Category Archives: Industry

Sweet Business: A Natural Approach to Success 

Featured Food & Entertainment Retail Comments
Wicked Good owner Jonathan Hogan added on to his house to create storage space for his growing product line. (VBR)

Wicked Good keeps it fresh and local After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Jonathan Hogan began applying for graduate programs and wondering how he would be able to pay for it. With time on his hands, he began experimenting with making marmalades, jellies and jams in the kitchen of his Mission home. At one point his father weighed in that the marmalade was so good he felt wicked eating it. Thus Hogan’s company Wicked Good was…

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Digital Beach Bums Promote the Island 

Featured Recreation & Tourism Comments
Jerry Wilson updates a Facebook page from his home office. (VBR)

Live web cams attract valuable audience A video of a large alligator cruising near the Laguna Madre shoreline on South Padre Island generated more than 70,000 online views in three days. That’s as good as gold for Jerry and Jackie Wilson, owners of South Padre Network, a digital business the Wilsons operate from their home. The Wilsons posted the alligator video, captured by their web cam at Sea Turtle Inc. on Facebook. The…

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The Enlightened Exterminator 

Featured Professional Services Comments
Jose Guerrero and Gabriel Martinez prepare to treat a house for termites. (VBR)

Safeguard Pest Control provides solutions When Juan Martinez returned to the Valley after serving in the Marine Corps, he found a job with a pest control company. He enjoyed the work, moved up the ladder and eventually managed the business. In 1991, he started his own company, Safeguard Pest Control, with his assets of a pickup truck, experience, a strong work ethic and a Pest Control Structural license from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Now the largest independent pest control company in the Valley, Safeguard is run by his sons, Frank and Gabriel. “I started working here the day he opened the business,”…

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How to Calculate Taxes on IRA Income

Finance/Banking News Comments
calculating taxes on IRAs

Calculations vary with contributions and earnings In last month’s article, I wrote about the mistaken idea some people have that they earn too much to benefit from a Roth IRA.  The Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act, passed by Congress in 2005, effectively opened up a legal avenue to make contributions to a traditional IRA, and then convert all or part of the funds to a Roth. Let’s dig a…

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From Warship to Scrap and Beyond

Featured Manufacturing/Industrial Comments

Old Ships Build the Future International Shipbreaking Ltd. CEO Chris Green moves among employees with ease, greeting them with waves, smiles and handshakes. Walking across the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier USS Independence, he stopped to talk with two workers. “How’s your boy doing?” he asked one man whose son had been experiencing health problems. “We have a group of really hard-working people around here,” Green said. “They are our greatest asset.” The USS Independence is the most…

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Don’t Think You Earn Too Much For A Roth IRA 

Business Advice e-Brief Features Finance/Banking News Comments

When Roth IRAs were created in 1997, they were an exciting new idea. They provided a way to make after-tax contributions that could, under certain conditions, grow entirely free of federal income taxes. Prior to that, traditional IRAs worked basically the other way around — you could make deductible contributions, but distributions would be fully taxable. The law also allowed taxpayers to “convert” traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs by paying…

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For Love of Strings

e-Brief Features Retail Comments
Cremona House owner Miguel Gutierrez celebrates the opening of his stringed instrument store July 13 with the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce,

New store offers stringed instruments, lessons A Valley Symphony Orchestra viola player has opened a new business in Harlingen to share his love of stringed instruments. The Harlingen Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening on July 13 for Cremona House, the venture started by 29-year-old Miguel Gutierrez. The name comes from the Italian city in the Lombardy region known for its tradition of violin-making. Cremona House…

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Disaster Assistance … The SBA You Never Knew

Business Advice Government News Comments

What used to be a family home is now splintered debris after being beat by strong winds. An office building or retail store that serves as a source of sales and income for several workers is now unusable and unprofitable in the blink of an eye. Who do you call? Helping communities recover and rebuild after hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other disasters is a side of the U.S. Small Business…

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Solar Screens are Hot in RGV

Professional Services Comments
Rene Castro, owner of RRC Quality Solar Screens works on a custom-size solar screen for a client.

Rene Castro’s dad asked him a simple question – could Rene make a solar screen for one of the windows in the house. “I went to Home Depot, bought the material and made it,” Castro said. “Then he just said you should do this on the side. But I knew nothing about the solar screen business.” A few weeks later, he decided to start RRC Quality Solar Screens and now,…

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Vermillion Opens in Harlingen

Food & Entertainment Comments
Owners Iselle and George Perez opened their second Vermillion Restaurant, this one in Harlingen.

George Perez sits down at a table inside the recently opened Vermillion restaurant in Harlingen. He takes a taste of the ceviche that was just placed in front of him. The ceviche is as fresh as could be, the colors from the diced tomatoes, jalapenos and onion radiate from the plate, emphasizing the freshness. The chips that accompany them carry with them the warm smell of the oven. “We’re not…

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