McAllen is a leader – not a follower – is how McAllen City Commissioner Seby Haddad welcomed guests to the 2025 MXLAN International Economic Summit.
The May 9 summit at the McAllen Convention Center kicked off the annual three-day cultural arts and music festival. Hosting the conference were the City of McAllen, the McAllen Economic Development Corporation and the McAllen Chamber of Commerce.
The Summit welcomed leaders in higher education, industry, small business, banking and health care. There were also representatives from the Texas Workforce Commission, local economic development corporations, and students and program leaders from area universities.
“The 2025 MXLAN International Economic Summit featured key voices in artificial intelligence (AI), workforce and innovation,” said Elizabeth Suarez, the president and chief executive officer of the McAllen chamber and the local EDC.
Prominent attendees and speakers included Bryan Daniel, the chairman of the Texas Workforce Commissionl, and Aaron Demerson, the president of the Texas Economic Development Corporation. Other speakers included Sanjeev Kumar, an expert in AI and cybersecurity from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Dr. Maya Yiadom, an associate professor of emergency medicine and digital health at Stanford University.
“The 2025 Summit focused on how AI and emerging technologies are transforming economic growth, workforce development, cybersecurity and cross-industry collaboration,” Suarez said. “With panels covering advanced manufacturing, upskilling and reskilling, and compliance, the goal is to prepare McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley for a tech-driven future.”
Teaching AI To Everyone
The summit included a mix of individual presenters and panel discussions.
One panel discussion centered around the topic “AI: Transforming Manufacturing and Supply Chains.” It was moderated by Dr. Carlos Margo, dean of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Apprenticeships at South Texas College. Bob Anderson of Alps Alpine North America said his company is using artificial intelligence for training, diagnosis and predictive maintenance.
“This is where we see the most use,” he said, explaining that their efforts are currently happening in a low-risk environment “because we are still learning.” Anderson said Alps Alpine has already seen how predictive AI can help the company forecast their future supply-chain demands.
Erika Guerra of South Texas College spoke about the use of generative AI for mechanics when diagnosing vehicle problems, nutrition and marketing. There is a strong demand for teaching AI to everyone from elementary students to grandparents, said Guerra, the program chair for advanced manufacturing and mechatronics technology at STC. Anderson addressed the concern that AI will replace humans in the workforce.
“We don’t see AI replacing jobs,” he said. “We see it enhancing them. I see it creating jobs.”
Bringing Industry & Higher Education Together
Guerra says the key is upskilling and reskilling the workforce.
Upskilling involves enhancing the skills of employees so they can meet their industry’s demands and retain their jobs. Reskilling teaches employees new skills so they can transition into new roles using advanced technology.
“Once people know how to use it, they love it,” she said of AI.
Dr. Ahmed Bendaouia of the UTRGV Institute for Advanced Manufacturing says filling in the skills gap is essential at the many manufacturing companies that operate in the Valley.
“We don’t want to replace the employees,” he said. “We want to make sure the skills gap does not lead to that.”
Continuing to bring industry and higher education together via summits like the one in McAllen are essential to the discussion of key issues and developments, Bendaouia said. McAllen plans to be at the heart of these dialogues.
“McAllen is not waiting for the future, we’re building it,” Suarez said. “AI is shaping how we work, live, and grow, and this summit proved that McAllen is ready to lead. From global voices to local visionaries, what we saw at the economic summit was the Valley at its best.”
