by Legislative Media | Sep 6, 2017 | Politics
Featured, key leaders and most of the new members of Hive Effect, an entrepreneur development initiative created by the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, following their orientation session on Wednesday, August 23, 2017, at the offices of Grindstone Coworking, located at 506 West University Drive. From left, front row, are: José Chávez; Gerardo González; Donica Landa; Renee Sánchez; and Dani Marrero. From left, back row: Cooper Thompson; Steven De Los Santos; Agustín García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Daniel Rivera, Founder, Grindstone Coworking and Director of Hive Effect in Edinburg; Elizabeth Martínez; Marco Barrios-Espinoza; Mark Laguñez; Pete Díaz; and Cirano Lagunas. Not shown in this image are Noé Ramos, Mark Harris, and Mauricio Atilano.
Photograph By JENNIFER CABRERA
The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, in collaboration with Grindstone Coworking, has announced the second cohort (new set of members) of the Hive Effect, which is an innovative entrepreneur development initiative designed to help local businesses, particularly small firms and sole proprietors, to succeed and prosper. According to its website (http://hiveeffect.com/about-us/): Hive Effect uses a three-pronged approach to cultivate the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote regional collaboration. It utilizes coworking, education, and mentorship to help both startups and existing businesses; Hive Effect conducts a six-month education program called the Hive Effect Learning Program (HELP). Applications for HELP are reviewed for acceptance twice each year to select cohort participants. Hive Effect partners with local and regional entrepreneurial organizations and businesses with programs and events that aim to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the Rio Grande Valley; and Grindstone Coworking, located at 506 West University Drive, is a membership-based office in Edinburg. Designed for mobile workers, freelancers, and startups, the office provides workspace, phone booths, private suites, conference rooms, training rooms, a copy center, mailboxes and other amenities for today’s modern businesses. “The EDC is excited to again partner up with Grindstone Coworking to promote this second, six-month initiative,” said Agustín García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. “Hive Effect has become a valuable resource for some of our city’s most exciting new businesses.” Daniel Rivera, founder of Grindstone Coworking and Director of Hive Effect, added: “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished with Hive Effect since its launch in September 2016. Our coursework, mentorship and implementation of the coworking concept last year helped 10 entrepreneurs achieve great things for their respective businesses, and we’re happy to announce our second cohort (new set of members) of 15 individuals to our growing community.” The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, which includes Mayor Pro Tem J.R. Betancourt, Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr. Councilmember Richard Molina, and Councilmember David Torres. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr. as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Rupert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Agustín García are not related.
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by Legislative Media | Aug 22, 2017 | Politics
Featured, from left: Agustín García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, and Mark Hanna, Publisher, Rio Grande Guardian, pause for a photograph at the Edinburg EDC complex, located in the city’s downtown, prior to a live video broadcast on Wednesday August 16, 2017 by the international news publication, which launched in July 2005. García, in an hour-long interview, provided detailed information on the achievements and goals of the Edinburg EDC, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The interview, in its entirety, is available for viewing at the Edinburg EDC Facebook page.
Photograph By STEVE TAYLOR
Total construction activities in Edinburg from January through July 2017, including more than $23.3 million for the month of July, reached $194.6 million, compared with $152.4 million during the first seven months of 2016, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. During July 2017, new construction of multi-family homes and new construction of single-family residences led the way, with the issuance of building permits for investments valued at more than $9.5 million and more than $6 million, respectively. The top construction projects in Edinburg for July 2017, not including the value of the land, are: $8,603,477 –Wisconsin Street Housing LP, 2132 E. Wisconsin Rd., The Heights Subdivision; $2,100,000 – Lakeside Produce USA, 1302 S. 28th, Tex-Mex Subdivision; $1,500,000 – Dan and Jacky Damon Family Trust, 508 W. Trenton Rd., Kelly-Pharr Subdivision; $1,498,000 – City Of Edinburg Fire Station No. 3, 8502 Jasman Road; and $1,400,000 – Raising Cane’s Restaurant, LLC, 718 W. University Dr., Edinburg Original Townsite Subdivision. Those year-to-date and monthly totals do not include the value of any building-related activities at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the UTRGV School of Medicine in Edinburg because the state government, not the city, oversees all construction at the Edinburg campus. The building permits do not include the value of the land for the homes and buildings. The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg, through the Code Enforcement Department, to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits.
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by Legislative Media | Aug 18, 2017 | Politics
Featured, on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, for the groundbreaking of the $1.6+ million Edinburg Fire Station No. 5, to be built at 8502 N. Jasman Road in north Edinburg, are, from left: Augie Lozano, Public Relations Manager, Bert Ogden Auto Group and Member, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Letty González, President, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Mario Lizcano, Director of Corporate Affairs, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and Member, Board of Directors, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Councilmember David Torres; Mayor Richard García and President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr.; Councilmember Richard Molina and Member, Board of Directors, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Fire Chief Shawn Snider; and Alex Ríos, District Director, Office of State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and Member, Board of Directors, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce.
