Tag Archives: Harlingen Economic Development Corporation

Harlingen EDC Relaunches Grant Program

Community e-Brief Features News Comments

The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation has relaunched its small business matching grant program, Revitalize Harlingen. An incentive grant, Revitalize Harlingen provides up to $10,000 for facade improvements made by eligible commercial businesses or property owners.  The program first began in January of 2023 as the brainchild of Mayor Norma Sepulveda and the City of Harlingen to rejuvenate targeted areas in the city. The program encourages reinvestment by small businesses to…

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Supply Chains Shifts May Benefit RGV

Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments
Shifts in global supply chain operations may bring light manufacturing opportunities for the Rio Grande Valley economy.

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…

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RGV Native Finds EDC Fit In Harlingen

Community News Comments
Orlando Campos is a Brownsville native who found the right EDC fit in Harlingen.

Brownsville native Orlando Campos spent over 15 years in North Texas, working for chambers of commerce and in economic development. He was hoping for the right opportunity that could bring him home. In 2023, a job opening and the right candidate for it met when Campos became the new manager and chief executive officer for Harlingen Economic Development Corporation. He was selected in mid-June among 20 candidates by the EDC…

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Arts Studio Offers Everything ‘Under One Roof’

Arts e-Brief Features Featured News Comments
An indoor mural highlights the diversity of arts programs offered at the RGV Arts Studio.

A view across the social media presence of the Rio Grande Valley Arts Studio reaffirms its founder’s assertion of having everything “all under one roof.” There’s a “beach dance camp” to go with galleries of colors featuring the artwork of children. There are photos of teenage girls immersed in a sewing workshop in preparing for a fashion show. Little ballerinas in another image are in poses they just took during…

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Program Revitalizing Heart Of Harlingen

Community News Comments
The exterior signage of Valley Beauty Supply had a dramatic improvement thanks to a Harlingen EDC grant program.

A supply store’s vintage red sign has been a Harrison Avenue mainstay for decades even as old retailers like Sears and classic H-E-B stores have come and gone from one of Harlingen’s long-standing thoroughfares.  The white letters on a red backdrop that say “Valley Barber & Beauty Supply” had faded over the decades but they have recently received a new shine. The over 100-year-old business had seen its outdoor signage…

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Harlingen Launches Small Business Site Improvement Grant

Community News Comments
Revitalize Harlingen

The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation has launched Revitalize Harlingen, a 50/50 matching grant program to enhance business storefronts, encourage job retention and stimulate economic activity. “The main goal of Revitalize Harlingen is to rejuvenate targeted areas in the city that need revitalizing,” said Beverly Loftus, interim CEO of the Harlingen EDC. “The benefits from the  grant funds will encourage reinvestment by small businesses to attract more customers and  increase revenues.”…

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VIA Sees Resurgence In New Flights & Bookings  

e-Brief Features Featured News Transportation & Travel Comments
Viva Aerobus jet, the airline has recently started direct Harlingen-Monterrey flights with one-stop connections to Cancun, Guadalajara and Mexico City. (Courtesy)

Valley International Airport is experiencing its best growth numbers since 2008 as longstanding airlines return daily flights and new international flights to Mexico have been established. Marv Easterly, VIA’s director of aviation, provided that overview recently during a commercial and investment tour hosted by the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The Harlingen-based regional airport has gotten through the worst of the cutbacks brought on by…

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Workforce Wednesday Kicks Off Aug. 4

Community Events e-Brief Features News Comments

The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation and Workforce Solutions Cameron begin hosting a series of mini-job fairs Aug. 4. The job fairs will take place every other month. The Workforce Wednesday series will help many regional companies fill available positions in various industries. The job fairs will host up to six employers and each fair will be industry-specific. “The Workforce Wednesday jobs fairs are the perfect opportunity to bring together our…

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Aviation Maintenance Program Looks To Fill Local Jobs

e-Brief Features Education News Transportation & Travel Comments

As aviation continues to grow in the Rio Grande Valley, so does the need for more mechanics and technicians. “We have had more students applying and expressing interest in the program than I have ever seen,” said Leo Guajardo, lead instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Aviation Maintenance program, which encompasses Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology. Guajardo said some credit for increasing program curiosity can be given to…

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Analysts See RGV Economy Making Gains

Community Comments
Major hospitals are expanding and growing across the Valley.

The Rio Grande Valley’s real estate market currently has a scarcity of existing homes for sale. Residents holding on to properties as the region and country exits out of an economy influenced by the pandemic.  This analysis was among the views offered recently during a 2021 Rio Grande Valley Economic Forecast & Market Incentives virtual summit co-hosted by the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation. The event, which spanned over three hours,…

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