by Legislative Media | Aug 27, 2017 | Politics
The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation will launch “Edinburg Connect”, a live interactive broadcast on its Facebook page, beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 28, 2017. “We have a new medium, ‘Edinburg Connect’, and we are going to reach out to you so you can reach out to us, and we can talk with each other, live, on Facebook,” explains Agustín García, Executive Director of the Edinburg EDC, in a recent posting on the Edinburg EDC Facebook page.“You can ask questions and we are going to give you answers. We will have guests from the city, guests from the county, guests from everywhere. We are very excited about our new initiative, ‘Edinburg Connect’, here at the Edinburg EDC.” One of the viewers who participates in the live event will have the chance to win a $100 gift card to Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg. The Edinburg EDC’s Facebook page is available at:http://www.facebook.com/edinburgedc
Photograph By JENNIFER CABRERA
The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced the creation of “Edinburg Connect”, a live broadcast on the Edinburg EDC Facebook page that will provide viewers worldwide the chance to see and hear from, and to interact with, city, county and other leaders about economic development activities, successes and related goals for the city. The first episode will go online live on Monday, August 28, 2017, beginning at 10 a.m. The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of Edinburg Mayor Richard García and the Edinburg City Council, which includes Mayor Pro Tem J.R. Betancourt, Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr., Councilmember Richard Molina, and Councilmember David Torres. In addition to Mayor García, who serves as President of the Edinburg EDC Board of Directors, the other board members are 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 Director Agustín García are not related. New live broadcasts of “Edinburg Connect” are scheduled to take place every two weeks, and all episodes will be remain on the Edinburg EDC Facebook page.
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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 | Aug 8, 2017 | Politics
Featured, front row, representing Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg, the Edinburg City Council, and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, include, from left: City Councilmember Homer Jasso; Juan Luis Mussenden, General Manager, Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg; Peter Higgins, Managing Partner, Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg; Gus García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (immediately behind Peter Higgins); Mayor Richard García, who also serves as President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and City Councilmember Richard Molina. These leaders were among the several hundred area residents who participated in the Wednesday, July 19, 2017 ribbon-cutting of the five-star, multi-million dollar restaurant, located at the Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The restaurant is just off U.S. Expressway 281 in the heart of Edinburg. Bob’s combines a lively atmosphere, fine wines and large cuts of the finest prime steaks, chops and seafood to make Bob’s the best steak house in any town. Known for their prime filets, Bob’s only serves prime beef, hand-selected from the top two percent of all beef, perfectly trimmed and expertly grilled. Bob’s also offers delicious sides and desserts made from scratch, and included with every steak, their famous pickles, choice of potato and signature big glazed carrot. Letty González, President of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, shared community leaders enthusiasm for Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg. “We are excited to welcome our new member to Edinburg,” said González. “Bob’s is a beautiful and unique dining experience that will be unparalleled in our area. This is just an indication of all the great things going on in Edinburg.”
Photograph By RONNIE LARRALDE
Featured, from left: Gus García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, congratulates Peter Higgins, Managing Partner, Bob’s Steak and Chop House in Edinburg, following the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the restaurant, which took place on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. “Edinburg’s restaurants are fantastic, and they serve phenomenal food, great meals, you name it. Now, having an elite restaurant like Bob’s Steak & Chop House changes the image for the entire South Texas region. This is the first nationally-recognized five-star restaurant in Edinburg and deep South Texas,” said García. “Bob’s has a nationally known reputation. By doing well in Edinburg, it will once again prove that our region can support, and deserves, the very best life has to offer.” Higgins heaped praise on deep South Texas. “People have asked me several times recently, ‘Why Edinburg, Texas?’ Well, I’ll tell you why. It is a tremendous growth environment,” Higgins said. “If you look at the city itself with its growth, a new Hidalgo County Courthouse that will be built, several world-class hotels, a nationally-ranked university with a School of Medicine, and the Bert Ogden Arena and H-E-B Park near our site – well, the list goes on and on.”
Featured, from left: Jaime Cazares, District Sales Manager, Ben E. Keith Foods; Debra Stolley; Roger Stolley, NAI Rio Grande Valley (Commercial Real Estate Services Worldwide); Byron Jay Lewis, President and CEO, Edwards Abstract and Title Co., and Peter Higgins, Managing Partner, Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Edinburg, seated inside the Lenox Lounge in the multi-million dollar five-star restaurant, located at 591 East Trenton Road in Edinburg, at the Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The Lenox Lounge, part of the approximately 9,000-square-foot facility, is named in honor of William “Bill” W. Lenox, former president of the Bob’s Steak & Chop House national chain of fine dining establishments. Lenox, who died on Friday, January 20, 2016, was the key player in bringing the restaurant to Edinburg. According to his obituary, published in the Dallas Morning News, “Lenox, known for his entrepreneurial success, generous spirit and engaging character, passed away after suffering a heart attack at his home in Vail, Colorado. He was 70.” (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?pid=183988366)
Photograph By MARCO DAVID SOLIS
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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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