The kitchen is hot, customers are lining up, and Connie Chavirra is ready to serve. “You want jalapenos with that, mama?” she asks a customer, handing over a heaping plate of taquitos with slices of avocado, grilled onions and two lime slices on the side. Her husband, Gonzalo Martinez, is flipping over hamburger and hot dog buns on the grill, with a fajita quesadilla ready to go. The couple and…
Building a business from scratch is enough of a challenge, and as Mike Barrera can attest, coming back from a tragedy will test you anew. Barrera was three years into establishing a successful restaurant business in Weslaco – Ranch House Burgers – when a fire struck in 2014 as he was making plans to get his second restaurant open in Mission. All that Barrera had built in Weslaco was gone…
A gift of $5.000 is going to the South Texas College Valley Scholars program from ERO Architects. The firm and college came together recently for a check presentation, confirming ERO Architect’s role as a Diamond sponsor for the program’s annual “Night with the Stars” gala. Fittingly, the site of the check presentation was STC’s new Nursing and Allied Health Building B. The four-story addition was designed by ERO Architects. Principal and…
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is joining more than 150 cities around the world for the annual City Nature Challenge. From April 26-29, the region joins eight other Texas areas in the challenge to see which urban area has the most diverse landscape. Residents of cities and the surrounding areas can show the world just how much nature lives in Texas. Anyone can participate by joining an event or making observations using…
The Event and Arena Marketing Conference’s announcement of its finalists for this year’s awards ceremony includes the City of McAllen. The EAMC recognizes the most innovative and impactful work in the live entertainment industry. Of the top five categories, McAllen is one of three finalists for EAMC Marketing Campaign of the Year. The nomination is a result of successful marketing efforts for last year’s introduction of Fiesta De Palmas. To prepare for Fiesta…
Three grants will benefit workers in the Workforce Solutions Cameron area thanks to the Texas Workforce Commission. Workforce Solutions Cameron, in collaboration with Harlingen Economic Development Corporation, receives the $49,900 High Demand Job Training grant. A Skills Development Fund grant of $155,721 goes to Texas State Technical College – Harlingen, in partnership with a manufacturing consortium. The final grant, a $116,412 Jobs and Education for Texans, grant is for the Harlingen Consolidated Independent…
The grocery and restaurant meals delivery business has certainly grown to be hectic and ultra-competitive. In 2016, Ranvu was the first in the Rio Grande Valley to offer the delivery of groceries. Chief operating officer Dorance Cuba worked for months to develop a well-designed app high on functionality. He also made sure the app was easy for customers to use and maneuver. As a result of Ranvu’s early successes in 2016,…
On April 24, South Texas College announces its official partnership with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and three U.S. Homeland Security agencies. These will be the federal agencies’ first college credit partnership training agreements in the state of Texas. The ceremony will formalize the Memorandum of Understanding agreements with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, the U.S. Field Operations Academy and the U.S. Border Patrol Academy. These agreements expound how…
Valley Regional Medical Center and Texas State Technical College are teaming up to provide job training using a $202,162 grant. The grant provides custom training to 153 new and incumbent workers for training in industry-related topics. This includes vocational nursing, physical therapy and accounting. Trainees will include administrative assistants, cardiac lab technicians, diagnostic imaging technician, nursing assistant and social workers. Benefiting workers in the Workforce Solutions Cameron area, the Skills…
While craft beers, including IPAs, are certainly gaining a foothold in the Rio Grande Valley, they still haven’t made a great deal of headway in this land of common lagers. But there’s a place that may help to expand the popularity of craft beers in the Valley. It’s Grain to Glass in McAllen, which is devoted to “Keepin’ McAllen Crafty.” After making some revisions to its original menu, the restaurant…