HARLINGEN — A new marketing video extolling the benefits of the Aerotropolis site at Valley International Airport was aired for the Harlingen Economic Development Corp. board last night, and is expected to push the development envelope for the airport and city.
The approximately three-minute video took 30 days to shoot, officials said, and the $10,000 cost of the production was covered by American Electric Power.
“The Harlingen Aerotropolis helps your business take flight,” the video said.
The content of the video encapsulated the strengths of the Valley for potential business, highlighting not just the airport with the longest runway in the Valley, but also Harlingen’s strategic location.
The video’s content targeted, among other potential businesses, the Valley’s growing importance to the rapidly expanding aerospace industry.
“When we get to trade shows … this will be part of what we put on in our booth,” said Raudel Garza, CEO of the economic development agency.
The video mentions the ports of Harlingen and Brownsville, the ease of access to interstate highways, and the area’s outdoor activities and low cost of living.
In the video, Dan Collins, chief operating officer of the aerospace firm United Launch Alliance, which has a facility at the airport, praised the Valley for having a “young, dedicated, trainable workforce.”
In the discussion that followed the airing of the video, Garza emphasized the Valley’s workforce as well.
“People realize the talent here in Harlingen is pretty special,” he said.
The video will not be released to the public until Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell delivers his State of the City address on Friday.
Boswell, however, didn’t wait to express his opinion of the video production yesterday.
“I think it’s awesome,” he said of the video, which was produced entirely in the Valley. “They did a great job. It’s a beautiful piece.”
