Author Archives: Todd Breland, VBR general manager

My thirty years in the media world has primarily focused on marketing, advertising and writing. This industry is my passion. I have been blessed to serve customers with marketing consulting, advertising concepts, video production and promotion of all forms - broadcast, print and digital. My occupation is a fun job but not work. The opportunity to put clients and customers together awakens me early. Learning clients and their businesses enables me to create effective multimedia advertising campaigns. My media life led me to deep South Texas in 2004 to co-found The Business Times of the Rio Grande Valley and then the Valley Business Report in 2009. This south Louisiana native is proud to call the Rio Grande Valley my home.

The Leaves Have Turned

leaves turned

The old days of competing amongst ourselves is a thing of the past. Working together for the good of the Valley is as bright as a Northeast fall leaf. If you don’t believe me, drive the Valley and see the incredible growth of rooftops and businesses, reaching far and wide. The comradery between county, city and town leadership combined with the very friendly business environment proves bitter leaves of yesteryear…

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RGV Summer Fun

RGV Summer Fun

Catch a wave or make a splash — oh how we enjoy our beautiful beaches and the cool, refreshing water of a backyard pool. Luckily, South Padre Island has both! Summer fun does come with precautions. We parents and grandparents are eyes and ears wide open to ALWAYS know where the little ones are at all times. It’s that time of the year we warn the kids to not venture…

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Place Eggs In Carton Carefully

Entrepreneurs are hustlers, multitaskers and at least slightly hyper — go, go, go and sleep deprived. The number of projects in full motion simultaneously would cause a non-entrepreneur to have stress attacks. For many, no two projects are in the same stages. A drawing illustrating active phases would replicate a spaghetti hurricane model five days before landfall. A seasoned and successful entrepreneur is in control of a limited number of…

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Time To Move Forward

think time

As we dive into 2023, one of our challenges with managing businesses and organizations is scheduling the best use of time for ourselves and our departments. “This is easy,” said no one. The priority of executive tasks consumes a substantial portion of our work day. Actually, the sharpest leaders map out a fluid plan before the work day starts. The allocation of which tasks are the highest priority and how…

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There’s No I in Team 

team

Shortage of employees? Juggling skeleton crews’ vacation schedules? Searching for qualified team members? Everyone is dealing with staffing concerns. Most companies, big and small, are experiencing the same challenges. These are unprecedented times of organizations and businesses not being fully staffed add to ownership and management stress. Seeking to fill position vacancies, interviewing, hiring and training can raise the blood pressure. These challenges became universal issues about 18 months ago,…

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It Takes a Village 

In many ways it feels like yesterday that late co-founder and managing editor Kevin Knoch and I sat down in an Alamo hotel meeting room to discuss the origin of Valley Business Report. Ideas bounced back and forth; many “what ifs” played out in our minds to see if we were up to the challenge. As the pieces fell into place, we said “Let’s do it.” Just over a year…

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News Flash!

news flash

The Valley is going places. And places are coming to Deep South Texas! Commercial development is happening all over the Rio Grande Valley. Investors and developers have seen what we’ve known all along. Our four counties, as one, is a major hot spot, not just in Texas but throughout the great USA. Construction crews are developing travel centers, stores, restaurants and more. New home construction is happening in record numbers…

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Preparing Our Homes and Businesses

Hurricane_prepare

We all try to avoid a particular subject but it is a necessary conversation. In just a few weeks, the Atlantic hurricane season begins. June 1 through November 30 keeps us on our toes, especially through September. Deep South Texas in recent years has seen its share of late spring through summer disastrous conditions due to excessive rainfall. We know well a sitting tropical system doesn’t need to be a…

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Raul D. Gonzalez Receives Rooted Honor

Raul D. Gonzalez ceremony

Lifelong dedication to a community comes with a reward. Sometimes one is presented with a plaque. Rarely is an tree named after the honoree. On March 16 behind Harlingen City Hall, both of those presentations happened. As a formal bonus, the afternoon concluded with a proclamation by Harlingen City Commission. Raul D. Gonzalez, retired City of Harlingen employee and retired Harlingen Chamber of Commerce employee, was honored under the previously…

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