79R15109 MMS-D
By: Gonzales H.R. No. 1741
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Michael A. Allen has long played an instrumental
role in the economic development of McAllen and the Rio Grande
Valley; and
WHEREAS, President and chief executive officer of the McAllen
Economic Development Corporation since its inception in 1988, this
esteemed Texan has led MEDC to repeated success in its mission to
attract new industry, upgrade local infrastructure, and facilitate
trade and commerce; and
WHEREAS, With Mr. Allen at the helm for the past 17 years,
MEDC has recruited to the U.S. side of the border more than 215
companies, employing over 18,000 persons; the corporation has also
brought more than 250 companies to Reynosa, Mexico, thereby adding
another 75,000 jobs to the area; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Allen and his staff have generously shared the
knowledge and expertise of MEDC with their Mexican counterparts; at
the invitation of Don Florencio Salazar, coordinator with Plan
Puebla-Panama, Mr. Allen consulted on the economic development of a
number of Mexican states and the city of Merida; during that trip,
he and other MEDC staff met with various state governors and
economic development teams and offered insights into how to attract
industry to each of their regions; and
WHEREAS, Under Mr. Allen's guidance, MEDC has also sought to
forge international links by fostering sister-city relationships
with more than 10 cities in Mexico, as well as with cities in Canada
and China; and
WHEREAS, Mike Allen's personal achievements include his
contribution as a cofounder of the South Texas Border Partnership,
a coalition of five cities in Hidalgo County, and as the founder and
chairman of the Texas Border Infrastructure Coalition, which has
brought job training funds to the Valley and secured $1.1 billion in
highway funds for the region stretching from El Paso to
Brownsville; and
WHEREAS, In addition, he has campaigned for the Anzalduas
International Crossing, a project jointly supported by the Cities
of McAllen, Hidalgo, and Mission; he has also worked to unite
customs brokers, truckers, and Mexican officials in efforts to
expedite trucking, and he has coordinated those same groups,
together with civic leaders in Hidalgo County, in developing
support for the construction of Interstate 69; and
WHEREAS, Mike Allen can take tremendous pride, moreover, in
MEDC's involvement in the creation of the Regional Academic Health
Center, a Lower Rio Grande Valley extension of The University of
Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; division campuses of
the RAHC have been established in McAllen, Brownsville, Edinburg,
and Harlingen; and
WHEREAS, Affiliated with numerous economic development
organizations, Mr. Allen has further served as a member of the
Governor's Task Force on Management and Relations, as a board
member of the Alliance for Security and Trade and of the Border
Trade Alliance, as a director of the Rio Grande Valley Council of
Governments, and as a trustee of South Texas College; the breadth of
his knowledge is reflected in his participation in congressional
hearings on matters ranging from transportation and international
trucking to health care and infrastructure development; and
WHEREAS, For nearly two decades, Mike Allen has rendered
extraordinary service to the people of the Rio Grande Valley as he
has sought to address the development needs of one of the fastest
growing metropolitan areas in the United States, and for his
tireless dedication and remarkable vision he is indeed deserving of
warmest commendation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Michael A. Allen for his immeasurable
contributions to expanding economic opportunity on both sides of
the Rio Grande and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued
success in all his endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Allen as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.