The former Toys R Us site adjacent to La Plaza Mall in McAllen will soon undergo redevelopment by Houston-based Murdoch Capital LLC and Parkway Partners. Property plans have not reached finalization, but the partners report positive feedback in the preliminary stages of its marketing. “McAllen has a strong reputation for high retail sales volume, so we jumped at the opportunity to purchase this site as soon as it became available,” said…
Topgolf is not so much about golf as it is a technology-driven entertainment experience. In fact, more than half of the people who visit Topgolf venues are non-golfers. And only eight percent classify themselves as avid players of the game. The new Topgolf in Pharr, the 50th location in the franchise, features three levels with 72 stations from which to whack balls out into a large area filled with targets.…
Linda McMahon and her husband took a small regional business and built it into a multinational powerhouse brand known as WWE. For non-wrestling fans, that stands for World Wrestling Entertainment, a media and entertainment company primarily known for professional wrestling. Active in WWE from 1980 to 2009, serving as president and CEO, McMahon left the company to mount two unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Senate in her home state of…
Years spent in the media business made clear to Vanessa Sarabia that there is no lack of abundant young talent looking to make their mark, if only someone would give them a chance. Sarabia has a deep background in the media business that includes photography, magazines, event promotions and production of commercials. She used those platforms of experience to create a niche business that would connect to young talent in…
The scene was reminiscent of an old-fashioned barn raising, where friends would turn out to help a farmer build a new barn, and then celebrate the accomplishment. But on this Saturday in December, what was being raised was a new covering for a damaged greenhouse at Acacia Farms in Bayview. The greenhouse, some 30 feet by 130 feet, lost its plastic covering in a freak windstorm earlier in the year…
Success pushed Mid-Valley Pharmacy to a new location in Mercedes this year. Robert Zamora, John Hinkle and Adrian Cervantes had purchased the pharmacy in 2004 Even when the pharmacists bought the business 14 years ago, the pharmacy building was small. “People were used to going there,” Cervantes said. “We struggled with the idea of changing locations, but we outgrew the space. We needed something better for us, for our employees…
Russon Holbrook lived the go-go life of international banking and financial services. It meant many days away from his family, managing investment portfolios and relations with frequent trips to Mexico. In 2013, Holbrook gave all of that up and did something he vowed never to do. He returned to the Rio Grande Valley. The lure of the Holbrook farming legacy in the Valley brought him back. It started with his grandfather,…
Rebecca Garcia was born into a large extended family with roots in Monterrey, Mexico. Her grandmother bore 11 children while her grandfather started a restaurant business, serving up barbacoa and other Mexican specialties from a small trailer. The family migrated north to Nuevo Progreso and eventually to the Harlingen area, along the way building and growing a restaurant business that thrives today. Starting out in trailers much like her grandfather…
On Dec. 11, UTRGV and the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District laid the foundation for a pathway for local students to enter the healthcare field. The new partnership will lead to development of a curriculum, counseling and advisement to Harlingen High School of Health Professions students preparing to apply to UTRGV and its Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences program and the School of Medicine. “This exciting new partnership helps expand our mission…
At a recent city commission meeting, Pharr Mayor Pro-Tem Bobby Carillo introduced Alex Meade as Pharr’s new city manager. Meade recently served as the first CEO for Mission Economic Development Corporation, helping attract projects totaling more than $300 million. Meade also established the Center for Education and Economic Development (CEED) in Mission. “Alex Meade has a history of success of helping communities across South Texas expand their capacity for growth to…