There were three things that Steven Aguilar was sure of when he graduated from Donna High School in 2014. One, he was going to college out of the area. Aguilar was also certain that he would never return to the Rio Grande Valley to live permanently nor go into the family business of pest control services. The Texas A&M graduate was ultimately but happily proven wrong on all counts. In…
Michael Zapata made his way through college engineering curriculum and earned a degree before realizing he yearned for something else. Majoring in mechanical engineering, the UT-Rio Grande Valley graduate desired a work life beyond the confines of an office-oriented job. The Brownsville native tried working in restaurants and then did outside sales work in Houston before returning home with a clear goal in mind. “I wanted to own my own…
Sixto Garza Jr. joined the U.S. Army four days after graduating from Edinburg High School in 1982. Like many youngsters reaching adulthood, Garza knew he wanted to do something beyond the confines of his hometown. He just didn’t know what or where. “I didn’t really have a sense of direction,” Garza said. “The military gave me that structure. It gave me a career.” He would become immersed and trained to…
Cristina Solis Wilson’s 26 years in the military have imbued her with the values of the U.S. Army and ones that serve as the foundations of coaching business owners to success. Purpose, motivation and direction are the principles learned in a military life that have seen her rise to the ranks of being a command sergeant major and representing the pinnacle of enlisted ranks in the Army. Only a small…
Nelson Martinez and Joe Robledo met in fifth grade and from that point on seemed to live parallel lives. They lived one mile apart in Las Milpas in southern Pharr. Both men graduated from Hidalgo High School and each went on to serve two combat tours in Iraq. Martinez served in the Army and Robledo is a Marine. They are each college-educated with bachelor’s degrees in business administration. Their friendship…
Daniel Villarreal’s exit from the U.S. Army came in 2006 and he knew the next mission ahead. He wanted to train dogs for law enforcement and detection work and to help fellow veterans who need service dogs. Villarreal had received an introduction to the world of dogs and how they are trained before enlisting in the Army. He was eager to do that work full time in his post-military life…
Youthful Weslaco entrepreneur Juan San Miguel knew it would take a fierce determination when seeking to start his own business. “I had to do my best to make it impossible to say no,” he said, recalling the days of needing startup capital. San Miguel’s ambition was to own and run his own gym. Sitting behind his desk, he smiles and recounts how he went from the framework of an idea…
Seth Naranjo quips that Harlingen has two types of businesses all over town – car washes and gyms. He made that observation even as he and his wife, Nikki Solis Naranjo, sat inside of a gym they recently opened in the city. The Goon House on South Sunshine 77 Strip in Harlingen is located within a sprawling plaza with a call center as a next-door neighbor. The gym sits back…
Rene Jackson is a La Joya native and a nearly 30-year veteran of the U.S. Army with an expertise in logistics and the transportation of goods and products. “Ammunition and missiles,” Jackson said when asked in a television interview what materials he supervised shipping. “We would bring in all of the support sustainment stuff for the war fighters doing the actual fighting.” Jackson would rise to the rank of lieutenant…
Susan Valverde’s background was in business and going to trade shows to attract jobs to McAllen. Working in business development, Valverde was on the staff of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation. It was a six-year stint that ran from 1997 to 2002. She began to understand that bringing in jobs to her community was dependent on having a better trained and educated workforce. That fact became even more apparent in…