by Legislative Media | May 9, 2016 | Politics
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the American Marketing Association recently earned awards at the AMA shown here with their awards from the AMA annual competition in New Orleans. Featured, from left, are Eric Rodríguez, Saydahli Mejía, Julio Salinas, Óscar Ramos, David Pérez, Fabiola Cortés, Fuad Chagollán, Jolene Arellano, Martín Nievez, Ángela López, Albert Adame and Alexandra García. The AMA Collegiate Case Competition is an annual, international contest open to undergraduate teams at schools that have an affiliated AMA Collegiate Chapter. The purpose of the competition is to provide AMA Collegiate members an opportunity to work together on a problem that illustrates a real marketing situation, and to provide competition sponsors direct contact with marketing students who have possible real-world solutions to a marketing problem.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Where and when concealed handguns may be carried at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, allowing Doctors Hospital at Renaissance to use trademarks of UTRGV’s School of Medicine, and creating a new Ph.D program to take advantage of the coming creation of the SpaceX launch site are among key items that will be taken up on Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12, 2016, by the UT System Board of Regents, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, along with the City of Edinburg, promote the best interests of UTRGV and the UTRGV School of Medicine through its extensive legislative lobbying efforts before the UT System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature, and Congress.
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by Legislative Media | Jul 27, 2009 | Politics
Roberto Hugo González, publisher of Texas Border Business and Mega Metropolis Health & Fitness, has picked up two key recognitions for his publishing endeavors and his excellence in journalism in the pursuit of public service. During the McAllen South Rotary Club Annual Officer Installation Banquet, held on Wednesday, June 24, González proudly displays the Paul Harris Fellow Award and pin bestowed upon him by the McAllen Rotary Club. The award is given to those who have given outstanding service and is the highest prestigious award recognition given to a fellow Rotarian. In late spring, González was selected as the 2009 Small Business Journalist of the Year in the Rio Grande Valley by the U.S. Small Business Administration. He received the prestigious SBA award during at a ceremony at the University of Texas-Pan American Annex in Edinburg on Thursday, April 30. See story later in this posting.
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Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo/McAllen, featured with former Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife, former Mexican First Lady Marta Sahagún de Fox during a March 27 gathering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is now vice-chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). Cuellar was voted in by the CHLI Board of Directors at its Thursday, July 9, private meeting. The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI, pronounced “chili”) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, based in Washington, D.C., that advances the diversity of thought in the U.S. Hispanic community in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as in the international community. See story later in this posting.
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Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, on Sunday, May 31, was commissioned as a major in the Texas State Guard during a swearing-in ceremony held on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The Edinburg attorney, 50, is using his legislative and legal skills as a Staff Judge Advocate serving in the Command Headquarters in Austin, helping protect the rights of members of the state’s military forces, including the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard. The mission of the Texas State Guard is to provide mission-ready military forces to assist state and local authorities in times of state emergencies, such as hurricanes, as well as to participate in homeland security and community service missions. Major General Chris Powers administered the oath for the commission directed by Governor Perry and the Adjutant General. Speaker of the House Joe Straus, R-San Antonio and Brigadier General Raymond Peters joined Peña, his wife, Mónica, and his grandson, Anthony, during the formal event.
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Nicolas "Nico" Palacios Jr., 62 – featured right in this November 2007 file photo – a longtime Edinburg business leader who also excelled in the world of local and state politics, passed away on Thursday, July 23, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, California. The cause of death was reported as a heart attack. Palacios, seen here speaking with Rep. Aaron Peña, Jr., D-Edinburg, was part of a renowned South Texas political family which not only greatly influences local and state elections, but from its ranks has produced elected officials, community advocates, doctors, lawyers, and business leaders. Three of his siblings are also well-recognized leaders in South Texas: Edinburg Municipal Court Judge Toribio "Terry" Palacios and Fred Palacios, a longtime member of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation board of directors, are among his brothers; Justice of the Peace Mary Alice Palacios of Edinburg is one of his sisters. In addition, Hidalgo County 92nd District Court Judge Ricardo Rodríguez, Jr., a former Edinburg city councilmember, and Omar Palacios, the president of the Edinburg school board, are among his nephews. See obituary later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Jun 23, 2009 | Politics
Every year, Texas Monthly publishes much-anticipated reviews of some of the state’s best medical, legal, and community leaders, based on a strict and independent research process that identifies Texans who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Dr. Larry Balli, one of the area’s most influential dentists, has long enjoyed a stellar reputation in Edinburg. Late last year, he was bestowed the coveted honor of "Super Dentist" by Texas Monthly, a major statewide magazine with a national following. Now comes news that his professional and civic contributions to the region have earned him praise from Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature, which have approved a legislative resolution publicly recognizing him for his efforts in the Lone Star State. See lead story later in this posting.
