b'E c o n o m i c sThe Guide: Coastal Bend IndustryAlthough most of us Coastal Benders who are not directly involved in our regionsBy the middle of the century, crude oil and refined petroleum products bypassed heavy industries may not fully appreciate their global scale, manufacturers andagriculture as the top commodities shipped through the Port of Corpus Christi. With economists across the world recognize the opportunities offered here. Dallas-basedthe development of the La Quinta Channel along the northern coastline of Corpus developer Jeff Blackard is one of the most internationally-connected Texans andChristi Bay in San Patricio Country, Reynolds Metals and DuPont were the first ma-has been quoted as saying, The United States is still the worlds number one invest- jor manufacturers to invest there in the 1970s, both producing aluminum. Logistical ment market, and Texas is the number one state to invest in. In Texas, the Coastaladvantages related to our geographic location, along with strong shipping and rail Bend is the top region in the state for international investment opportunities. infrastructure, plus ample, cheap land and a less-regulated business climate were, Blackard, like a number of world-renown developers, has embarked upon histo- together, enough to attract big petroleum refiners and chemical producers through ry-making projects here. In his case, the construction of Lighthouse Pointe luxurythe end of the 20th Century, building the Coastal Bends industrial foundation.apartments on North Beach, with local investor Lynn Frazier, and his purchase of theAdvances in fracking technology in the mid-2000s led to the development of the Pharaoh Valley Golf Course, destined to become Barisi Village, a high-end, mixed- Eagle-Ford shale field in South-Central Texas, which resulted in the exponential use community on Oso Baydevelopments made viable by $53 billion in industrialgrowth of crude oil and natural gas production in Texasthe peak of which was in investments in the Coastal Bend over the last decade or so.2015. The immediate availability of natural gas through pipelines, both as a com-The Port of Corpus Christi officially opened for business in 1926, its first commod- modity converted into Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to be shipped over sea, and as fuel ities shipped through it being agricultural, especially cotton. After big South Texasfor high-powered manufacturing, has largely fueled the billions in recent investment.oil fields were discovered in the 1930s, the port attracted its first industrial plant,For 40 years, the U.S. was prohibited from exporting crude oila policy put in place that of Southern Alkali Corporation, a chemical manufacturer seeking easy accessby President Gerald Ford in 1975 in reaction to the Arab oil embargo that resulted to abundant fuel supplies. Soon thereafter, Taylor Refining built the first crude oilin soaring prices, long gas lines, and rationing. After it was clear that the U.S. could refinery in South Texas, and heavy industry never looked back. produce enough crude oil to sustain its domestic demand, Congress and President In the 1950s, following the development of major crude oil fields on the King RanchBarack Obama lifted the export prohibition in 2015, and on January 1, 2016, the first and elsewhere in South Texas, Humble Oil went to Ingleside and built an enormoustanker load of Texas crude departed the Port of Corpus Christi for sale in European tank farm and shipping terminal, accompanied by thousands of workers and themarkets. In the years since, the Port of Corpus Christi has grown to become the top economic development that came with it, that is still growing today. exporter of American crude oil, and the number one port by revenue in the country.94THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'