An interview with Edinburg EDC Executive Director Raudel Garza

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

EDINBURG, Texas - Raudel Garza, executive director of Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, says he expects great things from UT-Rio Grande Valley’s highly anticipated Workforce Economy Research and Community (WERC) Complex.

The complex sits next to I-69 Central in Edinburg. Back in the day it used to be the old Haggar Clothing Company building. Later it became UT-Pan American’s Community Engagement and Student Services (CESS) office.

The WERC project came about thanks to a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The EDC grant will fund part of the $8.9 million project, with UTRGV providing an additional $6 million. The remaining $500,000 came from funds secured by U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz in this year’s appropriations bill for the college.

“I think that (the WERC) is going to have a real big impact on business development and small business development in the near future for the entire region,” Garza said, in a recent interview with Ron Whitlock Reports.

“They (UTRGV) are consolidating a lot of the business resources that they have now spread out in the (Edinburg) campus and other locations into this one facility.”

As the Rio Grande Guardian previously reported, construction has been master-planned and involves completely gutting and transforming the 126,000-square-foot building.

“Of that space, approximately 15,000 square feet will be dedicated to classrooms; 10,000 square feet for a manufacturing incubator and commercialization activities; and 10,000 square feet to research and development laboratories specifying in manufacturing and prototyping,” the Guardian reported.

“The complex will also include an environmentally controlled dry room, a high security area for government contract work, and office space for the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center. The goal is to be a one-stop shop for businesses and students to research, design, and manufacture products – from start to finish – for market consumption.”

Raudel Garza told Ron Whitlock Reports that UTRGV has “a great support system” to help small businesses and businesses in general.

“Ron Garza is going to be setting up quite a few exciting things out there, including, possibly, an incubator for advanced manufacturing, so companies that are (thinking of) coming into the Valley and trying to set up shop can get a lot of assistance from all the different organizations that are within the university, under one roof,” Raudel Garza told Ron Whitlock Reports.

“And so I think it's going to be very good for the entire region, and it's great that it's in Edinburg.”

Ron Garza (no relation) is UTRGV’s associate vice president for workforce and economic development. He is spearheading the project.

Ron Garza previously told the Rio Grande Guardian:

“What this does that’s new and different is it takes all that service that we do and it’s also going to add significant square footage for R&D [research and development] laboratories,” said Garza. “We have some on our campuses, but we don’t have enough volume specifically for industry. We have a lot of industry partners … They’re all asking for the physical space for research commercialization. This will be that space.”

Editor’s Note: Ron Whitlock secured an interview with Raudel Garza following the recent Edinburg Commercial Tour. The Tour was co-sponsored by Edinburg EDC and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.

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