Category Archives: Industry

Partnership Bridges Technology Gap

Education Featured News Technology Comments
Three students present their concept for a mobile app that would scan the contents of an individual’s refrigerator and pantry and find recipes to use those ingredients.

Code/Interactive and Mission EDC join forces with school district Students at Mission Consolidated Independent School District’s Rafael Cantu Junior High School displayed computer coding skills Friday that they are learning as part of a program to better prepare young people to succeed in the high-tech job market. The Mission school district has launched the program in partnership with the Mission Economic Development Corporation and Code/Interactive of New York which brings…

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Women Make Headway in Business World

News Retail Comments
Marlen Saenz

When Marlen Saenz began selling picture frames at a local flea market 12 years ago, she never dreamed her little business would grow to where it is now after receiving a $1.3-million SBA 504 Real Estate & Equipment Loan. At the U.S. Small Business Administration, we know business success can be achieved with the right tools. And Saenz is just one of the 54,773 reasons the Rio Grande Valley has…

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Lubbock: West Texas Windfall

Featured News Transportation & Travel Comments

West Texas town has something for everyone No longer your grandfather’s West Texas town, Lubbock has become a destination well worth the trip. What’s great? Restaurants and wine bars so good you’ll consider relocating.  Fascinating, one-of-a-kind museums and, threaded throughout the city of 250,000, active prairie dog towns and friendly folks. The home of Texas Tech, Lubbock offers days of easy-going fun and great food.   Playing to its High…

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Old-Fashioned Customer Service

Featured News Retail Comments
The Eiler family, Ken, Debbie, Loretta and Bob, stand in front of the store’s new paint department.

The store is clean and modern. At the same time, it stands as a testament to an era when the local hardware store stood as a community fixture. Borderland Hardware in Mercedes is among only a handful of locally owned, old-fashioned hardware stores left in the Rio Grande Valley. Owners Bob Eilers, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday; his wife of 67 years, Loretta; and son Ken and wife Debbie,…

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For the Love of Animals

Agriculture Featured News Retail Comments
Owner Leroy Moreno with one of his personal pets, an albino Burmese python. (VBR)

Moreno’s adapts to modern pet ownership A love of animals and their care keeps Leroy Moreno coming to work every morning with a smile on his face. The enthusiasm he has for his business, Moreno’s Feed and Pet Store in Weslaco, is contagious as he talks about his passion for animal husbandry. One of six children growing up on a farm north of Donna, Moreno remembers his father, Gus Moreno,…

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Bargain Hunters’ Delight

Featured News Retail Comments

Brownsville flea market keeps customers coming back Every weekend people flock to more than a dozen flea markets around the Rio Grande Valley in search of bargains. The largest and one of the oldest flea markets in South Texas is the 77 Flea Market in north Brownsville, where hundreds of people shop, eat and enjoy the day every weekend. Taking the name from its location on Expressway 77, now also…

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Building Boats One at a Time

Featured News Retail Comments

Cougar Marine at the helm of construction Bill Gagan started a fiberglass and composite fabrication company in a 600-square–foot shop in the Dallas area. Business boomed and his company became one of the largest fiberglass and composite fabrication companies in the world, operating out of a 115,000-square-foot building. Gagan holds several patents and copyrights and has fabricated high-speed racing boats, race car parts, components for Disney attractions, signs for franchise…

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A Pro Teaches Home Cooks

Featured Food & Entertainment News Professional Services Comments

McAllen Culinary Academy makes cooking comfortable Food excites Chef Marcel, and he shares that enthusiasm with cooks who turn to him to sharpen their skills in the kitchen. The McAllen Culinary Academy may sound like a school for cooks wanting to become professional chefs, but that’s not what inspires Marcel. “I’m not looking to teach professional cooks,” Marcel said. “I am more for people who want to better themselves for…

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Venues Connect with Valley’s Past

Food & Entertainment News Comments

A handful of event centers in the Rio Grande Valley set themselves apart from the crowd by offering venues steeped in the history and heritage of Deep South Texas. From historic buildings to outdoor settings, these businesses specialize in helping customers plan everything from weddings to corporate gatherings. The businesses featured here represent a small sampling of venues that reflect the heritage and natural beauty of the Valley.   Villa…

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Brothers Credit SBA Programs with Growth

Business Advice Featured Government Comments

Federal programs and contracts pay off Brothers Samuel and Saul Maldonado founded SAM Engineering & Surveying Inc. in June 2008 with only three employees and yearly sales of $400,000. Today, the firm has grown to 55 employees with sales in excess of $4 million.  The brothers attribute part of their success with assistance provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Starting initially as an engineering and surveying firm, SAMES added…

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