Esperanza Homes from its base in upper Hidalgo County moved into the Brownsville market in recent years. It skipped over the Mid-Valley but it was a short-lived omission. Esperanza, a division of Rhodes Enterprises, had designs on the Mid-Valley all along. It established on paper a Mid-Valley division in 2020, which in Esperanza’s case, runs from San Juan to Weslaco. The company moved this year to break ground on Texas…
JoAnn Evans wrapped up a teaching and education administration career 20 years ago and retired to South Padre Island. In retirement, Evans and her husband enjoyed the beauty and calm of Island life, including the fishing. It was a leisure activity her husband actively enjoyed. There was one big thing missing, however, and it harkened back to Evans’ background of teaching speech and theater. “I was missing the performing arts,”…
The Casa de Nylon-turned-entrepreneurial resource center is nearing completion in downtown Brownsville. The 36,000-square-foot, two-story facility on east Adams Street should be open for business – and innovation – by the end of this month. It will be the largest facility of its kind south of San Antonio. The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization is located just a few blocks from the Gateway International Bridge. The Brownsville Community Improvement…
Its start was a modest one with a few classes in historic buildings where Fort Ringgold once stood in Rio Grande City. It was the 1994-95 school year and the beginnings of the South Texas College in Starr County. The school went by South Texas Community College in those early years. No matter how humble the origins, it would prove to be transformational for Rio Grande City and area communities.…
Blake Henry’s career has taken him around the country as a hospitality industry veteran who has now located to South Padre Island. Henry is the new director of the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau who is looking forward to the planned renovation of the CVB’s main venue. It is a key piece of his plans to raise national awareness of SPI. The Island’s brand is strong instate as…
Weslaco’s Mid Valley International Industrial Park is the recipient of a $1.5-million federal grant to expand opportunities for commercial, cold storage and warehousing businesses. The industrial park has seen significant growth in recent years, especially with companies involved in cold storage and shipment of produce from Mexico, as well as other agricultural commodities like cotton. The federal grant to Weslaco comes from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration. The…
The city of South Padre Island will see the building of its long-awaited historical museum after being awarded a $1.5-million federal grant via funds from the American Rescue Plan. The grant will go through the Economic Development Administration and will be matched with $375,00 in local funds. It is expected to generate $1.2 million in private investment. City leaders hope the new museum will be open by summer 2023. Community…
The Rio Grande Valley Partnership has a new president and chief executive officer, and the new leader is a familiar face in the region’s economic development circles. Daniel Silva started as the Partnership’s new chief executive last week after an over three-year stint in the same role with the Mission Economic Development Corporation. Silva had a 15-years-plus stay with the Mission EDC, working his way up to the top spot.…
Hidalgo County Commissioner David Fuentes pointed to red and blue lines and arrows running through his precinct. Fuentes explained where $80 million of drainage improvements are occurring or are in plans in his Precinct 1. The crisscrossing of drains, laterals, canals and ditches form a patchwork of connected corridors to store and move water. It’s a network that isn’t always streamlined, but it’s vital in getting floodwaters out of towns…
At 40, Ricardo Solis knew he needed a change. Solis was over 15 years into a successful career in the public and private sectors in the fields of business and finance. He enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin to refresh and find a new career path. The predictable thing to do was to seek a doctorate in business administration with a master’s degree in international management earned years…