Internet-connected devices – from dog collars and fitness trackers to lighting systems —  took center stage at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The demand for faster and greater Internet connection service is slated to grow monumentally. “Orbit Broadband is the only ISP (Internet service provider) in the U.S. with 5G service for such a large geographical area that’s not a single city,” said Richard Galvan in Mercedes.  He is the operating director of Orbit Broadband, which provides upload…

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When Rachel Bunton decided on a gift for her husband’s 40th birthday last spring, she had no inkling the present would prompt them to create a business: SegValley Tours.  Brian and Rachel Bunton’s experience with a Segway tour of San Antonio changed their life. “It was love at first ride. The whole drive home we were talking about different places they would be fun to take. There’s nothing like it in the Valley,” she said. “We have beautiful weather, the beach and great places to go.  We realized…

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With shrimp prices at an all-time high, the Brownsville-Port Isabel shrimp fleet is doing its best to keep up with demand. A 70% drop in imported Asian shrimp due to a disease problem has given Texas shrimpers an opportunity to supply a hungry U.S.  market.  Approximately 450 trawlers go out from Texas ports. “There are happy shrimpers now,” said Andrea Hance, executive director of the Brownsville-based Texas Shrimping Association.  The…

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“I tell people I’ve been training for this job all my life,” said House of Frames owner Peggy Allen, surrounded by framed artwork and frame samples. Allen graduated from Pan Am with a studio art degree and held jobs as a commercial artist.  In 1997, after working part time for three years with the previous owner of House of Frames, Allen bought the custom framing business.  That was two months…

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If you’re tired of how you look, go in a slump every time you open your closet, or have a mental meltdown thinking about what to wear to an event, image stylist Lillyan David might be someone you want on speed dial. She was born with the fashionista gene and loves sharing her passion with clients. In business for herself as Closet Couture for the past three years, David recently…

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Intellectual Property includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade names and trade secrets, patent attorney Susan Ochoa Spiering told a Technology Ventures audience in Edinburg. “Treat IP like real property. You can buy, sell, lease and license IP and pass it on by inheritance,” Ochoa said. While a patent is not a monopoly, it can help you corner the market. “It is an exclusive right to make, sell or use. It must…

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With the company tag line of “Our business is picking up,” Mobile Crane Services Inc. has a built-in positive outlook. Since 1972, the Pharr company has done much of the region’s heavy lifting, deftly swinging highway overpass beams, derailed train cars and oil field compressors into place. “Back in early ‘70s, there just wasn’t any crane service in the Valley to speak of,” Jimmy Shawn recalled. He had an old truck with…

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Created in 2005 by the Texas Historical Commission, the Texas Treasure Business Award program pays tribute to businesses that have provided employment opportunities and support to the state’s economy for 50 years or more. Seven Harlingen businesses located in the city’s historic center were presented with the prestigious award this fall: three law firms, three retailers and a service company. To date, only 119 businesses in Texas have been named…

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