In a 1950s-era two-story white building “smack in the middle of downtown Weslaco,” as Mario Mendiola describes it, the realtor is trying to make a go of a major renovation project he hopes will give the city’s core a boost. “There’s so much potential in this area,” Mendiola said of his two-year effort to renovate a six-decades-old building on the corner of Texas and Sixth streets. “I want to help…
Honesty is not quite the lonely word Billy Joel thinks it is. Managers and workers alike lament the loss of honesty in the workplace. Labor wants a leader to practice honesty and openness. Management seeks to hire honest, hard workers. Both are often disappointed to find it lacking in the other. Honesty in the workplace is critical to harmonious and productive relations, yet it is often one of the least…
On the same day that President Donald Trump visited the Rio Grande Valley to drum up support for a border wall, a group of business people gathered to learn about immigration issues facing workers and employers. “It’s really hard to keep up. Changes are occurring on an almost daily basis and the changes are affecting immigrants and employers,” said immigration attorney Belia A. Pena, who presented the workshop sponsored by…
Outdoor grilling is as popular as ever in the Rio Grande Valley, with greater numbers of people taking it well beyond simply firing up a gas grill or charcoal pit on the back patio to cook steaks, ribs, chicken, vegetables and more. A fast-growing segment is expanding their options to install outdoor kitchens, some of which are as well-equipped as the indoor versions. Ruben Castillo, an architect who moved to…
As important as feedback is, we get and give too little of it – and often too late. Whether you’re the leader or not, you need to keep feedback as a ready tool for yourself and your team. For most organizations, feedback is given once a year during the annual performance review. It’s generally not a pleasant experience because most managers don’t know how to do it well, and most…
One of the shops along Jackson Street in downtown Harlingen is a thrift store that not only recycles old clothes and other merchandise, it fosters new beginnings for victims of domestic family violence and sexual assault. The small retail outlet is operated by the Family Crisis Center of the Rio Grande Valley. “Repeat Performance generates revenue that comes back into the center to help us run the center,” said Laura…
A nondescript metal building with a faded sign along an industrial/commercial stretch of Wilson Road in Harlingen houses Texas Thread, a manufacturing enterprise that is unique in the Rio Grande Valley. “We are the only thread maker in the Valley,” owner Kavanaugh Francis said. “Actually, we are the only one west of the Mississippi because most of our competitors are in the east in states like the Carolinas. And, being…
Ashley Vasquez knows what it’s like to start small. “We started with a shack,” Vasquez said of Iced Cube, the millennial-inspired version of a raspa stand she and her husband, Jonathan Segura, started in Elsa in June 2018. “It was the most humble beginnings you can think of.” Iced Cube didn’t stay humble for long. Tapping into pop culture, social media and offering flamboyant creations that transform old-school raspas into…
Beginning in February, drivers for Walmart will receive a per mile increase of $0.01 and a 50-cent increase in activity pay for arrive and arrive/drop occurrences. Each year, Walmart’s 8,000 drivers travel over 700 million miles and deliver millions of cases of merchandise to 4,700 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the nation. In Texas, Walmart employs 169,000 associates at 598 retail units while also spending $52.4 billion with 285,000 Texas suppliers in 2018.…
Student of Texas Southmost College can now take advantage of free transit service from STC’s main campus to the International Technology, Education and Commerce Center. The Brownsville Metro Scorpion Connector service is a pilot program from TSC, Brownsville Metro and the City of Brownsville. TSC students can use Route 14 and all fixed route services free of charge with a valid TSC Student ID. During the spring 2019 semester, transit service runs…