BEDC'S $314,000 SPENT: COLOMBIA, 3 JOBS; B'TOWN , 0

By Juan Montoya
The Brownsville Economic Development Council has released a report on their Colombian economic mission which shows that in the two and one-half years of operating an office there, they have spent $197,590 in salaries for three Colombian nationals and office costs, and another $116,000 in travel for BEDC, city, port, state and private individuals.
And while the report does not show that one job has been created for a Brownsville resident so far, But BEDC CEO Jason Hilts asserts that their efforts so far at "developing relationships" has the "potential" of bringing at least 11 mid-size operations in different sectors with $25 million and 200 jobs and another $300 million from two major projects in food processing and retail which might create 450 jobs and another 300 indirect jobs here.
Here's the breakdown on the Colombian operation funded to the tune of $314,438 from July 2013 to date (click on graphic blow to enlarge):

Staff and salary: Director of Recruitment: $50,436 yearly
Office Assistant:                                         $6,600 yearly
Office Assistant:                                          $800 monthly

Total multiplied by 2.5 years:                     $197,590

Travel:

July 15 to Sept. 13, 2013 Four Trips: (1.Medellin, 2.Bogota-Cali, 3.Bogota, 4. Barranquilla-Bogota,Medellin, Cali)
Fellow Travelers: City of Brownsville (Mayor Tony Martinez), BEDC staff, Port of Brownsville reps (Eddeie Campirano, commissioners?, Office of the Governor of Economic Development, A Brownsville manufacturer(?), attorney (private?), labor consultant (?)
Why the Mayor? Hilts, in the December 8 workshop, stated: "In South America, a mayor is viewed like a governor or president. The meetings we set up are better attended if the mayor is with us."
Participants BEDC claims attended the "Invest in Brownsville Trade Mission": 375

$44,625

(Note: in the report sent to El Rrun-Rrun, Hilts did not identify the individuals who were taken to Colombia at public expense other than by their organizations. For example, he did not mention the Port of Brownsville commissioners or administrators who went with the BEDC.)

Oct., 7, 2013 to June 18, 2014 Four Trips: (1.Bogota, 2. Bogota, Medellin, Cali, 3. Medellin, 4. Ipiales, Cucuta, Tunja, Medellin, Barranquilla, Pereira, Santa Maria)
Fellow Travelers: BEDC, Office of the Governor ED)
Participants BEDC claims attended the "Invest in Brownsville Trade Mission": 503

$30,223

July 29, 2014 to August 16, 2014 Two Trips(1. Bogota, 2. Medellin, , Cali, Bogota, Cartagena)
Fellow Travelers: City of Brownsville (Martinez?, federal official (Filemon Vela?), Port of Brownsville (Eddie Campirano?),  Office of the Governor ED)
Participants BEDC claims attended the Invest in Brownsville Trade Mission: 193

$23,750

Oct. 27 2014 to April 23, 2015 Two Trips: (1. Medellin, Bogota, 2. Medellin, Bogota
Fellow Travelers: BEDC staff only
Participants BEDC claims attended the Invest in Brownsville Trade Mission: 51

$8,550

May 30 to Nov. 12, 2015 Three Trips: (1. Medellin, Bogota. 2. Medellin, Bogota. 3. Bogota, Cali)
Fellow Travelers: BEDC staff only
Participants BEDC claims attended the Invest in Brownsville Trade Mission: Not noted

$9,900

Total Travel by BEDC, City of Brownsville, Office of the Gov., Port of Brownsville, Brownsville Manufacturer, lawyer, labor consultant:

$116,848

(Hilts adds the caveat that: All travel is associated with meetings pertaining to prospective activity, trade missions, government officials, investor relations, entrepreneurs, port authorities and chambers of commerce. The face-to-face meetings with such representatives are derived through an internal lead generating process. In return, the meetings result in visits to Brownsville by prospective companies and participants for the inbound trade missions hosted in Brownsville.)

Results so far on our $314,438 investment in personnel, office and travel of our able representatives:
Jobs for local residents: 0, not counting Hilts and BEDC VP Gilbert Salinas
Jobs for Colombian nationals: 3

11 Active mid-size projects (Potential as yet uncommitted)

Potential jobs if everything goes right: $25 million and 200 jobs in 11 active mid-size projects that include light industrial, commercial, logistics (?), food and beverage manufacturing.

Potential Major Projects: 2 (Potential as yet uncommitted)

Major Project 1: $50 million in capital investment
Major food manufacturing and restaurant chain
Potential jobs 150 direct, 100 indirect

Major Project 2: $250 million in capital investment
Mixed-use development with retail anchors
Potential Jobs: 300 direct, 200 indirect
Will expand city's retail, residential growth northward (?)

"Note: Information in regards out top active projects from Latin America is considered sensitive, competitive and confidential...the BEDC is exempt from discussing such information."
Hilts' response to our information request is long in generalities and eco-dev double talk and short on specific detail.
However, he saved his ace in the hole for the amount of money he claims has been generated by the visit of trade representatives and participants from Colombia, Brazil Mexico, Chile, Venezuela and Spain  (Spain is in Latin America?). He said a total of 182 attendees to "Brownsville Trade Mission Workshops" and spent between 3 days here. If each one spent an average of $3,570 in lodging, food, travel and miscellaneous purchases during their stay in Brownsville, he estimates that it generated an estimated $650,000 in the local economy.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
Since the BEDC-sponsored Latin-American Trade Missions already generated an "estimated" $650,000, this would more than offset the $314,438 spent in the Colombian Mission so far. In fact, even though no jobs have been created so far, Brownsville is still ahead by $335,562.
Move over Brownsville Visitors and Convention Bureau. The BEDC is putting heads on beds unlike you slackers.
And no wonder Da Mayor Martinez likes to go on these "junkets." He is probably lining up real- estate deals for his cronies like he lined up with $2.3 million La Casa del Nylon in downtown Brownsville. As Hilts said in his Dec. 8 presentation: "The negotiations on the real estate is still going on and we expect that they will conclude sometime in early 2016."
The carrots is always just out of reach, isn't it BEDC guys? For now, however, we have to take it as an article of faith just as we took Titan Tire and the coming of PIASA to anchor the desolate North Brownsville Industrial Park. Remember that?
The North Brownsville Industrial Park which cost taxpayers $4.2 million, covers 73 acres with 11 sites with full utilities built some four years ago. In those four years, they has been no visible movement and industries have not flocked to the site.

It now serves as a rest area for truckers who use its unused concrete.slabs to park overnight and save on truck trailer stop charges.

PIASA is a food-flavoring and spice-processing company based in Monterrey, Mexico, that BEDC spokesmen said had signed on after the project was announced in 2007 and bought the first two lots. Gilbert Salinas, the spokesman for the BEDC, said the company would create more than 100 jobs.
The PIASA promises have changed (more grandoise) at every reading. Salinas had said in 2008 that the firm planned to invest more than $1 million in a 52,000-square-foot, top-notch manufacturing facility that will create 81 jobs paying a minimum of $15 per hour.
So far, nothing. We'll just have to invest wait, and trust these guys, again.