Upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry have long contributed to the economy of South Texas' "Coastal Bend," a 12-county region whose hub city is Corpus Christi. Not only is the region accessible to onshore and offshore oil and gas fields, but it boasts the infrastructure necessary to ship, store and process hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon products.

Lured by the region's growing port facilities and ready availability of cheap natural gas from the prolific Eagle Ford Shale play, two foreign-owned firms are bringing a newcomer – iron and steel manufacturing – into the Coastal Bend's economic fold.

"The addition of iron and steel manufacturing to the regions' economy will further diversify and strengthen our growing economy," said Roland Mower, CEO of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp. "In fact, this region is experiencing an uptick in interest from international manufacturers interested in leveraging our low-cost, politically stable supply of natural gas as a fuel source for their manufacturing processes and our immediate proximity to the U.S. (Western Hemisphere) markets."

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