Financial institutions, real estate experts will attend next Industrial Warehouse Summit – Rio Grande Guardian

PHARR, Texas – Luis Bazán, director of the Pharr International Bridge, has given an early preview of the 4th Industrial Warehouse Summit, which takes place in October.

IWS is an event co-hosted by the Pharr Bridge Board and Pharr Economic Development Corporation.

Bazán gave details of the next IWS when he attended a groundbreaking ceremony for LakeWay Produce’s new cold storage facility in the Pharr Produce Park.

In an interview, Bazán was asked to respond to a statement Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Raudel Garza gave to the Rio Grande Guardian. Garza said 91 percent of all industrial warehouse space is full.

“I can believe it,” Bazán responded. “As a matter of fact, back in late 2022 to early 2023 we got wind of some stories that were out there in the press about those specific numbers. We are pretty much at max capacity right now.”

It was put to Bazán that by the time LakeWay Produce’s cold storage facility is complete, the Pharr area would need more. 

“You’re going to need more. You’re going to need the next one and the next one,” Bazán said. “So, what we did as a bridge back then, solely as the bridge, was, we put together the Industrial Warehouse Summit. IWS. We’re going on Part Four of the series this October. And what we’re doing there is we’re bringing in the financial institutions, the bankers. We’re bringing in the industrial developers, the real estate guys, we’re bringing in the investors and anybody else that’s interested in seeing this area grow.”

The message at the 4th IWS, Bazán predicted, will be to start building more warehouses.

“W don’t have enough. As we continue to push for more trade, as we continue to open the doors with more bridge projects and stuff like that, how are we going to be able to sustain that on the US side? How are we going to be able to sustain that on the Mexican side?” Bazán asked.

“We need the infrastructure. We need water, we need energy, but more importantly, we need to space. We need warehousing. We need distribution. We need better logistics.”

Bazán added: “We’ve been going at it for a long time. But it’s not adequate enough for what we’re trying to capture here in the future, particularly as we see some of the nearshoring or friendshoring opportunities that are coming as well. So, we’re getting prepared for that.”

Editor’s Note: Here is an audio interview veteran broadcaster Ron Whitlock secured with Pharr International Bridge Director Luis Bazán. It includes Bazán’s thoughts on what the international trade community might expect from the incoming president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum: