The A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business' Texas Center provides leadership and support to South Texas border communities in their economic development efforts, including activities in the areas of business development, education, health care, public administration, and the environment.
Specialized statistics and information about:
U.S.-Mexico Trade Activity through the U.S. south border Ports of Entry,
South Texas Regional Economic Indicators and International Bridge crossings information through South Texas Border, as well as several production statisticis of the Eagle Ford Shale area.
The Texas Center encourages and supports TAMIU faculty research activities that produce practical and timely information that can be used by local, regional, state an national decision makers, as well as, specialized tecnical reports on border economic issues to meet the social and economic needs of the South Texas border region.
The Texas Center's ongoing work with business and community organizations will result in a variety of collaborative publications and materials that focus on border-related economic statistics and information for the South Texas region.
Visit us periodically and see what is new
Dr. Daniel Covarrubias
Texas Center Director
OP-ED Article by Texas Center Director Daniel Covarrubias
(published in the Laredo Morning Times on January 10, 2022)
We just finished quite a year. A year that marked our lives with the impacts produced by the ongoing worldwide health and economic crises brought upon us by COVID-19. But, at the same time, it was also a year that saw tremendous gains in innovations and technological development.
Entrepreneur and investor Peter Diamandis estimates that we’ll experience more technological progress in the next 10 years than in the past 100 years put together. According to McKinsey Consulting, 10 years’ worth of growth for the technologies powering e-commerce were compressed in just three months of 2019. And just as with that example, 2021 proved to be a year of tremendous growth and quick maturity of innovations and technologies.
Texas A&M International University's Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development (TAMIU TCBEED) Director Dr. Daniel Covarrubias has recently been appointed to serve as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade and Transportation of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Transportation Research Board (TRB).
Dr. Covarrubias was appointed as Committee member by Juan Carlos Villa, Committee Chair and Texas A&M Transportation Institute regional manager for Latin America.
"This Committee works on research, management, and regional, national, or international policy issues associated with international trade and transportation," Dr. Covarrubias said, "It researches trends and market forces in trade and global transportation; technological, economic, financial, institutional, or managerial innovations; and barriers to international trade in transportation goods and sciences."
OP-ED Article by Texas Center Director Daniel Covarrubias
(published in the Laredo Morning Times on November 8, 2021)
As our global and local communities continue to confront an increasingly enduring reality, COVID-19, that has, at some point or another, paralyzed a significant part of all of our lives, (from the quotidian to the essential), a recent Ford Motor Company television advertisement titled “What Innovation Looks Like” caught my attention. It got me thinking about innovation and its importance to our current livelihood, and business’ makeup.
This crisis and its accompanying impacts are referred to in the world of innovation as a Wild Card. To accelerate recovery from a Wild Card, it is vital that we have access to and understand the data, as well as take advantage of exponential technologies. These extraordinary events will and do require exceptional, creative, and innovative approaches.
Most recent trade and bridge crossing statistics for the Laredo Port of Entry
Laredo POE Trade & Bridge
The Handbook is presented by the Government of the City of Laredo, Texas through the Institute for Competitiveness and Foreign Trade of Nuevo Laredo (ICCE), in conjnction with the Laredo Economic Development Corporation, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development of Texas A&M International University.
The Bi-National Socioeconomic Handbook (BSH) of the "Laredos Region" incorporates demographics, social, and economic data of the cities of Nuevo Laredo, TAM in Mexico and Laredo, TX in the U.S., with the purpose of illustrating the development potential of the region at a national and international level.
The Handbook is presented in both English and Spanish. These and previoius versions are available by clicking on the button below
Laredo Socioeconomic Handbooks
October 22, 2021
Texas A&M International University’s Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development (TAMIU TCBEED) recently participated in a binational event exploring the impacts of conservation and hunting on the planet and the economy.
Dr. Daniel Covarrubias, TCBEED director, represented TAMIU and the TCBEED as a co-moderator at EarthX's "Half-Earth Day" U.S.-México Hunting and Conservation Forum, held recently in Dallas.
continue to full article...
OP-ED Article by Texas Center Director Daniel Covarrubias
(published in the Laredo Morning Times on Sep 13, 2021)
For over half a century, Port Laredo has been recognized as the predominant inland port on the United States and Mexico border. Undoubtedly, its privileged geographic location at the center of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) corridor (connecting Mexico, the United States, and Canada) has contributed significantly to the success of this border region. Billions of trade dollars for vehicles, vehicle parts, electronics, chemicals, agribusiness, mineral fuels, and beverages, among other products, clear customs every year through Port Laredo via trucks and containers that travel millions of miles.
World-class supply chains and clusters, such as the Mexican and Michigan automotive clusters, depend on this region's infrastructure to efficiently process their auto parts and finished goods, consequently allowing these clusters to ensure that their goods and services will safely arrive at their destinations and reduce their time-to-market and costs.
Presentation by Daniel Covarrubias, Ph.D.
(Presented to to the INDU TWIN Bachelor Program on Aug 24, 2021)
Sophisticated customers in the US and manufacturing clusters in Mexico with recurring needs (i.e. carriers and customs agents) demanding cross-border transport security requirements, requiring specialized activity, and a need for support services for commercial activity and transport
Presentation by Daniel Covarrubias, Ph.D.
(Presented to to the LEDC Membership Conference on Aug 11, 2021)
Today, we see how strategic planning moves from a planning concept to a constant adaptation concept; therefore, companies and organizations must adapt quickly and fit systematically to this new reality. Today’s talk will focus on one alternative companies are exploring to further their competitiveness and efficiency: Logistics 4.0.
News Article Interview of Texas Center Director Daniel Covarrubias
(published in the Laredo Morning Times on Aug 9, 2021)
Severe weather, port blockages and microchip shortages are wreaking havoc on U.S. auto production.
The pandemic created the perfect storm for the microchip market and supply chain. It all began with the microchip factories closing overseas when the lockdowns due to the pandemic started. This created backlogs when they reopened. Add to this that the auto sector miscalculated its microchip demand because of weak sales during the pandemic and a faster economic recovery than they were expecting.
OP-ED Article by Texas Center Director Daniel Covarrubias
(published in the Laredo Morning Times on Jul 12, 2021)
We live in one of the most dynamic logistics regions in the world, Port Laredo. Port Laredo is the No. 1 inland port on the United States and Mexico border. According to data compiled by the Texas A&M International University Texas Center, every year, more than 4.5 million trucks, representing over 400 billion dollars in trade, are efficiently managed through this border crossing.
Many businesses in our region are directly involved in global supply chains and have recently been impacted by different supply chain strains that have arisen from a great variety of sources: weather, port backlogs, computer chips and material shortages, among others. Together with technological advances and changes in international trade policies, these supply chain woes have forced global companies to reevaluate their competitive advantages. Today we'll present one alternative that companies are exploring to further their competitiveness and efficiency: Logistics 4.0.