The Up and Down Market of Yo-Yos, A Needle in a Haystack and the Cocktail Afterparty~BiNED 2013 Summit

Mingling Before the Sessions at Gran Salon

After a morning of speeches, followed by an afternoon of workshops, then  more speeches, attendees at the Binational Economic Development Summit 2013, disembarked for cocktails at an event sponsored by Presidente Municipal(Mayor) Leticia Salazar of Matamoros.  The event location was not disclosed at the morning session, lest the name-badged guests skip the afternoon workshops to rest up for the afterparty.

Forget for a moment that, among the seminar's sponsors was United Brownsville, a shadowy, unelected board that pretentiously pulls strings of Brownsville, Cameron County elected officials or that the "Fact Sheet" neatly tucked into each attendees' burnt orange binder was authored "by Carlos Marin, Ph.D., At-Large Member, United Brownsville."  Most of the presenters were oblivious to all of that, some presenting actual expertise that, if ever utilized, could actually jumpstart the region economically.  

Mayors of Matamoros, Brownsville, Harlingen

Yes, the region, bigger than the classic football games of the 50's between the Brownsville Golden Eagles and the Harlingen Cardinals, and definitely including the half a million or so in Heroica Matamoros, Tamaulipas, was characterized by more than one speaker as potentially far more potent than individual communities.  Chris Wilson of the Mexico Institute explained, for example, that the emphasis on highly skilled workers sometimes obscures the fact that all skill levels are needed to make a regional economy work and that the "mix" of skills and strengths north and south of the river were critical.  

Wages in Mexico, double those in China in 2009, will be lower than the Chinese by 2017.  Then, there is the matter of reacting to the marketplace quickly that has brought production back from China to the U.S. and Mexico. Dell Computers, for example, while still assembling basic units in China, produces custom units in Ciudad Juarez because of the much quicker turnaround.  The manufacture of yo-yos, described as "an up and down market," moved from China to Mexico to react more quickly to market changes.  

Carolyn McIntosh, Patton Boggs

Carolyn McIntosh of Patton Boggs, an international law firm, lectured on as yet unutilized provisions of NAFTA, U.S. and Mexican law favorable to a cross-border industrial hub.  Article 305 of the North American Free Trade Act allows for the "temporary duty free entrance of goods," while Chapter 16 sites the "temporary entrance of people for manufacturing" and "the elimination of tariffs."  Also, something called the Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund was set up for projects meeting the criteria 100 miles north or south of the border.  

Robin McCaffrey of MESA, the principal architect of the Greater Brownsville Infrastructure and Development Plan, noted a projected Texas population by 2040 of 35.8 million, and sited the need for a "production economy" as opposed to a "pass through economy."  He referred to the Euroregion model which developed in 1951 as did several other speakers.

Congressman Filemon Vela

Congressman Filemon Vela, late to the meeting because of a dental appointment, acted as a meeting chairman, introducing speakers and keeping the program on time, sending the question cards included in each attendee packet to the appropriate expert.  Vela brought with him Alan Bersin, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, whose experience living in San Diego, allowed him to incorporate Spanish phrases into his presentation.  Bersin emphasized not separating, but linking security and commerce, as a "secure transfer of goods" is a prerequisite of effective commerce.  "After 9/11," Bersin said, "we removed every straw from the haystack to find the needle.  Then, we learned to use available intelligence to locate the needle and remove it. With respect to border commerce, it's about making the haystack smaller."  Making the haystack smaller involves identifying trusted travelers, trusted shippers and clearing them apart from the higher risks. The Century program at the border and global entry programs for air travel were cited.

Dr. Alan Artibise, the smoothest of platform speakers, referred to the Euroregion and Nordic Agreement's start in 1951.  "This is not an overnight project, but I don't think it will take 60 years," he stated.