{"id":512912,"date":"2026-01-13T10:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/512912\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T10:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:36:09","slug":"ut-san-antonio-center-tackles-economic-challenges-facing-south-central-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/512912\/","title":{"rendered":"UT San Antonio center tackles economic challenges facing South Central Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CarnegieEditor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Originally published in September 2025, this story describes one of the many efforts and initiatives the university leads that exemplify its recent 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement<\/a> reclassification, reaffirming its national leadership in fostering meaningful partnerships that advance student success, research excellence and community impact.<\/p>\n

A UT San Antonio center aims to help reverse some of the hardest-hitting economic challenges in South Central Texas, including brain drain \u2014 the pernicious trend of skilled professionals leaving a region in favor of larger cities \u2014 and related issues such as falling wages and a lack of infrastructure, jobs and workforce training.<\/p>\n

The University Center, which is part of the Valdez Institute for Economic Development at UTSA<\/a> (VIED), is dedicated to fueling economic growth and resilience in underserved communities across the region by providing no-cost technical assistance, training and resources to local Councils of Governments<\/a> (COGs). It helps them develop and deploy strategies tailored to their communities through collaboration with local government and business leaders. Some of the center\u2019s most sought-after services include helping local governments develop strategic plans for growth as well as identifying and targeting grants that will help realize their vision.<\/p>\n

Melisa Gonzales<\/strong> is the assistant director for community and economic development at the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, which serves Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties. One of her key goals is to strategically grow industry in her region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen small communities don\u2019t have a plan that everyone agrees on, they\u2019re flying by the seat of their pants,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cSmall communities often have no set plan, or sometimes there\u2019s a plan but people aren\u2019t all on board with it so it\u2019s not being implemented consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAlong with talent, we see key resources going to larger cities. We\u2019re trying to turn the tide on some of these trends by providing local governments with the tools needed to create conditions that attract entrepreneurs and business owners.\u201d \u2014 Joseph Morones<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Brownsville recently became home to SpaceX headquarters, which generated more than 21,000 indirect jobs in Cameron County.<\/p>\n

The cost of creating a strategic growth plan can be prohibitively high for small communities. When Gonzales approached a consultant from Dallas to create such a plan, it quoted her $85,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for a community of only 19,000 people. Small communities can\u2019t afford that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Yet, Gonzalez believes that a plan can be pivotal for small communities striving to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of Alton is a great example,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a small community that sits on Interstate 2 that designed an economic development plan. Their location is primed for growth; they developed a corporation to bring economic development, and that little town is possibly the greatest economic success story for small communities. Because they had a plan that their mayor and EDC board could all agree on, they could develop rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, the town reported a population growth of 47.5%<\/a> between 2010 and 2020. Leaders also reported an uptick in building permits.<\/p>\n

Gonzales also organizes to attract new businesses to her region. In 2013, she and her Regional Economic Development colleagues helped mobilize local government and communities across the Rio Grande Valley region to attract SpaceX to Brownsville, generating an estimated 21,400 indirect jobs<\/a> in Cameron County.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole region had to come together to show all the resources and infrastructure we have to offer,\u201d she said. \u201cWithout the collaboration of the surrounding counties, we couldn\u2019t have done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Morones<\/strong>, project manager for UTSA\u2019s center, says that neighboring communities are grappling with similar issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see some shared challenges across the region,\u201d he said. \u201cWages are lower than national averages, which discourages trained professionals and particularly younger professionals from settling in and investing in these areas. Along with talent, we also see key resources going to larger cities. We\u2019re trying to turn the tide on some of these trends by providing local governments with the tools needed to create conditions that attract entrepreneurs and business owners. Our goal is to bring prosperity back into these areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzales started collaborating with Morones in spring of last year with a focus on strategic and collaborative development. Morones began by giving presentations to promote the center\u2019s services.<\/p>\n

Since those initial touchpoints, Morones has done extensive work in the area, providing consultation and technical assistance to key influencers across the region about grant applications and planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been talking to small community stakeholders, giving them guidance and making complex grants more understandable,\u201d Morones said. \u201cIf they have the ability to adapt by pursuing funds and plan strategically, they will be able to grow, thrive and adapt with the times.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Edcouch, Morones has helped the city explore options for funding to improve its water treatment plant to manage growth. In Sullivan City, he helped create a traffic pattern and property ownership map, which can help policymakers attract retailers by identifying the busiest \u2014 and most viable \u2014 places to set up shop.<\/p>\n

The center will continue to serve South Central Texas with funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce \u2013 Economic Development Administration that extends through 2028.<\/p>\n

Morones has been actively collaborating with two COGs in the region and is in initial discussions with additional COGs across South Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to collaborate with all seven COGs to solve critical issues facing the region,\u201d Morones added. \u201cThe more COGs engage with us, the more impact we can make.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: Originally published in September 2025, this story describes one of the many efforts and initiatives the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":512913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,168839,7202,7203,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-512912","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-local-impact","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-sanantonio","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}