The Mexican-grown Persian limes are rolling down the conveyor belts at ColiMex in Weslaco. Workers are sorting and inspecting the fruit. Boxes of “Fresh Quality Limes” are stacked high on pallets near an open warehouse door, waiting for delivery. The limes at the Weslaco plant will be shipped across the country to some of the nation’s best known national and regional grocers. Food service companies are also major buyers in…
The girders and concrete pillars form a trail of construction at FM 495 in Pharr and head toward what is the Rio Grande Valley’s largest highway construction project since the region saw its first convergence of freeways in the 1990s. The project of three decades ago would be called the Pharr Interchange. The highways in the early 1990s, known as U.S. Highway 281 and Expressway 77/83, are now I-69C and…
Eduardo Casas knew he was doing more than repurposing an old building into a new restaurant when he opened SMOKE: Texas BBQ & Watering Hole. SMOKE BBQ would be housed where the Rainbo Bakery held forth on Harrison Avenue in Harlingen. Rainbo was a mainstay Harlingen business for over seven decades. Memories run long in the city when it comes to the iconic bakery. “My idea in opening here was…
A year ago, Delyssa Gonzalez was working as a home health provider in Brownsville. At the time, employment opportunities looked to be limited. Where Gonzalez is at the present time – training to be an electrician – is unimaginable compared to where she was. It’s a story she told in brief form in front of a crowd recently at the administrative offices of the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement.…
A bridge known more as a crossing for tourists to buy Mexican curios and medications at border pharmacies is gearing up to become more of a player in commercial and industrial traffic. The Progreso International Bridge is making a $20-million investment to double the capacity of its commercial lanes on the east side of the main span. It will also be modernizing facilities and developing its industrial park. The Progreso…
The three major airports across the Rio Grande Valley have seen a year of adding flights and boosting passenger traffic after a down year taken by a pandemic. In Brownsville, a stunning new airport terminal opened early in 2021. They’re all notable developments. In the middle of the region, in Weslaco, a smaller but busy airport caters to corporate and charter air travel. It also is making its own improvements.…
Jesus Bojorquez had a decision to make in moving toward a degree in biomedical science. Should he continue on a career path toward pharmacy school as he planned after concluding a stint in the U.S. Army? There was a new pursuit that had caught the Brownsville native’s fancy. It was becoming more than a hobby. Bojorquez was intrigued with the notion of being a chocolatier. He had more than dabbled…
It’s a sun-splashed Saturday at Southern Roots Flower Market and Stephanie Brantley is all smiles while working with her crew in a horse trailer-turned-mobile coffee bar. Her happiness matches the sunshine. The self-described people person welcomes customers to the Match Made Coffee bar, an Edinburg-based business. Match Made goes wherever events call for brews and teas to be made by an experienced barista with a Starbucks background who has struck…
The bracelets at Jen Zeano Designs define the brand Jennifer Serrano is selling. “Fuerte,” says one bracelet with the others reaffirming the theme of strength with “Poderosa,” and “Jefa.” Being a boss and exuding power all flow into the pro-Latina vibes Serrano and her partner and business co-owner, Veronica Vasquez, live everyday. The 20-something business owners ship out 50 to 100 orders monthly from their Levee Street location in downtown…
A whirlwind is how Erika Soveranes described it. A normal work week was proceeding at Brownsville Lopez High School where she works as a music program director. Mid-week, a call came in from Arlington, Texas. Mexican boxing hero Canelo Alvarez had a huge fight on tap at AT&T Stadium. Would the Mariachi Margaritas – an all-women group of which Soveranes is a member – be willing to sing behind legendary…