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Secretary Pablos Joins Texas Investment Promotion Mission To Spain

"Spain is not only a key part of Texas' past, but also a key partner in our state's economic future"

June 1, 2018
Contact: Sam Taylor
512-463-6116

Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos standing with the delegation in front of  a building.
Secretary Pablos and the San Antonio delegation
visit the Spain Trade and Investment (ICEX) office
in Madrid


Secretary Pablos sitting at a desk across from other officials.
Secretary Pablos and the San Antonio delegation
meet with Spain's Secretary of Trade & Commerce
Marisa Poncela Garcia


Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos standing in front of fireplace with two other officials.
Secretary Pablos meets with leaders from the
European Institute for Entrepreneurship (EIE)


The delegation sitting around a desk in a conference room.
Secretary Pablos and the San Antonio delegation
meet with representatives from the Spanish
Association for Venture Capital and Investment
(ASCRI)


MADRID – Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos this week joined an investment promotion mission to Spain led by the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF), the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC), Trinity University, Brooks, and Velocity Texas to further expand opportunities for Spanish investment in Texas. During the mission, carried out in coordination with the Spain Trade & Investment Office (ICEX), Secretary Pablos and the delegation met with Spanish industry leaders in the fields of cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, private equity, and transportation.
 
Secretary Pablos began the mission by meeting with officials from the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), which hosted a forum for Spanish cybersecurity innovators and the San Antonio delegation to discuss potential partnerships in addressing technological challenges for both business enterprises and governmental entities. Secretary Pablos then met with ICEX CEO Francisco Javier Garzón Morales and Spanish Secretary of Trade & Commerce Marisa Poncela Garcia to discuss current and future Spanish investment in Texas. The delegation also met with leaders from the European Institute for Entrepreneurship (EIE), which has established a partnership with San Antonio's Trinity University to cultivate future innovators and business leaders. Finally, Secretary Pablos and the delegation met with representatives from the Spanish Association for Venture Capital and Investment (ASCRI) to discuss partnership opportunities in capital investment to spur international business innovation.
 
Secretary Pablos thanked the San Antonio delegation for their collective commitment to further strengthening long-standing diplomatic, commercial, and cultural relationships between Texas and Spain.
 
"Spain is not only a key part of Texas' past, but also a key partner in our state's economic future," Secretary Pablos said. "We are proud to continue working with our Spanish counterparts to cultivate international business collaboration as Texas celebrates 300 years since the Alamo Mission in San Antonio was first established. United by our shared history and connected by our mutual desire to build partnerships in innovation and economic development, Texas and Spain will continue to benefit from powerful commercial and cultural relationships."
 
“We are confident that our meetings in Spain will spur continued conversations and return visits to San Antonio, Texas where we will showcase the economic opportunity that exists and attract more Spanish investment to Texas,” San Antonio Economic Development Foundation President & CEO Jenna Saucedo-Herrera said. “We applaud Secretary of State Pablos’ efforts to prioritize global development for the State of Texas and thank him for his efforts to promote investment in our great state.”
 
"It is our honor to travel with our Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos who, ten years ago, helped initiate our annual investment trips to Spain while serving as chairman of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber," Ramiro A. Cavazos, President and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said. "Through these investment trips, we reaffirm our city's commitment to our Spanish friends and business partners in a country that historically has been so vital to our economic development efforts."
 
"Trinity University has had a faculty-led program in Madrid for the past 14 years, placing students in internships with Spanish companies over the summer," Dante Suarez, Associate Professor of Finance and Decision Sciences at Trinity University, said. "This delegation has opened the door to a new model of experiential education, where the students continue to work on their projects when they return home, thus providing a seamless landing for their companies when they expand their operations to San Antonio."

Texas-Spain Trade Facts:

  • Spain is Texas' 5th largest foreign direct investor
  • More than 60 Spanish companies currently operate in Texas
  • More than one-third of Spanish companies currently operating in Texas have been established in the past 5 years alone
  • In the past 5 years, Spain has invested nearly $900 million in Texas and created more than 3,500 jobs

Learn more about each of the organizations represented in the San Antonio delegation:

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