm so excited to see folks from both sides of the border here united in this room together with one common purpose and that is to ensure that both sides of the border are able to maximize and leverage the specific and special qualities that we have within each of our communities and to do that together. So that way we grow together.” Sepulveda said it is all about harnessing the collective potential the region has.  “That is what we're doing here today. So, let's engage in this meaningful dialogue for this new partnership and explore ways to drive our region forward.”  Sepulveda continued: “Thank you all for being here in the center of the universe right here in Harlingen. Thank you, Joaquin Spamer (founder of RioPlex) for choosing Harlingen and recognizing that we are centrally located, and we are ripe for development. We want to make sure that everyone knows that Harlingen is open for business, South Texas is open for business, and we are stronger together.” Sepulveda said it is no longer of value to say the city of Harlingen has a population of 80,000. “It is how strong are we on both sides of the border and that's three million strong.” Sepulveda concluded her remarks by saying it is incumbent on everyone present to be sharing that story. “To say we have the largest workforce in Texas right here in South Texas. We have a young demographic, we have plenty of opportunity, we are not landlocked, and we are ready to grow our community, and we do that together,” she said.  “So, thank you so much. I am excited to hear about all the wonderful work and excited to hear more about Rioplex, and to making it a reality. So, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.”Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.