Author Archives: Eileen Mattei

Freelance writer Eileen Mattei was the editor of Valley Business Report for over 6 years. Her articles have appeared in Texas Highways, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks & Wildlife and Texas Coop Power magazines as well as On Point: The Journal of Army History. The Harlingen resident is the author of five books: Valley Places, Valley Faces; At the Crossroads: Harlingen’s First 100 Years; and Leading the Way: McAllen’s First 100 Years, For the Good of My Patients: The History of Medicine in the Rio Grande Valley, and Quinta Mazatlán: A Visual Journey.

Up and coming: Adriana Cantu and the Cover Cap

Cover Cap protects against weather Adriana Cantu’s husband works on construction projects all around the United States.  When he complained about the cold, she stayed up nights working on a design to protect his head from the elements.  At the time she was a parent-educator with the  PSJA school district, teaching crafts and sewing, skills that enabled stay-at-home moms to work for others or themselves. Cantu came up with the…

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Giving back: Rotary works to end polio  

End Polio Now funds vaccinations “A lot of people don’t know that we didn’t get rid of polio in America until 1979,” said Doyle Clark, accountant and Rotarian. Valley Rotary clubs are collaborating with each other and working with the global effort to entirely eradicate and end polio by 2020. In the 1950s, the Valley was hard hit by a deadly polio epidemic. Three children from one family died within a…

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Resort manager runs a small town 

Llano Grande sets RV park bar “People my age are starting to retire and have a whole different outlook on life than the previous generation,” said Karen Pike, 57, resort manager at Llano Grande Resort and Country Club. “They want to be entertained and to go where their every need is met. They are not penny pinchers. If they saved up for retirement, they are going to spend it.” Named…

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You say pitaya. I say dragon fruit  

Pitaya Farms growing in Raymondville Exotic in looks and name, dragon fruit is grown on structures similar to those found in vineyards. Chuck Taylor, owner of  Pitaya Farms of Texas LLC, west of Raymondville, said dragon fruit is actually the domesticated version of the pitaya, a native cactus which originated in Mexico and central America and was transported to Asia, where it acquired the dragon fruit label. Pitaya Farms harvested…

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Taking It to the Streets: Valley Towing Services 

Local towing helps when bad things happen When bad things happen on the highway or in your driveway, towing companies and roadside assistance services arrive on the scene with solutions to the problem. Whether clearing an accident site or jumpstarting a car, whether summoned by you, your motorist assistance plan  or law enforcement, towing companies must respond rapidly round the clock with the right equipment and personnel. Some of these…

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Denimburg: soon to be the market leader 

Denham production runs extensive Can there be a better DBA than Denimburg for the Edinburg plant which anticipates producing 11 million yards of denim in 2017?  The ultra-automated factory is on its way to becoming the largest denim manufacturer in the United States. Claudio Motta, plant manager for the facility owned by Santana Textiles of Brazil, started a tour of the ultra-automated factory in Denimburg’s fabric showroom. “Here we try…

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Skilled jobs have another path   

Vocational schools Lead to career paths Individuals who want skilled jobs and technical training without taking the academic courses required by South Texas College, Texas State Technical College and Southmost College can enroll at Rio Grande Valley’s privately owned vocational schools.  Providing no nonsense, adult-focused education, the proprietary school courses that focus on healthcare jobs prepare students for careers in vocational nursing, massage therapy, dental assisting and medical office skills.…

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Generations of Gloor Lumber Expertise  

Recently, a woman walked into Gloor Hardware & Specialty Lumber and, mystified, asked her companion, “Are we in Gloor’s?”  She had reason to be confused.  Since late August, the 64-year-old lumber business has undergone a total makeover inside and out. “We’re trying to bring it back to the glory it was,” said Stanley Tomlin, Gloor Hardware & Specialty Lumber’s general manager since August.  “We’ve just gone through a major restocking…

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Alba Energy puts the sun to work 

The lack of regulations and guidelines for solar panel systems in the Valley does not make Graeme Walker happy. The CEO of Alba Energy, an Austin-based solar firm which installs and monitors solar power systems, said solar installation guidelines like the ones he has worked with in Austin “technically make our life easier.”  With regulations, all companies in the market have to follow the same regulations, the same playbook, from…

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LNG Plants – Changing Valley Dynamics   

The three liquefied natural gas facilities scheduled to begin construction along the Brownsville Ship Channel in 2017 and 2018 will have an enormous effect on the economy of the Valley and the nation. Given the initial capital investments of $10 billion in the three plants, South Texas is poised to become an epicenter of the LNG trade and clean energy (including wind and solar). Within five years, the United States…

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