Elma Chavez was in the midst of a busy work day and reflecting on the one before as a self-described “one-man show” at the Raymondville Chamber of Commerce.

It has been about two years since Chavez was called back from the private sector to revive a chamber that had lay dormant since 2020. She knew what she had to do. A previous tenure as executive director of the Raymondville Chamber gave her the necessary base of knowledge as did personal and business connections in her hometown.

In early 2025, Chavez said of the chamber, “we’ve rebuilt it,” while acknowledging there is still much to do in gaining more membership and raising awareness.

“We have a product now,” she said of getting the necessary foundation down to better days ahead.

In Mercedes, Fred Gonzalez speaks of times when the existence of the chamber of commerce in the Mid-Valley community was very much in doubt. Receiving no financial support from the city, the chamber in the early 2000s was told “to either tighten our belts or close it down,” said Gonzalez, who would serve as the organization’s board president.

The choice was to keep it afloat. Over time, the chamber was reinvigorated. The organization established a series of successful fundraisers while Mercedes was going through some lean times. Every little bit of encouragement can mean something in smaller towns with limited resources. For Mercedes, the chamber’s steady rebuild has contributed to the recent economic developments seen in the city.

“We have brought her back to life,” Gonzalez said of the chamber in a statement that might also apply to Mercedes as a whole.

Willacy Comeback Stories

Chavez is seeing the same in Raymondville.

The Willacy County community is on the northern edge of the Rio Grande Valley and away from the growth corridor of Expressway 77/83. The local economy still tends to be agriculturally based with farming and ranching and the operation of state prisons in the county adding some employment. 

Having a chamber again provides a positivity that can boost the morale of a community that needs a helping hand. Chavez points with pride to the recent revival of Hidalgo Street, which is Raymondville’s main street. New businesses now fill the once empty downtown storefronts. Chavez describes it as a comeback for Hidalgo Street.

“I’m hoping that what we have been doing has been helping,” she said of the chamber’s efforts. “People are seeing that things are happening again.”

The Raymondville chamber will continue to build its ranks of volunteer ambassadors to attend ribbon cuttings and other community events. Chavez is busy leading efforts to organize chamber fundraisers while supporting area activities like Wild In Willacy, a youth-oriented event that celebrates the RGV’s nature and heritage.

“We’re still building awareness,” Chavez said of the chamber’s own comeback. “It’s just good to see some great things happening in our community.”

Blue Coats & Scholarships

Mercedes has a single staffer on payroll and it’s not Gonzalez, who is busy managing a store at the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets.

Volunteers power the Mercedes chamber, just like the one in Raymondville. They are the blue coats in Mercedes, attending ribbon cuttings and ground-breakings in the community. They are also busy in the midst of major fundraisers like the Texas Street Festival, which has become a major Labor Day weekend event in the Valley and features live music in downtown Mercedes.

The Mercedes chamber has also become active in establishing yearly scholarships funds for graduating seniors from area high schools.  To date, $35,000 in scholarships have been given out to seniors from six high schools that operate in Mercedes. It all dovetails to the economic growth Mercedes is now seeing after years of sluggish growth – and the revived chamber has been at the heart of it all.

“It’s not good for a community to be without a chamber,” Raymondville’s Chavez has said. “A lot of times you’re the only people see of our town.”

In Raymondville and Mercedes, the chambers are re-energized as are their communities in small towns, RGV style.