Kerry Schwartz discovered surfing at a young age growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. “Surfing was always my passion,” he said. “I even had a little surf shop in Brownsville in the 60s when I was just a teenager.” Today he owns and operates Island Native Surf Shop on South Padre Island, which he opened in 2003 when he retired. After college Schwartz lived in the Houston area where…
One of the least favorite aspects of a supervisor’s job is having to discipline, and possibly terminate, an employee. It can be fraught with emotion and legal pitfalls if not done correctly. But there are ways to minimize the unpleasant and sometimes risky task. Former corporate human resources manager Marco E. Garza, who today serves as assistant chair and faculty with the Department of Management at the University of Texas…
It takes time and money, but there are enough people in the Rio Grande Valley in pursuit of a pilot license to keep two full-time flight instructors busy at McCreery Aviation Flight Academy at McAllen Miller International Airport. “It’s a process,” said chief flight instructor Mike Garza. “You’ve got to study, you’ve got to learn and you’ve got to have the time.” McCreery Aviation is a full-service general aviation center…
A father/son team has carved out a niche in the recycling industry by working with products no one else in the Rio Grande Valley touches: electronics. RDA Technologies in Brownsville recycles anything with electronic components inside, ranging from old computers to ice makers to televisions and more. “I started in my living room in 2012 destroying old computers. Then my wife kicked me out to the garage,” said Jose David…
Editor’s Note: Leadership can mean different things to different people. The Valley Business Report wanted to learn more about the views on leadership through the words of experienced business leaders in the Rio Grande Valley. Starting with this month’s edition, VBR introduces Leadership Matters, a new question-and-answer feature that poses questions on leadership to Valley CEOs and other business leaders. Manny Vela CEO, Valley Baptist Health System What are…
Margret DeBruyn is a walking advertisement for cryotherapy. After a bad car crash she was left with chronic back pain when she tried cryotherapy and was amazed with the results. That prompted her to start a business to help others find relief. “It’s something that is really amazing,” she said. “If you are in chronic pain it chips away at your life. You start to miss out on life. We…
There are only a handful of locally owned home shutter companies in the Rio Grande Valley, and Holden Security and Storm Shutters is probably the oldest one around. “I am third generation,” said Jeremy Holden, who has run the company founded by his grandfather ever since his father died 11 years ago. “I started right out of high school so I’ve really been in this business for 21 years.” The…
A devastating hurricane season last year that took a toll in the Caribbean tourism industry may have also opened a door of opportunity to increase tourism at South Padre Island. “The four major cruise lines have contacted South Padre Island about establishing a port of call there,” Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino said during a recent State of the County event in Harlingen. Trevino credited the county for helping to…
Big economic news is expected to break in April with an announcement that will mark the latest industrial success story for Cameron County, further setting the stage for an unprecedented economic boom for this southernmost county in Texas. “We are on the cusp of some great things,” said Gilbert Salinas, director of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp. “And it’s no accident. This has been a 10-year body of work…
About 250 people attended the Port of Brownsville’s annual State of the Port event to celebrate continued growth and look forward to opportunities that may be just around the corner. “2017 was indeed a banner year,” said Brownsville Navigation District Vice Chairman John Reed. “And 2018 could become a turning point for the port and for South Texas.” Reed was the lead speaker at the Thursday luncheon in Brownsville. He…