A proven, popular destination with no admission fee, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World welcomed the first of a projected two million annual customers to its newest store which opened in Harlingen at Cameron Crossing in November. Outside, ATVs are perched on rocks amid native plants flanking a picturesque flowing stream. Inside, arrays of merchandise vie for attention with huge, colorful murals of Valley outdoor scenes that covered the walls and…
When you need to get away and relax in a big way, the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio works magic that makes the busy world go away. Perched on a hill overlooking San Antonio, the luxurious resort welcomes guests to a haven with no obligations, no time tables. The Hill Country oasis exudes an atmosphere of welcome and relaxation from its main building, modeled on the King Ranch’s…
At Elliff Motors, great-grandsons of Luther Elliff are now working in the used car dealership he founded in 1944. For over 60 years, the slogan “Everybody drives a used car” has kept an upmarket spin on Elliff’s pre-owned vehicles. Each generation of the Elliffs appears to have the gene that makes them avid car dealers, who seem to have a good time while they’re working. “Some families don’t get along…
“Economies are like ecosystems. Getting groups together to cooperate on strategies is the smart way to go,” said Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution at the Vista Summit held at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Katz put the goals of the economic and education-focused Vista Summit in a nutshell: entities in the region must work together in order to develop its full economic potential. Katz said the Rio Grande…
In the midst of Valley Designs’ 14,000 square feet of showroom and office space, Lew Vassberg admitted she was eager to be downsizing in October. Sixteen years ago, interior designers were expected to have a large showroom for customers to choose from numerous items. “The internet has changed all that, not only for the designer but for the client,” Vassberg said. Most of her clients are commercial accounts – hospitals,…
Emilio Santos’ career as a CPA specializing in alcohol and tobacco tax issues was the perfect prelude for his current profession: owner of Exceptional Wines, an importer of fine European wines. Placing a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild on his desk, Santos explained that alcohol –wines and liquors- have long been the object of substantial ‘sin’ taxes. State and federal governments love to impose taxes on adult beverages, because they…
Terry Gray, Chief Lending Officer of Rio Bank, with VBR’s editor on the Valley’s financial outlook. Q. Nationally, corporations are holding on to cash. Is that trend seen in RGV? That is happening nationally because there is so much uncertainty about the future of commerce, taxes and Congress. If companies don’t know what is going happen with capital gains or tax relief, they are going to stay in cash. I…
Little by little, Scott Friedman has created a mini-vacation destination in Port Isabel that includes Texas’s longest fishing pier and the state’s only pirate ship. Without fanfare over 20 years, Friedman transformed a tiny restaurant and some weedy Laguna Madre frontage into the Pirate’s Landing complex. Investing his profits, he acquired buildings one by one on the square around the Port Isabel Lighthouse Historic Site and Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage. The…
Weslaco Economic Development Corporation has an ambitious goal of reinventing Weslaco’s downtown in the next 24 months. Getting 100 percent occupancy of the store fronts on Texas Boulevard is the cornerstone of the reinvention plan developed by Hernan Gonzales, EDC executive director. Downtown Weslaco has experienced spurts of revitalization in its central business district in the past. In 1998, Larry and Patti Dittburner resuscitated the Hotel Cortez, a historic landmark.…
Have you noticed that most pets have human names now? You hear more dogs, cats, birds and goats addressed as Jack, Leo, Olivia or Ozzie and fewer called Chief, Shadow or Fluffy. Americans love their pets and are expected to spend over $50 billion on them in 2011. In the Valley dozens of businesses cater to animals and their owners, from groomers and pet supply stores to veterinary clinics, pet…