Good news for those of you who were worried about El Paso’s economic development: The Borderplex Alliance is proposing a regional plan.
According to this story in the El Paso Inc.
The organization responsible for recruiting businesses to the El Paso area, the Borderplex Alliance, is forming a coalition to create a grand economic strategic plan for the region.
Although the details are still hazy, the economic report would, among other things, identify other economic efforts and plans under way right now so those efforts could be better coordinated, [Borderplex Alliance CEO Rolando] Pablos said.
The ultimate goal, he said, is to better integrate the region, which is comprised of three states and two nations.
“There is no room in economic development for infighting and turf battles,” Pablos said. “We need to get rid of it.”
I know we all let out a collective sigh of relief when we found out that El Paso is going to get a regional development plan. Right?
When the email landed in Jerry Pacheco’s inbox, Pacheco, who has done economic development on the border for nearly 25 years, reacted with frustration.
He is vice president and founder of the Border Industrial Association in nearby Santa Teresa in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Pacheco has what one might call plan fatigue.
“There’s no way I am going to get involved with another plan here. We are too busy making things happen.”
Here’s the way I see it. Santa Teresa is like the kid on the playground with all the marbles, and El Paso wants to help, by coming up with a plan to manage the marble distribution system.
Economic development experts depend on plans created by other economic development experts to give the appearance that they’re doing something, when in reality it’s a closed loop with no benefit to anyone except economic development experts.
Unfortunately, the Borderplex Alliance had to hire economic development experts from Austin to help them with the plan. We’d probably be better off is they took the money they’re sending to Austin and instead dropped it on lap dances at the Red Parrot. At least then the money would stimulate the local economy, if you know what I mean.
“Here’s the way I see it. Santa Teresa is like the kid on the playground with all the marbles, and El Paso wants to help, by coming up with a plan to manage the marble distribution system.”
Great analogy. I too wondered about why we have to go to Austin to get strategy guidance. Last time I checked there were some good minds at UTEP, not to mention an MBA program. Maybe someone has a good friend or a really good friend (wink wink) in Austin who needed a contract — a la former head of EPISD now convict Lorenzo Garcia.