Conrad Gonzales and his crew were constructing the last of the pens that will house the hundreds of cows, pigs, sheep and a variety of other animals on exhibit at the upcoming Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show. It will be the 83rd edition of the annual spring affair in Mercedes. On a recent sun-splashed and crisp February morning, Gonzales was motoring around on a golf cart, checking on projects and…
PlainsCapital Bank has added two executives to its Harlingen banking group in bolstering commercial loan and business development services for a growing market. Charles Hervey is the banking group’s senior vice president, commercial loan officer, and Scott Allex serves as vice president, business development officer. The hires mark an expansion of PlainsCapital operations in the Harlingen market. The bank company’s regional leadership cited the experience of the two executives in…
The Texas economy has regained its jobs lost from COVID-19-related challenges and the Rio Grande Valley has largely done the same. Roberto Coronado, a senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, made that assessment recently at the RGV Partnership Economic Outlook Luncheon in Harlingen. Joining Coronado were a roster of speakers that gave insights on banking, retailing, housing and other key economic indicators heading into the remainder of…
Restorations are underway at two large vacant buildings in Harlingen and the company behind those efforts sees new opportunities ahead for both facilities. BH Properties, a Los Angeles-based company, focuses on purchasing and turning around buildings like the former Dillard’s at Valle Vista Mall and a warehouse formerly belonging to Valley Baptist Medical Center. The latter facility at 4405 Glasscock Avenue, just west of Ed Carey Drive, has been vacant…
Samantha Mendoza has been busy baking after getting past a recent illness that temporarily sidelined her. It’s a Saturday morning and there will be a street market going up soon near West Van Buren in Harlingen. It’s a block over from The Ruff House, where Mendoza is sliding a tray full of freshly made dog snacks into a lighted display. They look inviting and are sure to light up any…
Esmeralda Villarreal spent 15 years in Brownsville’s hospitality business, watching and taking note of how her city attracted business travelers from far and wide. “I was mesmerized by how we were visited by so many travelers,” she said. Villarreal recalls that many were tied to the maquiladora industry or related investors in the border economy. Villarreal’s career goal during that time was to become a general manager at one of…
A 30-foot ramp angles upward toward a setting sun and a sweeping view of the Bahia Grande plains of coastal South Texas. It’s the high point of the South Texas Ecotourism Center in Laguna Vista. From there, the view stretches eastward toward the Port of Brownsville. SpaceX is off in that direction as well at Boca Chica Beach. The rectangular-shaped ecotourism center lays behind the soaring ramp. In all, there’s…
The rows of caps at the TRW Hat Co. have a distinction of design with a Lone Star flavor. The company’s owner and founder – Steven Gallegos – was born and raised near Houston in LaPorte. He has found a second home and a new passion in Mercedes. The TRW brand stands for Texas Rustic Way. Many TRW designs feature the iconic map outline of Texas, along with longhorns, oilfields…
The City of Edinburg and its economic development corporation are starting the new year with a new addition to an existing program designed to assist locally owned businesses through COVID-19-related hardships. The city’s Stimulus Program Aimed at Recovery from COVID is adding assistance to business owners who are based out of their homes. The SPARC program will provide up to $2,000 in grants for use to purchase furniture, supplies and…
Corporate Asset Partners has developed retail and business plazas across South Texas and one of its chief executives has come to a conclusion about Weslaco. “The community has been underserved,” said Craig Garansuay of the San Antonio-based asset partners. Garansuay has crunched the numbers and determined that Weslaco is above area market averages in some key consumer categories. In Weslaco, restaurants featuring hamburgers are 35 percent above area averages in…