Category Archives: Industry

Keppel AmFELS Completes Containerships

Featured Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments
Executives from Keppel AmFELS and Pasha Hawaii with Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed, fourth from left, and other federal, state and local dignitaries to commemorate the milestones achieved in the construction of two new containerships April 30. (photo Port of Brownsville)

Keppel AmFELS reached a pair of construction milestones April 30 in the building of two containership vessels for Pasha Hawaii. Executives from both companies were joined by Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed and other federal, state and local dignitaries for the ceremonial keel laying for M/V George III and the cutting of the first steel plates for M/V Janet Marie, the two containerships currently being built at the Port of Brownsville. Delivery of…

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Teaching Students to Succeed

Education News Professional Services Comments
Partners Angie Moreno and Janie Garza Reyes started Advanced College & Hair Design in Weslaco 30 years ago.

Going from one classroom to another, Janie Garza Reyes gives a tour of a barber school that started with a handful of chairs 30 years ago, and is now the largest school of its type in the Rio Grande Valley – and one of the largest in Texas. “We opened this school from zero,” Reyes said, referring to the longtime partnership between herself and Angie Moreno in starting and building…

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Skate Park Boosts Pharr Recreation

Featured Recreation & Tourism Comments
Victor Garcia Skate Park

A one-acre blast of fun is now part of the City of Pharr’s park system. The Victor Garcia Skate Park has been a long-awaited addition to the city and its young skateboarders. Officials say the V-shaped layout skate park gives Pharr’s recreational offerings a big boost. “This skate park was built based off of ideas put forth by our own kids and skating enthusiasts,” said Sergio Alanis, director of the…

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UTRGV Hosts STEM Symposium For Latinas

e-Brief Features Education Events News Technology Comments
NSF INCLUDES Symposium for ADVANCING Latinas in STEM Academic Careers

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will host the NSF INCLUDES Symposium for ADVANCING Latinas in STEM Academic Careers on May 16-17 at The Pearl South Padre Resort. The event will address best practices and lessons to enhance successful STEM careers, This is the first part of a two-part series on Latinas in STEM academic careers. The series addresses how work-life issues, policies/practices, mentoring and climate affect their pathways/pipelines, recruitment, retention and…

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Allegiant Offers Seasonal Flights from MFE

Featured News Transportation & Travel Comments

Beginning in May, Allegiant Air will be offering direct flights from McAllen International Airport to Orlando/Sanford, Fla. Following soon after in June, the airline will also offer direct travel to Los Angeles, Cali.  Both cities’ non-stop flights will be available throughout the summer until August. “We are excited for another busy summer knowing that Allegiant offers families in our region a great choice for economical fares and inclusive vacation packages,”…

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IBC Bank Teaches Children Financial Literacy

Education Featured Finance/Banking News Comments

IBC Bank-McAllen employees are spending this spring using their professional expertise to teach local students the fundamentals of financial literacy. McAllen is joining IBCs across Texas and Oklahoma partaking in Financial Literacy Month and the American Bankers Association’s Teach the Children to Save initiative. IBC Bank-McAllen is providing 17 presentations to a total of 300 students. The presentations include real-life exercises like paying a mortgage, buying groceries and budgeting for emergencies. Bank…

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McAllen Inventor Makes Hanging Up EZ

e-Brief Features Featured News Retail Technology Comments
Juan Guerrero of EZ Stud Finder

Juan Guerrero has the mind of an engineer … analyzing, probing, figuring out a problem in using a well-honed process. “I do enjoy having projects that interest me,” said Guerrero, a retired electrical engineer with more than 20 years in the maquiladora industry for companies like Zenith and TRW. One idea that Guerrero latched on to came about when spending time with construction workers and carpenters who were building his…

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Harlingen Dedicates New Convention Center

Events Featured Gallery News Recreation & Tourism Comments
Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell cut the ribbon to officially open the Harlingen Convention Center. (VBR)

City officials and community leaders gathered May 1 for a ceremony and ribbon-cutting to formally dedicate the Harlingen Convention Center. Attendees had a chance to tour the building and a community open house was on the schedule for the evening. Mariachis entertained guests upon arrival. A color guard made up of officers from the Harlingen police and fire departments started the ceremony. Harlingen school district students then led the pledge…

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Bootique Creates Retail Niche

News Retail Comments
Bootique owner Elma Chavez works on a display of men’s hunting apparel, one of the newer lines of merchandise. (VBR)

The history of a legendary Rio Grande Valley bootmaker provides the backdrop for the Bootique, a clothing and gift shop in downtown Raymondville. The store is in a portion of the brick building where Abraham Rios crafted custom footwear for decades. The building’s current owners, Cruz and Sonya Tijerina, ran the Bootique until they sold the business to Elma Chavez, former director of the Raymondville Chamber of Commerce. The Tijerinas…

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Natives Grow in Popularity

Agriculture News Retail Comments
Mike Heep surrounds himself with hardy native plants known to attract birds and butterflies. (VBR)

Mike Heep spends his days cultivating native plants and educating people about the benefits of using indigenous vegetation in gardens and landscaping projects. Native plants are drought and freeze tolerant, and attract the birds and butterflies for which the Rio Grande Valley is famous. In 1964, Heep moved from San Antonio to the Harlingen area with his family. He operates Heep’s Nursery on the same two-acre tract where he grew…

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