Irazema Walters, co-owner of The Paw Pantry, a natural pet foods store in Harlingen, has learned that better nutrition can transform any dog’s or cat’s life, maybe even save it. That’s why she opened the pantry two years ago, after having operated a more traditional pet-store business, where she had slowly added healthier food products. “I love helping pets, helping to cure them,” she said, “so that their owners will…
From elementary school on, Bobby Muniz knew exactly what he wanted to be: a drug dealer, the legal kind. He grew up in the drugstores where his father was a pharmacist. As a child, he watched capsules being made, and as a teenager he helped with deliveries, cleaning and stocking. But in college, Muniz thought perhaps he had been brainwashed, so he got a food science technology degree from Texas…
The 110,000-plus Winter Texans who migrate to the Valley for two to six months each year represent an economic bonanza for the region. These visitors help keep everyone’s taxes lower and support expanded retail. McAllen alone collects $35.4 million in local retail sales tax from visitors (including Mexican nationals). Winter Texans shop and eat out frequently, visit attractions, and pay for repairs or upgrades on their RVs. A significant portion…
Man walks up to his mentor and says, “What are you going to do for me?” That scenario illustrates why a company mentoring program should set up guidelines and expectations. Marco Garza, Unique HR regional principal, described the elements important for successful mentoring during his presentation on “Designing an effective workplace mentoring program” at a meeting of the Society of Human Resources Management, LGV chapter. The business case for supporting…
The sign in Andrea Garcia’s tow truck proudly reads “girl power,” a boast made true not only at her self-named wrecker service but also at her family’s garage, Double A. Women play a central role in both Harlingen businesses. “Without them,” says Tony Garcia Jr., who opened the garage in 1995, “I probably would have closed by now.” The women who run the shop today include Tony’s first wife Josie…
Between Lorenza Garza’s tortilleria in San Benito and today’s De Alba Bakery de la Familia, run by her granddaughter Ana de Alba, is a span of 56 years and a thriving family business that has grown to four locations and online sales. “We are trying to keep Mexican traditions (of pan dulce) alive. These days, nobody has the time to make the breads grandmother used to make,” said Leo Lara,…
If you had left the Valley five years ago, the biggest surprise on your return this month might be San Juan’s cluster of luxury car dealerships: Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi and Acura. Across the Valley, luxury car dealers are selling BMWs, Maseratis and more Mercedes at a surprising pace. One Mercedes dealership moves 60 new cars monthly. Luxury car buyers, who are spending between $30,000 and $100,000, seem to…
“I speak Shark. Most of the people who have great ideas for a business are dolphins — trusting and thinking everybody shares their excitement. My mother tongue is Shark, but my heart is dolphin, so I can translate between the two,” said Kai Wulff, CEO and managing consultant of Plexus Consulting based in Brownsville, serial entrepreneur, and, until recently, Google’s director of global access development. Wulff’s Plexus partnership with CPA…
Tim Piller has spent his entire career in aerospace. In 1984, with a degree in industrial technology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he joined Martin Marietta, which became Lockheed Martin and, in 2006, United Launch Alliance, the nation’s premier space launch company. In the Valley since 2002, Piller was ULA’s manager of production for the rocket builders until he was appointed ULA Site Lead last year. Q You and your…
An hour before passengers come on board the 48-foot sailing catamaran Southern Wave, Chef Diego is preparing green and red peppers and side dishes for fajitas under a canopy on the stern. Hostess Samantha is setting a table, while acoustic guitarist Terry McIntyre arranges his mike and amp. John Ferrone, owner of the South Padre Island business, stops by to check on the crew before the next stream of passengers…