Category Archives: Industry

Twenty-seven-year-old Nick Rhodes, the president of Esperanza Homes, moved to the Rio Grande Valley six years ago. Two years later, he applied for Leadership McAllen Class 36 and was selected. Throughout the course of the year, Rhodes and his Leadership-McAllen classmates learned about the multi-faceted city from both a historical and present-day perspective while also learning about each other. “Many in our group, some single and some married with no…

Vietnamese`Fusion’ Gains Following & Awards

December 1, 2020

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

Khanh “Connie” Nguyen’s first impressions of the Rio Grande Valley in 2008 were of a place she didn’t plan to stay long. In the midst of the Great Recession, and buffeted by the upheaval of the banking industry where she worked in southern California, Nguyen’s mother advised she head to the Valley for a fresh start. Nguyen had family here and she decided it was worth a try. “Too hot,”…

Boat Tours Offer Eye-Opening Look At Port

December 1, 2020

Tony Vindell

News Recreation & Tourism Comments

Want to learn about the history of one of the Rio Grande Valley’s best-known enterprises and the geography of the Laguna Madre? If the answer is yes, hop on one of several charter boat companies based in the South Padre Island-Port Isabel area for a tour of the Port of Brownsville and the surrounding Laguna. The deep-water facility can be seen off State Highway 48, but an up close look…

Port of Brownsville Again Ranks High in Exports

November 29, 2020

VBR

Featured Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments

For the eight year in a row, Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 at the Port of Brownsville remains near the top in the nation for the value of exports. The recognition comes from information in the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board’s annual report to Congress. FTZ No. 62 ranks second in the country with more than $4.3 billion in exported goods in 2019. This is an increase from the $3.8 billion…

From Restaurant Cook to Patient Care

November 28, 2020

Chris Ardis

Community Featured Healthcare News Comments

Juan de la Rosa of Donna was working as a cook at Longhorn Steakhouse when he decided to pursue a career in a high-demand field where he could earn more money while helping people. He decided to enroll at South Texas College in the Patient Care Technician Program. In this program, de la Rosa knew he would also be taught entry-level skills in phlebotomy, EKG and monitor technician. While enrolling…

TABC Initiative Focuses on Veterans

November 20, 2020

VBR

Featured Food & Entertainment News Comments

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission invites military veterans from across the state to learn more about available assistance in starting a own business in the alcoholic beverage industry. The invitation comes from TABC’s Empowering Texas Veterans initiative, now in its second year. The initiative partners veterans who have established a business in the industry with protégés who want to begin a business on their own. The mentor will advise the…

County Holds Online Vehicle Auction

November 12, 2020

VBR

Community Events e-Brief Features Government News Comments

Hidalgo County will hold a Webcast Vehicle and Fleet Auction by AMT Auctions Nov. 21. Items will be on display behind the San Carlos Headstart on Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Bidding starts on Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. and ends until the last item is sold. Buyers must register online at amtauctions.com. The webcast auction consists of vehicles and fleet. Items are sold “as…

Anzalduas International Bridge Inaugurates New Lanes

November 5, 2020

VBR

e-Brief Features News Transportation & Travel Comments

On Oct. 29, the McAllen Bridge System officially inaugurated additional northbound lanes at Anzalduas International Bridge Port of Entry. Aiding were federal, state and local stakeholders. The newly constructed lanes are part of improvements to increase northbound vehicular traffic at the bridge. The total construction cost for the improvement was $2,867,922. “Our international ports of entry are extremely important to our local and state economies, said Texas Senator Juan “Chuy”…

McAllen Selects New Fire Chief

November 4, 2020

VBR

Featured Government Moving On Up News Comments

James Schultz is the new chief for the McAllen Fire Department. Schultz has been serving in an interim capacity since Chief Rafael Balderas’ retirement earlier this year after serving as assistant McAllen fire chief for the past eight years. His career, almost exclusively with the McAllen Fire Department, began in 1993 as a firefighter, a position he held also for eight years. “The City of McAllen and the McAllen Fire…

TABC Offers Training for Alcohol Delivery

November 3, 2020

VBR