Author Archives: Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

Ricardo D. Cavazos is a Rio Grande Valley native and journalist who has worked as a reporter, editor and publisher at Texas newspapers. Cavazos formerly worked as a reporter and editorial writer at The Brownsville Herald, Dallas Times Herald, Corpus Christi Caller-Times and San Antonio Light. He served as editor of The Monitor in McAllen from 1991-1998 and from there served for 15 years as publisher at The Herald in Brownsville. Cavazos has been providing content for the Valley Business Report since 2018.

SpaceX Launches Waves Of Hope

A mural of SpaceX founder Elon Musk on a downtown Brownsville building.

The city of Brownsville for decades had a motto that was simple and got to the point about the city’s allure. “On The Border By The Sea,” was the saying often attached to city marketing and official communication. As of a few months ago, Brownsville’s signature saying was altered to reflect recent developments. “On The Border By The Sea – And Beyond!” is the new slogan.  Brownsville has fallen for…

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Facing Challenges Filling Open Positions

Jobs at many restaurants are open as businesses gear up to handle a growing customer demand.

National Electrical Coil is ready to expand. They are looking for welders, technicians, general labor, and to add staff in its purchasing department.  “We’re hiring leaps and bounds,” said Maribel Bacca, a NEC manager, at a recent press conference to announce a jobs expo in Brownsville.  At SteelCoast, Ruben Vega talked of the 100 jobs he has open. The reclamation company and recycler of large metals at the Port of…

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Bringing Expertise & Services To Higher Level

Nathan Burkhart of the BCIC is helping to oversee the building of the new "eBridge." (VBR)

These are heady days for the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation as it incorporates emerging technology and the excitement of SpaceX at Boca Chica into a growing economy. The BCIC funds economic development and boosts quality of life projects. There’s plenty of that in Brownsville right now. Downtown improvements and a flurry of small businesses are seeing early successes and working to scale up operations. The BCIC is in the middle…

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Extending Bicentennial Gives McAllen True North

Bicentennial Boulevard street sign points northward in its intersection with Auburn Avenue.

McAllen is an elongated-shaped city that’s hemmed in by Edinburg and Mission on its eastern and western flanks, with boundaries running long-and-narrow.  The city’s shape may appear narrow on a map, but it has hardly kept Hidalgo County’s largest city from growing over the years. For decades, the historical north-south corridors of 10th and 23rd streets were sufficient for traffic flow. City planners knew years ago that wouldn’t be enough. …

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Nurse Practitioner Rises To Serve RGV Community

Aaron Salinas began his health care career at the ground level. His start came as an emergency medical technician. Here, Salinas got a firsthand look at the essential medical needs of Rio Grande Valley residents.  “There were a lot of things that didn’t add up,” Salinas said of observations he made as an EMT, and then a paramedic, in going into the homes of residents in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.…

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Brownsville To Host Expo Featuring Job Openings

City and private sector employers gather to announce a jobs expo coming up in Brownsville on June 28.

The City of Brownsville and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation are teaming up to host what it is the largest in-person career expo in the Rio Grande Valley. Careers And Coffee takes place on June 28 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Brownsville Events Center. There will be no entry fee. At a June 10 press conference, GBIC and city officials, along with employers present, said more than…

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Amor y Pan Gains Recognition

Becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business during a pandemic has taught Karina Saldivar some valuable lessons while deepening her appreciation for local support of small businesses. The latter has been vital for the success of her business, Amor y Pan. The bakery and store promotes healthy living with products that appeal to fans of keto, vegan and paleo lifestyles. A look inside her stylish shop just off Expressway 77/83…

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El Disco Blossoms Into Success Story

El Disco features an array of curio products from throughout Mexico.

Up in his son’s second floor office, Francisco Pulido pulls out a book of family photos. He then smiles at the sight of a skinny 19-year-old youth. “That’s me,” he said, pointing to himself in the late 1970s, standing in front of a record store in Nuevo Progreso.  He was a young entrepreneur then. He was the son of Tamaulipas farmers, opening up a record shop in a town already…

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Harlingen Makes Park Destination Points

Harlingen's new Lon C. Hill Destination Park is a signature project in the city.

Living in Harlingen these days means having access to as much parkland and hike-and-bike trails as can be found in the Rio Grande Valley. It’s a point that Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell likes to make, as he did recently when the city marked the official opening of the Lon C. Hill Destination Park. The $3.3-million project transformed what was an ordinary green space. It is now over 50 acres of…

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Alamo B&B Caters To Birders

Birders are always welcome at the Alamo Inn.

The headline atop the easel paper pad was in all caps and featured “SIGNIFICANT SIGHTINGS.” Underneath the big letters there were 23 bird species listed that had been seen across the Rio Grande Valley over the first three weeks of April. Next to that column were another 13 bird species spotted at South Padre Island.  “It has been an exceptional year,” said Keith Hackland, who owns and operates the Alamo…

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