Bridge to Somewhere - Philips sparks corpus christi pride

Corpus definitely is a working class town. My family goes back four generations here. As a kid, I remember the Harbor Bridge from when my dad was taking me down here to the port to watch ships or down to the barge dock to look at the water. The Harbor Bridge for about 12 years was a part of the city night skyline. One day it just disappeared from everybody’s view. The lights had to be turned off. The mayor had envisioned Corpus Christi —as we call it the Sparkling City by the Sea— as a place that should capture that same essence. And I said, you know, instead of just putting lights on it that can change colors, let’s do something where we can change the appearance of it. Make it an interesting focal point. Philips had a very innovative design department. They produced some concepts of what could be done with the Harbor Bridge. We explored the opportunity. It was a very fluid process. They provided people that had helped us through the design aspects of it. They have been there every day since then to help me through the process. The first time I saw the lights light up on the bridge, it was absolutely outstanding. The Harbor Bridge went from being this dark structure that you didn’t see at night, to being a beacon. It’s a distinction for us, so our residents now look at it as something that is a sense of pride. Not only were they environmentally efficient, but they are going to be cost effective. And so I think there’s a multiplier of economics that also needs to be considered. The relighting of the bridge had an impact on my work. There’s always couples and families who want to come down and have their picture taken in front of it. When you have something like the bridge that’s riding that wave of momentum with those beautiful lights, I think it’s very reflective of our successful future. When I see it, I know that I’m home. I know I’m where I belong.