Highlighted by an address from Kansas City Southern Railroad chairman and chief executive officer Michael R. Haverty, local business leaders Thursday announced the 16th annual Manufacturing and Logistics Symposium will be held Sept. 16-18.

Titled "Competitiveness of the South Texas and Northern Mexico Region in the New Global Economy," the symposium's home base will be at Texas A&M International University.

The Laredo Development Foundation, Logistics and Manufacturing Association Port Laredo and TAMIU are co-sponsors.

"We're excited about this year's event as we're pretty much at the bottom of an economic recession," LDF executive director Roger Creery said.

"What better time to be in front of industries to help them set up business in this region."

Other keynote speakers include Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade; Craig Callahan, vice president for logistics and corporate sales with Werner Enterprises; and the Honorable Stockwell Day, Canadian minister of international trade and minister for the Asia-Pacific gateway.

Herbert Molina, director of the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development at TAMIU, said, "For us at TAMIU and the Texas Center, we are excited to be a part of this collaboration.

We are in difficult times. We are in exciting times. I encourage anybody who can to attend this event."

LDF president Tom McSpadden added, "This represents an event for the LDF to help further the economic growth in Laredo."

Ed Sherwood, chairman of the symposium's planning committee, said the event "will highlight one of the major economic drivers in manufacturing and logistics.

"Lots of folks here in Laredo may not be aware of how it affects this area," Sherwood said.

"We are inviting students from Laredo Community College, TAMIU and area high schools to attend some of these events.

"It's also worth noting people from outside our region, from Canada, Chicago and the East Coast, will be in attendance, too," he said.

Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Ramon Garza Barrios will host a welcoming event at LCC's Fort McIntosh on Sept. 16.

Sherwood added representatives from ports in Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Lazaro Cardenas also will be in attendance.

For more information, call the LDF at (800) 820-0564 or go to their Web site at www.ldfonline.org.

(Joe Rutland can be reached at 728-2529 or jrutland@lmtonline.com)