Elsa EDC Does More with Less Through AI

Daniel Rivera explains how technology, adaptable talent, and regional partnerships are helping a small economic development team expand its reach.  

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS — For Daniel Rivera, executive director of the Elsa Economic Development Corporation, artificial intelligence is giving Elsa a practical way to compete for business with a small team and a limited budget. Rivera is using the technology to sharpen recruitment, streamline administrative work, and turn development ideas into materials he can put in front of prospective investors.

Speaking with Pro Texas Industry at the State of the Regional Workforce Conference, Rivera described technology as an opportunity for smaller South Texas communities to participate more actively in the region’s economic transformation.

“The fact that we have the access to AI now is a big equalizer,” he said.

His interview followed a joint presentation with technology entrepreneur Drew Lentz, co-founder of Code RGV, where the two shared examples of how they are applying AI in economic development and private business. Rivera’s examples showed what that approach looks like inside an organization operating with his position and the equivalent of one full-time administrative role.

One project Rivera described is an interconnected information tool he calls the RGV Economic Engine. It maps organizations, people, places, and their relationships, incorporating news to help him better understand developments across the region. For an economic development professional, that information provides context for identifying connections and potential opportunities.

Rivera also described using AI to prepare a development concept for approximately 110 acres in Elsa. He said he produced the visualization in about four hours, giving him something concrete to discuss with developers much earlier in the planning process. The businesses shown were illustrative, rather than announced tenants.

A third initiative, his Digital Facade program, helps businesses assess and improve how they appear online. Rivera said he simplified the process so administrative staff could operate it, and reported that the program was being used across six Texas cities.

These examples support the priority Rivera emphasized in his interview: helping Elsa make a stronger, more specific case to businesses considering the community.

“We can specifically target an audience, whether it’s a retailer or an industry, and really show them the numbers on why we would be an attractive fit,” Rivera said.

For industrial recruitment, that means using information to connect local opportunities with a company’s needs. Better research and clearer development concepts can help a smaller community enter conversations about investment, expansion, and regional supply chains.

Rivera’s presentation also illustrated the connection between technology and workforce readiness. He recounted hiring an applicant whose curiosity and experience experimenting with AI stood out. He subsequently taught her additional skills, including website creation and AI-assisted video editing.

He described how the team also streamlined repetitive paperwork, while retaining his review and signature. These improvements reinforce the operational benefit he highlighted during the interview: freeing staff to concentrate on economic development.

“Now we save man hours, and we’re able to spend those man hours on quality efforts to grow our city,” he said.

Lentz complemented Rivera’s public-sector examples with software projects he had developed and commercialized using AI. Their presentation emphasized giving employees opportunities to learn, experiment, and apply technology to real problems. Lentz also stressed cybersecurity and the importance of critically evaluating information.

Rivera acknowledged in his interview that uncertainty about AI is natural. He compared the adjustment to earlier changes involving websites and social media, recognizing that education is essential to understanding both the opportunities and the vulnerabilities.

That willingness to learn extends to regional cooperation. Rivera said the conference offered an important opportunity for communities to discuss challenges, share successes, and prepare together for changing workforce demands.

“When we sit down together and we talk about the workforce needs of the future, I think the people in this room are the ones that make an impact on that,” Rivera said.

For South Texas manufacturing, Rivera’s experience points to the importance of capable local partners behind industrial growth. Communities that understand business needs, develop adaptable talent, and respond efficiently can contribute more to the region’s competitiveness. Elsa’s approach shows how a small team can strengthen that foundation, using technology to create more time, better information, and greater capacity to pursue opportunity.