The Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC) is out with its Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Impact Report, covering the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025.
Among the highlights are more than $183.7 million invested in the Brownsville area, which according to the report demonstrates “continued confidence in Brownsville as a destination for business growth.” The report also cites nearly 31.8 million square feet under development, a sign of “significant industrial expansion across our community.”
City leaders including former city manager Helen Ramirez have argued that Brownsville’s land use is out of balance in terms of residential versus commercial/industrial — not enough of the latter to maximize the region’s wealth-generating capacity. The report likewise cites a 20-to-1 capital investment leverage ratio, which means that $20 in private capital was generated for every $1 invested by GBEDC during the fiscal year — a “strong return for our community,” according to the report.
GBEDC, formerly the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, founded in 1992, is a “Type A” EDC “dedicated to accelerating Brownsville’s growth through strategic investments in infrastructure, workforce development and business retention,” according to the organization.
GBEDC in 2024 began redirecting its focus more toward industrial/light industrial-scale economic development as a way of making the city more competitive for major employers, long-term investment and related jobs, according to the report.
In keeping with the greater emphasis on light industry, the organization last year broke ground on the Greater Brownsville Tech District, “pairing site-ready land and infrastructure with targeted business recruitment, retention and expansion,” GBEDC said. The 86-acre first phase of the project is under development, part of 730 acres at FM 511 and Paredes line Road that will eventually be built out.
GBEDC President and CEO Gilberto Salinas says in his comments for the report that FY2025 was a period of “powerful momentum” for the city and the organization.
“Brownsville is no longer just competing, it’s winning,” he said. “With transformational announcements, new facilities under construction and expanding opportunities for our workforce, our community is solidifying its position as one of the most dynamic economic growth stories in Texas.”
The report also notes that 3,288 jobs were created during the fiscal year, while 25 businesses retained and 7,116 new jobs committed to by companies for 2026. Of the $183.7 million in capital investment cited in the report, 12% was in industrial warehousing, 27% in advanced manufacturing and 61% in aerospace and technology.
Ben Pena, GBEDC board chairman, said announcements by companies such as Amazon, Linde and Superior GHQ that they are bringing operations to Brownsville “reflect the confidence major employers have in our community and reinforce Brownsville’s position as a competitive and rapidly growing market.
Linde is cited as the top business investment for FY2025, while Bechtel — the company building Rio Grande LNG at the Port of Brownsville — was the leading employer.
“The effect of the various tier suppliers providing goods and services to SpaceX and Rio Grande LNG are beginning to create impacting ripple effects in economic development,” Pena said. “And as if that wasn’t enough, other similar sized prospects are in the pipeline.”
Read the Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Impact Report in its entirety here: localimpactreport.com/gbedc.
The post Report: Brownsville attracted $187.7M in investment for FY2025 appeared first on MyRGV.com.