When Charles Edward Wetegrove and his brothers Joe and Raymond inherited the family’s 500-acre Las Majadas Ranch in Willacy County, they knew they wanted to keep the ranch, their heritage, intact. Their great-grandfather had come to the Wild Horse Desert in 1872, began rounding up wild horses and cattle and herding them north to markets. Eventually he established the 6,800-acre ranch where the homestead’s 1886 chimney ranks as the oldest…
Gordon’s Bait & Tackle in Brownsville has gone through one expansion after another over the years, following a family tradition that has converted the business into more than just a place for anglers to buy supplies before they head on fishing trips to the bay, area canals and the beach. The family owned and operated business on Highway 48, also known as Padre Island Highway, is a one-stop shop selling…
Walking into Carlito’s Wine House, if you feel transported to another place then Luis and Mercedes Betancourt will be happy. Inspired by their love of wine and the Texas Hill Country, the couple designed their downtown Harlingen business as a getaway from life’s daily grind. Just inside the door there is a traditional bar with stools, but much of the space is appointed with comfortable sofas and chairs grouped around…
New center to create more than 1,000 jobs Construction on the largest industrial project in Harlingen history will begin soon following a groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 4. The 920,000-square-foot CARDONE Industries distribution center is expected to be completed by December 2018, with some operations to start as early as the summer of 2018. With a core processing facility in Harlingen for the past 10 years, CARDONE is the largest privately held…
The annual migration is underway as Winter Texans make the trek south to escape cold northern winters. During the 2015-2016 season these visitors from the north contributed $760 million to the Rio Grande Valley economy, and this year could be even stronger. “We’re looking for a good season,” said Kristie Collier, president and CEO of Welcome Home Rio Grande Valley. “A lot of new people are coming to Texas this…
The Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow at a rapid pace, and that translates into big money when it comes to business in America. President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Javier Palomarez told a group of Rio Grande Valley business leaders that Latino entrepreneurs contribute more than $668 billion to the U.S. economy each year. “The Hispanic community has become a defining feature…
Primo de la Garza’s high school woodshop teacher helped him get a job with a cabinet maker when he was a teenager, an opportunity that opened the door to his lifelong vocation. “I was 18 when I started,” he said. “The instructor got me a job with Gray’s Cabinet Shop here in Harlingen. I am 60 now so that was 42 years ago. I’ve been making my living doing this…
After managing 16 school kitchens in North Texas as a nutritionist, Rio Grande Valley native Veronica Barrera-Cuellar returned home with a dream of attending pastry school. She ended up selling chocolate. “I love pastry and I wanted to go to pastry school, but life happens,” she said. Needing to find a livelihood, she teamed up with her sister Patricia and began looking into franchise opportunities to start their own business.…
Texas white-tailed deer, fish, birds, reptiles and even African animals often find their way to Rene Escamilla, who can preserve them for hunters and fishing enthusiasts who want to keep a trophy. Escamilla is an expert in taxidermy, or the practice of stuffing or mounting an animal’s body for display or even educational purposes. And the Brownsville taxidermist probably knows that line of business better than most of his colleagues…
As technology races ahead by leaps and bounds, one thing never changes when operating a business. In the end it’s all about customer service. Across the Rio Grande Valley there are several locally owned companies offering residential and commercial security systems, and they all say their success is grounded in connecting with customers. Unlike some national security companies that contract with sales representatives and service technicians, these businesses take…