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As the veto period came to a close on Sunday, June 21, Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, featured here during a McAllen Chamber of Commerce legislative update on Wednesday, June 17, announced final approval of 59 measures that he authored or sponsored. Hinojosa’s legislative package includes bills on transportation, natural resources, criminal justice, infrastructure, and health care issues, benefitting South Texas and the entire state. See story later in this posting.
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SOCIALIFE News Magazine, the five-year-old creation of South Texas entrepreneur Pepe Cabeza de Vaca, featured here with Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, has been honored by the Texas House of Representatives for its vital role of promoting a positive image of the Rio Grande Valley and by helping charitable organizations in the state and nation. The honor, contained in House Resolution 2283 filed by Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, was unanimously approved by House of Representatives on May 25. See story later in this posting.
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The laboratories at McAllen Heart Hospital and McAllen Medical Center were accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) after site inspections on April 1 and May 1. Both laboratories received complimentary remarks by CAP inspectors on the quality of patient testing, documentation and organization. The laboratories also received exemplary marks on their standard of laboratory practices. Featured here are some of the employees of McAllen Medical Center and McAllen Heart Hospital who are instrumental to the quality of care and services the laboratories provide. From left, first row: Dr. Feliberto Cavazos, pathologist; Sobie Treviño, system assistant director; Grace Garza, system lab director; and Robert Tamez, hospital administrator. Second row, from left: Dr. José Luis Valencia, pathologist; Norma Rodríguez; and Lester Alvarado. Third row, from left: Denisha Niño; Aida Galván; Diana Villarreal; Janice Milford; and Jennifer Ríos. Four row, from left: Elisa Díaz; Mylene Trasmonte; Becky Flores; and Sylvia Aguinaga. Fifth row, from left: Virgil Zuñiga; Robert Hockaday; Alejo Romero; Andy Romero; and Aydee García. See story later in this posting.
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Hundreds of future South Texas College graduates, such as these featuring during this spring’s commencement exercise, will benefit from a major grant, to be dispersed over the next three years, for expanded development education programs. On Monday, June 22, STC leaders announced that the college has been named as one of 15 national recipients – and only four in Texas – of a new grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and MDC, Inc. Together the groups are giving $16.5 million to community colleges across the nation, $743,000 of which will come directly to South Texas College. “At STC we are so happy to receive the funds because it will help us institute a change to the respective course contents in our developmental programs to create learning connections for students among the three developmental education disciplines through contextualization of the curriculum,” said Dr. Ali Esmaeili, dean of developmental studies for STC. “We plan to implement a robust case management student support framework to ensure a consistent and reliable contact experience for all of our developmental students.” See story later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 26, 2009 | Politics
A planned $14 million Edinburg Medical Conference Center (highlighted in red) would be the latest addition to the growing Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Complex in southwest Edinburg. Construction magnate Alonzo Cantú on Tuesday, February 24, unveiled his vision for the complex, along with a proposed hotel, during a presentation before the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
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Projected to be 54,000 square feet in size, the proposed Edinburg Medical Conference Center would represent the latest cutting-edge medical resource for Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and for South Texas, according to DHR leader Alonzo Cantú. If plans for the center are successful, Edinburg could increase its chances of landing a proposed University of Texas System medical school, he predicted. "We would have the infrastructure in place, we would have the credibility, plus we would have doctors who are teaching at other hospitals who would see we do have the state-of-the-art equipment and technology," Cantú observed. "So, if a medical school was started, we would be ready to have some of the medical students training here."
