It started as “a hobby business,” a vehicle for a husband-and-wife team of physical therapists to promote their passion for fitness. The vision that began in 2011 for Jun and Edith Ellorimo to get people “walking and running” is today a Footworks Start To Finish store with a wide community reach to go with a growing network of runners and cyclists. “It has gone beyond what we envisioned,” Jun said…
As a young architect, Calvin Walker left Louisiana to work in the Rio Grande Valley for a year. Fifty years later, he is still designing buildings from his Brownsville office. In the interim, he worked for 30 years at various iterations of the large architectural firm SHW, rising to vice president and partner in charge of Brownsville. In 1997, he declined to relocate and started Walker Perez Associates with Carlos…
Rio Grande Valley citrus groves and packing houses are buzzing with activity as this year’s harvest season kicks into high gear for what is predicted to a bountiful yield that could pump as much as $200 million into the local economy. “I think we are shaping up to have a really good year,” said Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual. “Our estimates are above last year. The crop is…
Recycling in the Rio Grande Valley may not be as prevalent as it is in other parts of the state and nation, but for 37 years a Brownsville family has been “going green” to make a living. Owned and operated by Ruben Guerrero Sr., his wife Rosa, and sons Ruben Jr. and Rolando, Brownsville Scrap Paper on FM 511 not far from the Port of Brownsville, the business buys, sells…
A 52-percent increase in cotton acreage in the Rio Grande Valley this year has paid off for farmers. But, as is typical in the tough business of farming, some growers did better than others. “The crop has been harvested now,” Hidalgo County AgriLife Extension Agent Brad Cowen said. “Yields are kind of scattered this year. It was a really good year for some and not so good for others.” Valley…
Gliztzy Glam caters to princesses Every little girl dreams of being a princess. Carrie Fullerton can make that happen. Fullerton’s business, Glitzy Glam Parties, offers an all-inclusive upscale party planning service with specialty themes for children ages 3 and up. She takes care of all the details, right down to the invitations and clean up. “I have been doing parties for 17 years and I was an elementary teacher for…
Hundreds from the Valley learn how to thrive in today’s economy Starting your own small business can be stressful. It involves long hours but can be rewarding and employs other people to succeed. Be kind and helpful, learn from mentors, be grateful, bring passion to your work and surround yourself with people who are more intelligent than yourself … these are just a few of the points shared by successful small…
Whether sitting down for a tough negotiation or interviewing a potential new hire, most business people would like to be able to know more about their conversational counterpart than just the words coming out of their mouth. Learning to read a person’s body language can give valuable insight into what’s going on behind the verbal exchange. Body language expert Jan Hargrave says research shows 55 percent of personal communication is…
Magic Valley Electric Cooperative celebrated 80 years in South Texas during festivities at its headquarters in Mercedes. Founded in 1937 by a group of Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers to bring electricity to rural South Texas, one year after the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 was enacted during the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt. It provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural…
Sandy Pena’s love for downtown Weslaco runs deep and reaches back to her childhood when she and her cousins used to play summertime hide-and-seek in the adjoining buildings owned by her father and aunt. “It was our playground,’’ Pena said. “It’s where we grew up.’’ Those days of frolic are long behind her, and Pena today owns and runs the downtown store her father, Lionel Oliveira, started almost 60 years ago and still…