Category Archives: News

The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership

Business Advice e-Brief Features News Comments

What influence does an inspirational speech about company mission and vision from a CEO have on the ethical behavior of employees? According to the research, a great deal. Transformational leadership, the practice of influencing the behavior of others to implement monumental change and new direction using a synergistic style of engagement and team building, is highly touted for its positive results. Mention just a few role models of transformational leadership…

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Big Rigs on the Long Roads 

Featured News Comments

There have been technological advances in so many areas around the world, from commercial to residential. One thing that hasn’t changed as dramatically is transportation. Fifty years ago, big rigs were pounding the roads, delivering produce from coast to coast and border to border. Today, those 18-wheelers are doing the same thing. The insides and the panel instruments have all been upgraded to include GPS and many other new functions,…

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The New Look of VBR is Here

e-Brief Features News Comments

VBR launches new website and e-Brief The all new Valley Business Report site launched July 7, and all we can say is you have to see what we have in store for our readers. You’ll want to visit ValleyBusinessReport.com daily, possibly multiple times daily, to see new stories of regional economic development news plus a whole lot more. And you will now find VBR all over social media, including LinkedIn,…

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Building, Cooking From Scratch 

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When Jovita Chase first moved with her mom to the Brownsville Coffee Shop No. 2’s current location, she remembers the excitement as a customer would walk in – any customer, even just one. “When we first opened where I am, I didn’t have much money, I couldn’t advertise and all we had was word of mouth,” she said. “Things were very difficult.” Now, 42 years later the 92-seat restaurant is…

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Creating High-Impact Entrepreneurs 

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Last month, VBR published an article describing UTRGV’s efforts to create the next generation of high-impact entrepreneurs in the RGV. The piece ends by asking the question of whether or not competitors in this year’s Rafael Munguia UTRGV Business Plan Contest will “become the next great Texas startup.” This got us to thinking about the real impact of our business plan contest as well as other entrepreneurship program initiatives. We…

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SBA: Honoring Texas Entrepreneurs

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Lower Rio Grande Valley office provides for small businesses As a child, Sherrill Lester played on the floor of her father’s machine shop. She got used to the sounds and smells of metal work and eventually launched her own career in the steel industry. Today, she is president of QMF Steel, a $6.5 million manufacturing business with 28 employees in rural Campbell, Texas. Lester and her team worked with the…

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SiteLink conference brings major growth potential

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Conference builds relationship between RGV and site selectors Site selectors are a group of experts who provide location strategy to corporations. They work across the globe and for every industry, sector and function. According to Rio South Texas Executive Director Matt Ruszczak, they are like “commercial real estate agents on steroids.” There are only a limited number of professional site selectors, according to Paige Webster, less than 300. Their role…

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Being Good May Be Bad For You And Your Team 

Business Advice News Comments

It’s something I’ve thought was true, and now there’s proof: Being good at your job is not always good for you. According to research from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, very good employees get punished with more work and with higher expectations than other workers while getting paid the same. My wife used to tell me the same…

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Writing YOUR Success Story

Business Advice News Comments

Once upon a time … It’s the classic opening to our favorite fairy tales. As children we dream of magic potions and knights in shining armor that will provide our happily ever after. How were we to know that our own hard work, skill and determination could be far more effective? Once upon a time, my husband and I started our business sharing a desk. As he developed our product…

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Putting the Ahhh in Aloe Relief

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Todd waller bringing natural aloe Relief to the Valley and beyond After more than 15 years in the Valley’s aloe vera industry, involved in everything from production methodology to R&D at various Valley companies, Todd Waller in 1999 decided to go out on his own. He formed Pangea Phytoceuticals, Inc. which today grows aloe vera barbadensis and manufactures aloe products under its Aloe Re-Leaf label. Initially Pangea researched under a NIH grant,…

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