Category Archives: News

Leadership: Sergio Contreras

Business Advice News Comments
Sergio Contreras

Editor’s Note: Leadership can mean different things to different people. The Valley Business Report turned to experienced business leaders in the Rio Grande Valley to learn more about their views on leadership in their own words. Through a question-and-answer format, Leadership Matters presents comments on leadership from Valley CEOs and other business leaders. Sergio Contreras is president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The RGVP is the primary…

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Exploring a World of Coffee

Food & Entertainment News Comments
Customers visit or work on laptops while sampling coffee from different parts of the world. (VBR)

Michelle and Danny Quiroz have been on a coffee journey for more than a decade. Today, they roast beans from all over the world and serve hot, steaming cups of java at Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen. “My husband and I have been coffee enthusiasts for a long time, like over 10 years,” Michelle said. “We really had an affinity for good coffee. Everywhere we would travel we would seek…

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Creating a Culinary Adventure

Food & Entertainment News Comments
Brandi Hackett and Walter Greenwood have teamed with restaurateurs Scott and Bob Friedman to create South Padre Island’s newest restaurant. (VBR)

With culinary lessons learned at fine-dining establishments in places like New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, a couple has teamed up with Laguna Madre area veteran restaurateurs to create a new dining experience on South Padre Island. “There are some really great restaurants here but we wanted to offer something different,” said Walter Greenwood, executive chef of F&B SPI. “For example, we want to bring coastal Italian flavors here.…

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Investment Pays Off for SPI

Featured News Recreation & Tourism Transportation & Travel Comments

Hotelier Barry Patel is upping his ante in the South Padre Island tourism economy with the construction of a Courtyard by Marriott near his Hilton Garden Inn on the north end of the coastal town. He is wagering the Island’s future will deal him a full house. “I am very optimistic about the Island,” said Patel, a former mayor. “The things that the city has done in the last three…

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Architects Create Community

News Comments
Maria Sustaeta, LRGV-AIA executive director, and Sergio Lainez, president, at the nonprofit organization’s office in Mercedes. (VBR)

Few professional organizations can claim they represent 95 percent of those in their field. But 95 percent of the licensed architects in this region are members of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects headquartered in Mercedes. Why such high membership numbers? “AIA is where the architecture and design communities come together to share knowledge, gain expertise, get connected and stay involved,” said Sergio Lainez,…

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Chasing Dreams: Do It Now

Business Advice News Comments
truth

I sat up when saw this missive. It was scribbled on a social media post. I can’t find the source, but it truly impacted me: We all understand that time is precious, but it rarely sinks in. We know we have a limited time in any relationship, job or situation. We realize we will all die some day.” But, we also think that the end is really, really, really, REALLY…

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Sales: Believe in Yourself

Business Advice Events News Comments
Chris’mere Mallard pumps up participants during group activities at a sales seminar in Weslaco. (VBR)

Selling is hard work, and successful sales people constantly push the envelope and step outside their comfort zone. “There is nothing good inside your comfort zone,” Chris’mere Mallard told about 30 sales people during a recent seminar at the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce. And, to prove his point, Mallard used interactive tactics to put most everyone in the room on the spot, either in group exercises or individual challenges.…

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History Echoes in Edinburg

News Recreation & Tourism Comments
A wedding reception in full swing at the historic Echo Hotel in Edinburg. (Courtesy)

The windows that wrap around Stephen Reynolds’ office at the Echo Hotel look out into a city that has grown around the nearly 60-year-old facility. “It’s one of the grand hotels of the (Rio Grande) Valley,” said Reynolds, the general manager and one of the owners of the iconic Edinburg hotel. “It was built by the citizens of Edinburg and it’s still a great facility with a lot of character.”…

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Brownsville’s Burger History

Food & Entertainment News Comments
A burger and fries basket served at The Palm Lounge. (VBR)

When it comes to having a burger, most people think about fast-food joints like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s or Jack in the Box. Others favor chains known for having some of the best hamburgers in the country, like Corpus Christi-based Whataburger and In-and-Out Burgers of Irvine, Calif. Some people might say that all beef patties placed inside a bun or roll are basically the same, but three of the oldest…

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The Hard Work of Leadership

Business Advice News Comments
leadership

Leadership is not the task of getting things done. It is equally not the task of getting people to want to get things done, despite the frequently quoted definitions offered by some of our modern leadership teachers. Leadership is the task of shaping the character, potential and contribution of others for their own sake and the sake of society at large. The tasks that we leverage to go about doing…

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