Photograph By RONNIE LARRALDE
More business and residential developments, along with improved public safety protections, will soon be coming to an estimated combined total of 60,000 city and Hidalgo County residents as a result of recent decisions by elected leaders, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Edinburg Fire Station No. 5, a 9,571-square foot facility – which also will house emergency medical services (EMS ambulance) – is set to open around the spring of 2018. The complex, being constructed by Candela Organization, LLC, will be the first fire station in the northern part of the city. Edinburg Fire Station No. 5 will be a full service station with four fire trucks and one ambulance, and will be equipped with dormitories, a kitchen, and a workout area to house up to 10 firefighters and two ambulance attendants. “Besides the obvious advantages of bringing emergency fire protection and emergency medical services (ambulance) closer to hundreds of residences and businesses, fire insurance premiums will be more affordable,” said Agustín García, Executive Director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. “Together, those two elements should help more businesses expand or locate in north Edinburg, making Edinburg Fire Station No. 5 an economic engine which will help power more jobs, increase prosperity, and generate more residential and commercial developments in that region.” The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related.
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by Legislative Media | Jul 30, 2017 | Politics
Featured: The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce’s former presidents and chairmen of its Board of Directors on Thursday, June 22, 2017 celebrated their reunion at the historic Southern Pacific Train Depot, home of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Seated, from left, are: Cris M. Torres, Greater State Bank; Edna Peña, Gotta Love It; Letty González, President, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Elva Jackson Garza, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Dina Araguz, International Bank of Commerce; and Cynthia García Robles, Gold Financial Services. Standing, from left: Marty Martin, Rio Valley Realty; Mark Magee, PlainsCapital Bank; Mitch Roberts (formerly Roberts Chevrolet); Bob Gaston (formerly Bob Gaston Real Estate); Byron Jay Lewis, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Aaron Peña, Sr., Law Firm of Aaron Peña, Sr.; Johnny Rodríguez, Bert Odgen Dealership Group; and Joe H. Ramón, formerly Joe H. Ramón Realty. Not pictured is Dr. Larry N. Balli, D.D.S.
Photograph By RONNIE LARRALDE
Total construction activities in Edinburg from January through June 2017, including more than $22 million for the month of June, reached $172.7 million, compared with $131.7 million during the first half of 2016, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. During June 2017, new construction of single-family homes and new construction of commercial buildings led the way, with the issuance of building permits for investments valued at more than $6.4 million and $4.7 million, respectively. The value of one new city government building (City of Edinburg Engineering Department) came in a close third for that month, being issued a building permit for work valued at more than $4.5 million. Those year-to-date and monthly totals do not include the value of any building-related activities at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the UTRGV School of Medicine in Edinburg because the state government, not the city, oversees all construction at the Edinburg campus. The building permits do not include the value of the land for the homes and buildings. The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg, through the Code Enforcement Department, to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits.
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by Legislative Media | Jul 26, 2017 | Politics
Featured: Several of the newest students of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s School of Medicine go over paperwork during orientation on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at the $54 million, 88,000-square foot Medical Education Building in Edinburg. UTRGV, with its main campus in Edinburg, and its School of Medicine are responsible for helping prepare an educated workforce for the city, the Rio Grande Valley, and Texas. The Edinburg Mayor, Edinburg City Council, and Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors help lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on behalf of those two major institutions of higher education.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Edinburg and McAllen were the only two major Valley cities which posted unemployment rates under six percent for June 2017, with the other large population centers ranging from 6.9 percent to 9.3 percent, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Edinburg, which had recorded the lowest unemployment rates among Valley cities in April and May 2017, came in at 5.9 percent for June 2017, based on preliminary figures released on Friday, July 21, 2017 by the Texas Workforce Commission. This latest data also showed that Edinburg saw a growth of 416 jobs when comparing the monthly totals of June 2017 (36,650) and June 2016 (36,234), according to the Edinburg EDC. For the past several years, Edinburg has registered the lowest or second-lowest unemployment rate among all Valley cities. McAllen, which came in with a 5.4 percent unemployment in May 2017, tied Edinburg for the best showing for that month. The continued growth of jobs in Edinburg is independently documented by the Texas Workforce Commission, a state agency with many key duties, such as maintaining and reporting on key trends in state and local economies, including unemployment rates and the number of people employed in cities. The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr. as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members.Richard García and Gus García are not related. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. The unemployment rate is the number of persons unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The civilian labor force is that portion of the population age 16 and older employed or unemployed. To be considered unemployed, a person has to be not working but willing and able to work and actively seeking work.
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