For the third consecutive year, the Port of Brownsville joins the entire U.S. trucking industry in celebration of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week Sept. 9-14. The event highlights the efforts of professional truck drivers who deliver the nation’s freight safely and securely every day. In 2017, the Port of Brownsville recorded more than 300,000 truck movements at the port. According to the American Trucking Association, there are more than 3.5…
IBC Bank Executive Vice President Gerald “Gerry” Schwebel recently participated in a mission to Mexico City to meet with leaders of the incoming government of President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Organizer of the mission was the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The group, made up of both U.S. and Mexican leaders, addresses core issues in the countries’ bilateral relationship. Schwebel and other representatives met with…
When you think of artificial intelligence, your mind might conjure images of futuristic robots or computers that are able to act as humans do. But AI isn’t just an idea for the future. It’s making a real impact on businesses today and could factor even larger in the years to come. An Accenture Research study found that AI has the potential to boost profitability by an average of 38 percent across select…
Joe Rodriguez’s father started SPI Nets more than three decades ago, relying on his fishing background to launch a business making fishing nets. But today, the company’s nets don’t catch fish. They catch balls – baseballs, soccer, golf and even lacrosse balls. “The fishing industry as far as net building is a very localized business,” Rodriguez said, meaning that fishing regions tend to have plenty of established businesses manufacturing the…
Coming to terms with the loss of a loved one is among life’s hardest journeys. For children, the path can be especially confusing and difficult. In the Rio Grande Valley there is only one organization that specializes in helping young people travel that road to healing. The Children’s Bereavement Center Rio Grande Valley in Harlingen opened in February 2017 to foster healing for grieving children and their families. “That’s really…
Do you empower the people in your organization? It’s a straightforward question. I suspect many of you believe that you do, and I would certainly hope you are right. Others of you will qualify your affirmative statement with exceptions to the practice. Still others will offer a variety of anecdotal reasons (bad experiences) why empowerment is an overrated practice. We each view empowerment differently, and because we tend to do…
The sign outside reads Mid Valley Nursing & Rehabilitation. “I see it as a hotel,” said Alice Roel, the licensed nursing facility administrator for the Mercedes facility. “You register and have housekeeping, meals, activities, laundry and transportation provided round the clock with exceptional customer service.” The state-of-the-art complex, which Touchstone Strategies opened in November 2016, aims for a homey, hospitality ambiance rather than a medical or institutional atmosphere, Roel said.…
The historic, Spanish-architecturally inspired Villa de Cortez, built in 1928 in downtown Weslaco, was the perfect venue for “The Future of Downtown” dinner Aug. 30 hosted by BUILDrgv (Building Urban & Innovative Land Development in the Rio Grande Valley), an organization who hopes to spark a conversation about how to engage with your downtown. “These events are to bring people together,” says Pedro Ayala, the evening’s host, founder and chief…
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is on the list of schools in the Best Bang for the Buck by the online magazine Washington Monthly. The university ranks seventh out of 50 in the Southern Colleges category. According to the magazine, the Best Bang listing is an “exclusive list of schools that help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.” The ranking analyzed 21 categories to determine the listings. “We are extremely…
Are you interested in owning your own business or improving your existing venture but are not willing to take the risk because of financial roadblocks or other uncertainties? A San Antonio-based company with two offices in the Rio Grande Valley can offer advice for start-ups and existing businesses, and loans of anywhere from $500 to $50,000. Called LiftFund, the company makes loans at interest rates ranging from 9 percent to…