Category Archives: Manufacturing/Industrial

With more than $300,000 in funding, South Texas College is partnering with local workforce agencies and municipalities to bring numerous education and training opportunities to the Rio Grande Valley. The Lower Rio Grande Valley Workforce Development Board now has more than $300,000 in grant funding from the Texas Workforce Commission. The board is in now in a partnership with STC, Edinburg Economic Development and Pharr Economic Development. Earlier this month,…

Tugboat Operator Brings Much to Port

August 15, 2019

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e-Brief Features Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

In June, Signet Maritime celebrated 21 years of tugboat operations at the Port of Brownsville. The company’s full-service navigation center provides ship, barge and rig movements as well as harbor tugboat operations since 1998. The fleet includes three tugboats, the Signet Defender, Signet Ranger and the Signet Magic. These high-powered tugs assist ships and barges, often more than ten times their size. They also navigate through the 17-mile long Brownsville…

Training Partnership Forms Skilled Workforce

August 15, 2019

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

e-Brief Features Featured Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

A partnership between the Weslaco Economic Development Corp. and South Texas College is leading to better trained workforces for warehousing, distribution and manufacturing companies in both the Mid-Valley and surrounding areas. A $100,000 STC grant is one component of the EDC’s partnership with the college and its Institution for Advanced Manufacturing. The training provided by the grant is initially focusing on occupational health and safety. The first round of training…

Bulk Cargo Dock Rehabilitation Nears Completion

August 14, 2019

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Featured Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

The Port of Brownsville will resume exporting grains by vessel with the rehabilitation of the bulk cargo dock scheduled for completion this month. The renovation project is part of a 2016 agreement between the port and West Plains LLC to restore and operate the grain elevator. The elevator has a capacity to store three million bushels of grain. Since restoration efforts began, West Plains has invested multiple millions of dollars…

STC Receives More Than $1 Million in Grants

August 5, 2019

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Education Featured Healthcare Manufacturing/Industrial Comments

Ceremonies took place at South Texas College Aug. 1 to announce a $1 million Skills Development Fund from Texas Workforce Commission and DHR Health. The funds marked the 27th SDF grant for STC from TWC. It also marks the second grant in partnership with DHR. The grant will provide customized training through a variety of healthcare areas. Additionally, it will benefit an estimate of 4,000 new and existing employees of DHR Health.…

Big Boots Are Filled

July 1, 2019

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

Manufacturing/Industrial News Retail Comments

In the mid-1990s, Carlos Rodriguez found himself back in his native Mexico. He had an industrial engineering degree in hand, but with an economy in tatters, he found no real jobs in his field. “I had no job, no car, no nothing, but a lot of enthusiasm to start a new adventure,” he recalled. Rodriguez had just returned from Canada. Here he took intensive English classes in Vancouver to bolster…

RGV Prepares for Job Influx

June 6, 2019

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e-Brief Features Events Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

Companies investing in the Rio Grande Valley anticipate high demand for workers that may exceed 9,000 jobs. The news comes from seven large employers attending a Workforce Summit recently held at the Port of Brownsville. Three proposed liquefied natural gas plants will drive initial demand. The companies should receive their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permits and commence construction within the next three years. During the construction phase these companies estimate…

Local Education Receives $850K for Career Training

May 30, 2019

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Education Healthcare Manufacturing/Industrial Comments

One local college and four independent school districts are the recipients of $850,892 in grants from the Texas Workforce Commission. The funds are for programs that focus on supporting high-demand occupations through the Jobs and Education for Texans grant program. The award total for 27 JET grants is $5,718,073 in 27 grants. Funds go to multiple public community colleges, technical institutes, state colleges and ISDs for programs. “I congratulate these JET recipients as…

Local Jobs Coming With Plastic Manufacturer

May 23, 2019

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e-Brief Features Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

Manufacturing company Poly SACHI Polymers LLC will soon be relocating its operations from Taylor, Texas, to Harlingen. The announcement came with an agreement on May 17. The company will occupy the 35,000-square-foot building at 1314 Industrial Way by summer’s end. The building is one of the few remaining vacant industrial buildings in Harlingen. This $1 million investment will also create 20 new jobs. Poly SACHI Polymers is the parent company…

Keppel AmFELS Completes Containerships

May 14, 2019

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