The fallout from the economic upheavals of 2020 when coupled with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have frayed supply chains from Asia and put global energy markets on edge. Two buzzwords are making the rounds of economic development talk as industries readjust and calculate what lays ahead. One term banding about is reshoring. This is the reestablishment of manufacturing operations in the United States after being previously located…
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation recently won two excellence awards at the International Economic Development Council annual conference in Dallas. This is the third consecutive year BCIC has received recognition from IEDC. BCIC received the Gold Award for Partnerships with Educational Institutions and the Bronze Award for Best Use of Federal Economic Development Resources, highlighting the organization’s commitment to improving the economic landscape and overall quality of life in the…
StartUp Texas, a seed fund and accelerator program under the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, will hold Demo Day 2023 on Aug. 10. The capstone event showcases the innovative steps made by seven startups in its Quality of Life Ventures cohort competing to win anywhere from $40,000, $20,000, or $10,000 in seed funding. BCIC partners with visionary entrepreneurs and passionate leaders through the program, helping them bring groundbreaking products or services…
Walk into The Roast House in downtown Brownsville and the first impression is how much space it occupies. The formerly cozy coffee shop on Alton Gloor Road in north Brownsville has grown dramatically since its move to downtown in the latter half of 2022. There’s 5,700 square feet of space put to use for community events, group meetings and of course, great coffee. The Roast House is a “full-blown coffee…
Elon Musk and SpaceX recently declared they were “one step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship.” The reference was to the nearly 400-foot-tall rocket that’s perched at Starbase on Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville. The Federal Aviation Administration announced in June after a two year-study that SpaceX could expand its footprint on Boca Chica. The FAA, however, did not grant a rocket launch license. It cited 75…
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation was recently recognized for its work in the Downtown Brownsville Business Improvement and Growth Programs and the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization during the International Economic Development Council annual conference in Oklahoma City, Okla. BCIC received a Silver Award in the category of Neighborhood Development for the BIG programs. BIG programs are reimbursable and stackable grants to provide financial support to commercial property owners…
The Casa de Nylon-turned-entrepreneurial resource center is nearing completion in downtown Brownsville. The 36,000-square-foot, two-story facility on east Adams Street should be open for business – and innovation – by the end of this month. It will be the largest facility of its kind south of San Antonio. The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization is located just a few blocks from the Gateway International Bridge. The Brownsville Community Improvement…
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation’s third annual StartUp Texas Pitch Summit is now open and accepting applications. The event will be the first ever in-person version since the program began in March of 2020. The Startup Texas Pitch Summit is a live event where early-stage companies pitch their product/service to industry experts, venture capitalists, and high profile journalists. This spring, the winning pitch will not only receive $25,000 in startup…
Jesus Bojorquez had a decision to make in moving toward a degree in biomedical science. Should he continue on a career path toward pharmacy school as he planned after concluding a stint in the U.S. Army? There was a new pursuit that had caught the Brownsville native’s fancy. It was becoming more than a hobby. Bojorquez was intrigued with the notion of being a chocolatier. He had more than dabbled…
There are stories of rock bands and software engineers getting modest starts working out of their garages on their first steps to success. It worked for Van Halen and Steve Jobs. In Brownsville, there’s a hometown brewery that got its start among friends in a westside neighborhood off the Military Highway. Pluton Brewery Company was named after a street by that name in the Galaxia neighborhood. This is where some…