Connecting San Antonio Industry with Northern Mexico

Marshal Hoak, Economic Development Coordinator for Bexar County sees direct relationships between businesses as essential to strengthening the manufacturing supply chains that connect San Antonio with northern Mexico.

Hoak highlighted that need in an interview during the October 14 MOU signing between the San Antonio Manufacturers Association and INDEX Nuevo Laredo. He said meetings that put companies in direct contact are valuable because manufacturers on both sides of the border often face similar problems.

Marshal Hoak views manufacturing growth in San Antonio and northern Mexico as mutually reinforcing. “When San Antonio wins, we believe North Mexico wins. And when North Mexico wins, we also believe San Antonio wins,” said the Bexar County economic development coordinator. He pointed to the supplier networks serving Toyota and International in San Antonio as examples of that interdependence. Building direct relationships with Mexican companies, he explained it also helps economic development teams connect prospective investors with suppliers and businesses that can support their operations.

Hoak connected the agreement to Bexar County’s Texas–Mexico Automotive Supercluster initiative, which supports coordination between Texas and northern Mexico and the manufacturing supply chains linking them. The SAMA–INDEX relationship creates another avenue for companies in that network to learn about potential partners.

His perspective extends beyond the signing itself. When companies consider investing in the San Antonio region, Hoak explained, they ask who their suppliers could be and which businesses can support their operations. Knowing INDEX and the companies it represents gives economic development teams additional contacts and references for those conversations.

Hoak pointed to the supplier networks serving Toyota and International in San Antonio as examples of industrial relationships whose benefits extend across the region. In his view, manufacturing growth in northern Mexico and San Antonio can reinforce each other rather than operate as isolated gains.

The meeting brought that regional approach into focus. SAMA President Dan Yoxall and INDEX Nuevo Laredo President Enrique Morán signed the agreement alongside a gathering of manufacturers, business organizations and economic development representatives. INDEX’s presentation detailed its company network and the technical, training and representation services available to members.

For Hoak, the opportunity is to keep those new relationships active when investment prospects and existing manufacturers need help. Better communication can make it easier to identify suppliers, understand shared challenges and connect business growth in South Texas with industrial capacity in Mexico.