McAllen native Will Collins has built a formidable retail and commercial real estate company whose developments span much of South Texas. From its headquarters in San Antonio, Merit Commercial Real Estate shows on its webpage dark blue diamonds pinned on a Texas map. Each pin represents a Merit development project with clusters of them in the Rio Grande Valley and the San Antonio-area market. Collins comes from a banking family.…
The OrigoWorks portfolio is an extensive one. The Brownsville-based company got its start as a design-oriented firm. Origo today has the capabilities to offer turnkey projects to its clients. The firm over the years has expanded to include construction, sales and marketing, and property and asset management to the services it offers. Origo headquarter offices are housed in what was once an Edelstein’s Furniture warehouse along railroad tracks that are…
Angela Diaz-Millis and her husband, Marc, noticed a desolate building four years ago that is bordered by 16th and 17th streets in McAllen. A sign declared the property was for sale. The couple are licensed realtors and own Millis Real Estate Group. They couldn’t overlook the distinct architectural elements of the building, which told their trained eyes that it held historic significance. The property was under contract, they discovered, but…
The Greater McAllen Association of Realtors has nearly 1,800 members and as of Jan. 1, 2024, it will have a new president. Anita Moon will take the leadership spot at the beginning of a new year and be the first woman president of the association in 10 years. She is a Texas Tech University graduate who started her career in a management position at a Holiday Inn in McAllen. It’s…
Domain Development has announced a $120+ million mixed-use development plan at the southwest corner of North 10th Street and Wisconsin in North McAllen. The project promises to offer an urban lifestyle experience akin to San Antonio and Austin, complete with upscale shopping, top-tier dining, a dynamic entertainment scene, and modern living all in one location. The planned development, named The District, will feature a wide variety of retail shops, from…
South Padre Island is seeing rapid growth in its vacation rental industry and enjoys high average occupancy rates as compared to its Texas Gulf Coast competitors. It was a strength highlighted at a recent conference hosted by the Vacation Rental Managers Association of South Padre Island. There was also a list of challenges and areas of improvement cited at the mid-February meeting at the South Padre Island Convention Center. The…
A letter from a former president said it all in expressing appreciation for a job well done. “Nancy and I know how much work goes into the preparation of such wonderful meals, and we greatly appreciate all you did,” wrote Ronald Reagan in an August 1992 letter to Arnie Creinin. “Thanks to you and your staff, our stay was delightful!” It wasn’t the first time Creinin had cooked for President…
Esperanza Homes from its base in upper Hidalgo County moved into the Brownsville market in recent years. It skipped over the Mid-Valley but it was a short-lived omission. Esperanza, a division of Rhodes Enterprises, had designs on the Mid-Valley all along. It established on paper a Mid-Valley division in 2020, which in Esperanza’s case, runs from San Juan to Weslaco. The company moved this year to break ground on Texas…
In 1997, the limits of north McAllen didn’t go much past Trenton Road, with the first signs of development just beginning to take shape in the form of a sign promising a new H-E-B on the way. From that corner of Trenton and 10th Street, it was a trek much further north on adjacent Ware Road as it went past state Highway 107. Farmland with scattered duck ponds is what…
Jason Cano as a young homebuilder learned the business from his father. He could have taken a traditional path in being employed by a construction company and working his way up. The Harlingen native, as a fresh college graduate in 2004, went through several job interviews with national home building companies. He was offered various positions. It wasn’t for him, Cano decided. He wanted the freedom and latitude to take…