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by Legislative Media | Dec 2, 2008 | Politics
Dr. Blandina “Bambi” Cárdenas, featured first row, second from left, on Thursday, November 20, outlined some of the key measures that she hopes to secure for the University of Texas-Pan American during the upcoming regular session of the Texas Legislature, which convenes on Tuesday, January 13. Cárdenas, the first female president of UT-Pan American, made her presentation during a legislative luncheon at the ECHO Hotel and Conference Center coordinated by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. She noted that graduates from UT-Pan American who apply to medical school have a higher acceptance rate than students from other Texas universities, a key point that will be used by area state lawmakers, who have pre-filed legislation to build a UT medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. In a related move, Mayor Joe Ochoa, featured to the left of Cárdenas, has pledged the city’s support for plans by Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, which is considering building a cutting-edge medical conference center that would feature world-class medical professionals who would provide unprecedented seminars, including onsite surgeries, in the three-time All-America City. City Councilmember Agustín “Gus” García, Jr. (not included in this portrait) has been a key player in promoting Edinburg’s participation in the discussions about DHR’s medical conference center. “I do not want to identify just yet who the players are, but this project, if brought to fruition and marketed properly, could very well put Edinburg in a national spotlight,” Councilmember García said. “I have been assured by the investor group that with the city’s participation, they would name it the ‘Edinburg Medical Conference Center’.” See lead story later in this posting.
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In a time of challenging national economic data, positive news was recently announced at the Edwards Abstract and Title Co.’s annual economic outlook symposium. “Jobs are everything to an economy, and Hidalgo County has delivered for more than a decade,” said Ted C. Jones, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for Stewart Title Guaranty Company. “Hidalgo County and the cities therein have grown jobs at 4.5 times the rate of the U.S. per year, compounded annually for the past 10 years,” added Jones. “In the latest twelve months ending September 6, nine hundred net new additional jobs were created in the local economy.” Another highlight of the forum was the participation of a panel of economic development experts from the cities of McAllen, Edinburg and Weslaco who shared their views regarding the factors that are contributing to the continued commercial and industrial growth of the region. Participating in the economic development panel were, first row, from left: Dr. Ted C. Jones; Elva Jackson Garza, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Ramiro Garza, executive director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Byron Jay Lewis, president of Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Stewart Morris, Sr. with Stewart Title Guaranty Company. Back row, from left: (back) Stewart Morris, Jr. with Stewart Title Guaranty Company; Keith Patridge, President and CEO, McAllen Economic Development Corporation; Pat Townsend, Jr., President and CEO, Mission Economic Development Authority; and Hernán González, Executive Director of the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation. See story later in this posting.
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Young ladies who are seniors at Edinburg High School were recently addressed by prominent Texans during the Young Women’s Summit, a forum which allows the students to interact with some of the most successful women in their respective fields. The Young Women’s Summit developed from research completed by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) which found that Hispanic girls are the most under- represented group of post-secondary graduates. Featured, from left: Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen; Gloria Cotton Wells; Deann Craft; María Piña; and Jennifer Ruiz, Miss Galaxy International 2009.
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Miss Edinburg 2009 and her counterparts were recently honored by the Edinburg school district for their outstanding efforts in representing the city and school district, and for bringing honor to their respective families. Featured in this portrait during a recent school board public session were, from left: Gilberto Garza, Jr., superintendent of the Edinburg school district; Alexis García, Miss Edinburg 2009; Avery García, Miss Pre-Teen; Anahi García, Little Miss Edinburg; Rachel Tgunberg, Junior Miss Edinburg; and Omar Palacios, president of the Edinburg school board.
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G&C Avanti Trucking LLC in Edinburg is partnering with South Texas College on an experimental project that calls for students in the Precision Manufacturing Technology Program to help fabricate prototypes of several automotive parts that will enable vehicles, such as this GMC 5500 truck, to travel in up to five feet of water. Pictured are (front row, l-r): Chente Aguilar from G&C Avanti Trucking LLC; Leticia Reyes from the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Mario Reyna, STC division dean of business and technology; Efrain García, Jr.; Efrain García, Sr.; Rodolfo Sánchez from G&C Avanti Trucking LLC; Alberto Díaz from Santos International; and G&C Avanti technician Marcelo Cantú. STC Precision Manufacturing Technology instructor Harold Bernard and PMT students Zeke Sáenz, Erick Vega, Ricardo García and René Vera are pictured on top of truck. See story later in this posting.
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