Today at Thurmond Eye Associates, a third generation of doctors is treating diseases of the eye and vision problems at six clinics operated by what is probably the Valley’s longest continuously operating ophthalmic practice. Dr. Jack Thurmond opened the ophthalmology practice in a Weslaco apartment in 1962. Last December, Dr. William Gillum, who worked with Thurmond, retired after 30-plus years with the practice. Thurmond Eye has six ophthalmologists, with…

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  Louis Barton has spent a lot of time learning how to protect himself from “the bad guy,” and that was before he became a leader in cyber safety at Frost Bank. At a forum on cyber security, Barton discussed ways hackers can find their way into anyone’s bank account, credit card, phone or computer and steal their identity. Many in attendance were wide-eyed during some of his examples, like…

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  Learning communication skills is at the heart of a fast-growing business venture in north Edinburg. RGV K9 Training Centre owners Marty and Leslie Vielma share a passion to help canines and humans learn how to communicate with each other. “People love their dogs so much but sometimes they just can’t figure out how to communicate with them,” Leslie said. “They just don’t understand how to talk to their dogs.”…

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Jackelyn Llanas had doubts about the daunting task ahead of her. The 23-year-old Brownsville native had been selected for the first cohort to undergo an intense 12-week coding boot camp in Full Stack Web Development. “I thought I couldn’t do it. I was overwhelmed and scared,” said the UTRGV mechanical engineering student. “I thought about quitting but decided to stick this out.” By early August, 10 weeks into the program,…

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At Bahama Bucks, people walk with cups overflowing with thin-shaved ice in deep, rich colors. The ice, piled much higher than the edge of the cup, reminded one of an iceberg – what is seen is just a small preview of what’s below. One girl held a cucumber-flavored treat, another had cherry-red flavor seeping deep into the ice. One dad sipped a frozen lemonade, while a young customer bit into…

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Marty Medina found that one problem with giving your book store in McAllen a French name is that people don’t know what you are selling.  Her shop J’aime Les Livres, which is French for “I Love Books,” does attract customers who are fluent in French, as well as others who think her name is Jaime or that she sells only books in French. “I loved the way the name sounds,”…

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For Mario Dominguez, his entire life seemed to lay the foundation for running a barbecue restaurant. He recalled childhood afternoons watching cooking shows on PBS. When he was in college, his father and brother would join him on road trips to Texas barbecue joints. After years of talking about opening a restaurant, Dominguez and his brother Santana Dominguez opened The Smoking Oak in January 2015 in Mercedes. It has a…

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Tina and Eric Hoff wanted to run a business together, applying experience gained managing and working for different companies.  “We selected five businesses that we had been in and that looked like, with a few great improvements, could turn around,” Eric said. Then the couple dropped in cold-turkey to see if the owners were interested in selling.  The owner of one of those, the Village Bottle Shop in La Feria,…

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