Tag Archives: Harlingen EDC

Harlingen EDC Relaunches Grant Program

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

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

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’

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

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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TWC Grants Enable Local Students To Attend STEM Summer Camps

STEM Camp Code grants

South Texas College and Harlingen CISD are two of 12 state-wide recipients to receive Camp Code grants from the Texas Workforce Commission. The grants enable middle-school students to attend various camps this summer for free to get a head start in science, technology, engineering and math careers. STC will provide 72 scholarships with its $44,815 award. Students in the camps will create prototypes of different electronic projects utilizing actual engineering…

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Harlingen Launches Small Business Site Improvement Grant

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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Restorations Brings Opportunities For Harlingen

A look inside of the former Dillard’s in Harlingen shows a space BH Properties is renovating.

Restorations are underway at two large vacant buildings in Harlingen and the company behind those efforts sees new opportunities ahead for both facilities. BH Properties, a Los Angeles-based company, focuses on purchasing and turning around buildings like the former Dillard’s at Valle Vista Mall and a warehouse formerly belonging to Valley Baptist Medical Center. The latter facility at 4405 Glasscock Avenue, just west of Ed Carey Drive, has been vacant…

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UTRGV Kauffman FastTrac Coming to Harlingen

Kauffman FastTrac

The Harlingen EDC is once again sponsoring the seven-week business course, Kauffman FastTrac. The UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center-led course is open to up to 10 participants who are currently looking to open or grow their business in Harlingen. This in-person course will be held once a week every Tuesday from April 5 to May 17. Participants will meet from 6-9 p.m. at the Harlingen EDC office. This $700 course…

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Workforce Wednesday Job Fair Returns

The City of Harlingen and Harlingen EDC, in partnership with Workforce Solutions Cameron, host the next Workforce Wednesday Dec. 8. The hiring event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Casa de Amistad, 1204 Fair Park Blvd. in Harlingen. Workforce Wednesday will host dozens of employers seeking to fill part-time and full-time positions. This is the third event in the series of job fairs that began in August.…

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