Full disclosure upfront: I am an unabashed fan of the Rio Grande Valley and our neighboring communities on the southern bank of the Rio Grande. Even more disclosure: As the executive director serving the members of the Rio South Texas Economic Council, I get paid to be a cheerleader for our region. Yet those who’ve known me for a while can attest that my enthusiasm for our sunny corner of…
The term Point of Sale (POS) describes the place where retail transactions are made. Think of it as the equivalent of a cash register. POS includes the hardware and software related to transactions, such as the cash drawer, credit card swipe bar, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and more. POS is an important feature for all businesses that sell products, whether it’s in a store or online. But a good POS…
More than 100 teachers and counselors in Mission will receive computer science professional development this summer thanks to a local partnership. Mission EDC, Code/Interactive and the Mission Consolidated Independent School District are joining forces with Google to offer the training to 100 teachers and 20 counselors in elementary and junior high schools. One teacher from every grade level in Mission CISD’s 14 elementary and four middle schools will receive training.…
David Goldblatt, a second-year medical student at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, is one of 66 students in the nation to receive the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Research Fellows Award for the 2018-2019 academic year. The HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program provides students financial support for one year of full-time, mentored research training in fundamental biomedical research. Awards are given to medical, dental and veterinary students interested…
More than 400 people from municipalities and construction companies from Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties were recently in attendance at a week-long Infrastructure and Safety Summit at Texas State Technical College. The summit, organized with the Infrastructure Training and Safety Institute (a division of TEEX), offered low-cost Occupational Safety and Health Administration training for employers. The Infrastructure Training and Safety Institute is the second largest OSHA training center in the nation…
Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is seeking nonprofit and city partners to partner with to promote economic development. BCIC looks to promote the development through the BCIC Partnership Grants which focus on community development projects. Both nonprofit organizations and city departments are the focus of the grants. By design, the awards engage in the necessary community development needed to promote economic development opportunities. Through the grants, the BCIC will supplement up to $5,000…
Local nonprofits in need of a website may apply until May 27 to have a WordPress website created specifically for them. The charity hackaton do_action takes place June 22-23, allowing the RGV community to create websites for local nonprofit organizations. Created by CodeRGV and the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the hackathon, providing five nonprofits with completed websites. The 24-hour event will be a platform for participants to works as teams, bringing unique…
Dozens of dilapidated downtown buildings are now renovated thanks to the Mission Economic Development Corporation’s Downtown Facade Improvement Program. In partnership with locally-owned small businesses, Mission EDC has funded the refurbishment of more than 40 Conway Avenue storefronts in the past five years. Renovated storefronts include those of photo studios, barbershops, insurance agencies, boot stores and pastry shops. Still on a successful run, the program recently awarded its 41st matching grant to a small business…
Local business owners are invited to share with a national non-profit their needs, challenges and views of doing business in the Rio Grande Valley. The Small Business Majority’s Small Business Roundtables take place May 7 and include an interactive discussion on those topics. The sessions focus on what business owners feel they need in order to grow and thrive in your community. Also up for discussion are what policy solutions would help…
Public-private collaborations to build a workforce for the future have picked up speed in recent years amidst growing concerns that some skills needed to prosper are lagging behind advancements in technology. Electric cars whizzing around at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour offer a recent example of how some young people in the Rio Grande Valley are looking forward. Thirty-one teams representing middle schools, high schools and colleges…