PHARR, Texas – The director of UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center says her department is close to beginning promoting its soft landing program in Central and South America.
Linda Ufland Romo says ECC has already had great success in attracting entrepreneurs from Mexico. She told the Rio Grande Guardianit is time to look further south.
“We have had a huge influx of small and medium-sized businesses or companies from south of the border,” said Ufland Romo.
“So we are expanding our presence to the rest of Mexico, to Nuevo Leon Jalisco and Mexico City. And beyond that, of course, we will also target Central and South America.”
Ufland Romo gave an exclusive interview with the Guardian at the official opening of the Pharr Global Business Hub. When asked if the Pharr Global Business Hub is similar to the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization, Ufland Romo said:
“It’s similar. We just wanted to expand our presence in Pharr. We’ve been working with the Pharr EDC for a number of years to develop a facility that will also accommodate many of the international companies that come across the Pharr International Bridge, one of the largest international bridges in the United States,” said Ufland Romo.
“So we wanted to get a foothold here to support that ecosystem and the entrepreneurs that want to be near the bridge and be part of the city of Pharr. And we also wanted to expand our services so that we can support the local entrepreneur community through all of our programs throughout the valley.”
Ufland Romo said that while the soft landing program is running in Brownsville and now Pharr, it is regional in nature. “It’s available throughout the Valley. No matter what company wants to participate in this program, it’s the same program.”
One benefit of being a member of Pharr Global Business is that your membership is also valid at eBridge. And vice versa.
Steve Perez, an entrepreneur based at the eBridge Center, came to Pharr for the official opening of the new hub. He said he was pleasantly surprised that his Brownsville membership would now be extended to Pharr. “There’s a lot going on in Pharr that can benefit my high-tech company,” Perez said.
When asked if UTRGV’s ECC sees the benefit of looking south for aspiring entrepreneurs, Ufland Romo said, “It works well.”
Another speaker at the official opening of the Pharr Hub was Eduardo Cerda, president of the International Microsoft Canal Society Association. Cerda is based at the E-Bridge Center in Brownsville. When asked about his role, Ufland Romo said:
“Mr. Cerda is one of our soft landing members. We have been supporting him for about two years as he looks to become a U.S. company and expand his services across the country. But he is also a great mentor. He has so much experience in the technology sector, process-based software and hardware, that he can also support our other entrepreneurs entering this emerging industry.”
When asked if she would like to make any closing remarks, Ufland Romo said, “I invite the entire community to visit our location in Pharr. It’s a great location. It’s small, but we can offer all the services and the members who join us will be part of our ecosystem.”
“We are a regional center. UTRGV takes a regional approach and we really want to make sure that our entire community in the valley feels like we are there to support them.”
