|
We hosted our first quarterly Board Meeting last week, which was kicked off by Roberto Coronado, Sr. Vice President and Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Huge thanks to TAB Board Chairman, Brint Ryan, our officers who graciously accepted serving another year, and to all of our board members.
Special thanks to Vice-Chair, Massey Villareal, for inviting Dr. Juan Hernandez to the reception. We continued our discussion on how Texas and Guanajuato economically benefit from doing business with each other. We look forward to working with private sector leaders on both sides of the border. Thank you to everyone who took part in these conversations: Jessica Attas (TAB Foundation President), David Zapata (Assistant Secretary of State for Mexican and Border Affairs), and key Mexican dignitaries from the state of Guanajuato.
As we continue our work in international affairs, we will be announcing a VP of International Affairs and Executive Director to lead our Texas Mexico Trade and Investment Council. This is an important space for TAB to play a leading role in. The Texas-Mexico border region generates more than $350B in GDP annually as of 2019. Trade, transportation, energy, and investment policy are critical components to successfully implement USMCA.
I attended the Border Trade Advisory Council (BTAC) meeting, convened by Secretary of State, John Scott, in coordination with TxDOT. BTAC is composed of public and private sector stakeholders who work collaboratively to advance solutions for cross-border infrastructure challenges that facilitate safe, secure, and efficient international commerce. It was a fantastic meeting and Secretary Scott did a great job leading the conversation on how to effectively improve cross-border trade operations throughout the Texas-Mexico region.
I would also like to thank former Secretary of State and Chair of TAB International Trade and Commerce Committee, Rolando Pablos, for his service and expertise on international trade and investment issues.
Friday I traveled to Lufkin, Texas for a luncheon honoring Senator Robert Nichols for his leadership on top business priorities, especially broadband. Huge thanks to Scott Smith in our shop for coordinating a fantastic event and a personal thank you to board member, Darlene Brugnoli and Richard Lawson with Verizon for sponsoring! Thank you also to our local chamber partners for hosting, including Tara Watson-Watkins (CEO of the Angelina Chamber of Commerce), Nancy Windham (CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership), and Wayne Mitchell (CEO of Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce). It was a well-attended event with representation from local elected officials as well as representation from Senator Cornyn’s office.
We continue to have conversations about making sure Texas stays competitive by reinstating some type of capital-intensive, economic incentive during the next legislative session. This is a top priority for TAB and an effort that we continue to work towards daily.
We also have a few exciting things lined up in March for our Tech & Innovation efforts, including a presentation from the Director of the Broadband Development Office and our SXSW kickoff party on the rooftop.
As international affairs escalate, I’d like to remind you to be aware of ways your business can prepare for cybersecurity threats. John Dickson, Vice President of Coalfire and a leading cybersecurity expert, outlined some great recommendations like applying two-factor authentication (2FA) to everything and forcing administrator password changes for non-2FA systems. Join us virtually on Friday to learn what steps you should be taking now to protect your business, hosted by John Dickson himself.
Glenn Hamer
TAB CEO
| 
