Elizabeth Suarez was well on her way to law school before deciding to take an interview with the City of McAllen on Christmas Eve 1999. Suarez was a graduate student at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio when a human resources manager from McAllen’s city government made a recruiting visit to the campus. A transit manager job opportunity was available. A political science undergraduate degree to go with graduate-level studies…
Anabell Cardona was 15-years plus into managing clinics and doctors’ offices in Weslaco and McAllen. It was then she figured the time was right, in her mid-30s, to make a career breakthrough. Cardona recalls having no fear in 2001 as she sat in front of a banker and faced a business loan with six figures in it. She was ready to purchase Valley Grande Institute of Weslaco. “Where do I…
In 2019, record growth hit McAllen International Airport with 432,178 passenger boardings. This is a 20 percent increase from 2018 and also the highest number of enplanements in MFE’s history. Over the last 20 years, MFE’s compounded annual growth rate in passenger enplanements has trended progressively steady at 1.4 percent. This steady growth has MFE as the leading airport in the Rio Grande Valley, capturing the majority of market share…
Laura Matamoros is the new economic development director for Hidalgo County. The news came from County Judge Richard F. Cortez today as he also announced Hilda Escochea Salinas as assistant chief of staff. Matamoros’s previous service includes director of business research and strategy for the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation. She was also the director of operations for the United Brownsville Coordinating Board. She is a graduate from the University of…
Students pursuing a General Educational Development diploma through the Brownsville Independent School District can also now train and get certified as a phlebotomist through TSTC’s Workforce Training and Continuing Education department. The offering comes with a new partnership between Texas State Technical College and the BISD Adult Continuing Education program. “This is the first time we have partnered with BISD in this capacity,” said Myra De Leon, Workforce Training and…
Cristobal Villalon’s childhood dream came true recently when, with his family present, he was sworn in as a police officer at the Texas State Technical College Police Department. At a swearing-in ceremony led by TSTC Police Chief Eduardo Patino and Justice of the Peace Eloy Cano Jr., the Brownsville native said he has finally found his home at TSTC. “I couldn’t believe how much the department feels like family,” said the…
The Rio Grande Valley truck stop industry took a leap recently as Love’s Truck Stop recently opened for business away from the Interstate Highway System. Part of the Oklahoma-based company‘s move into the area can be attributed to an increase in business activity at the Port of Brownsville. Love’s Truck Stop, just off FM 511, is just a stone’s throw from the deep-water facility. “Love’s generally has its truck stops along…
Long known as a place for members only, the Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club has been trying to change its image by adding some events that are open to a more general audience. About a half dozen concerts and comedy shows are some of the activities the club started having for a number of years that are open to the public. Staffers Jenika Gonzales and Jorge Lopez said the goal…
If you are not familiar with the sport of axe throwing, you may want to throw on some closed-toe shoes, grab a few friends and drive over to Kickin Axes RGV at 1017 W. Shasta Ave. in McAllen. It seems fitting that three brothers, not biological brothers but firefighter brothers, own this “new fun in town.” It all started when Mark Koite and his wife traveled to San Antonio for…
Many of the country’s beach resorts have a place where the locals and visitors alike like to hang out. South Padre Island has its Entertainment District as well. It’s a place with about a dozen businesses that cater to families and to those who enjoy dancing, dining, fishing or who simply like to watch the many beautiful sunsets over the usually tranquil waters of the Laguna Madre. There are also rides for…