RGV Business Journal

"Tokenization" is banking's biggest buzzword right now — but what does it actually mean for your business? In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, host Naxiely Lopez-Puente talks with Shawn Main, chief business architect at Vantage Bank and founder of the Hazel Network, about how stablecoins and tokenized deposits could change the way RGV businesses move mo...

Is the Rio Grande Valley housing market really overpriced? And is now the right time to buy — even with rates in the mid-sixes? We sit down with Brian Reed of the Ryan and Brian Real Estate Team for a candid conversation on where the RGV real estate market stands today, what the data actually says, and why waiting could be the most expensive decision a buyer makes. Brian brings 23 years of experie...

Weslaco is one of the Rio Grande Valley's most strategically located cities — and right now, it's one of the fastest growing. In this episode, RGV Business Journal host Naxiely Lopez Puente sits down with Steve Valdez, executive director of the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, to talk about what's really driving the city's growth. Steve covers:• How Weslaco's central l...

The RGV Red Crowns started as a community-first soccer club built from scratch — with the Valley helping shape the name, colors, identity and mission. Now, the semi-pro team is set to appear in a national Bank of America campaign tied to the FIFA World Cup. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, Naxi Lopez sits down with Jamal Fayyad, founder and president of the RGV Re...

Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Yaw Sam, CEO of Brand Genius and co-founder of Social Fest, to discuss how the event is growing after drawing more than 1,000 attendees in its first year. Sam explains why Social Fest was created, how organizers brought national and international speakers to the Valley, and why the 2026 event is moving to the McAllen Convention Center. The conversation also expl...

In this National Small Business Week special, we sit down with Justin Crossie, South Central Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), to talk about the tools, resources, and capital available to entrepreneurs in the Rio Grande Valley and across Region 6.Justin breaks down:✅ What the SBA actually does beyond loans✅ How to access capital as a first-generation entrep...

What exactly is a Foreign Trade Zone — and why does it matter for businesses in the Rio Grande Valley? In this episode of the RGV Business Journal Podcast, host Kristin Mossbrucker-Garza sits down with Mark Garcia, CEO of the McAllen Foreign Trade Zone, for a wide-ranging conversation on one of the Valley's most important but least understood economic assets. Mark breaks down how the FTZ progr...

Real estate investment in the Rio Grande Valley is shifting — as outside capital, major projects like SpaceX, and regional growth reshape how the market operates. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Daniel Galvan, a broker at Coldwell Banker Commercial, to discuss what’s driving demand, where deals are happening, and how the market...

n this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Dr. James Li and Dr. Ahmed Bendaouia of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing to discuss how the region can compete for the next generation of manufacturing investment. Advanced manufacturing is changing what economic growth could look like i...

🏈 Emmitt Smith is heading to the Rio Grande Valley — and Ronnie Larralde of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce tells us exactly how it happened (spoiler: it's all about your network).In this episode of the RGV Business Journal Podcast, we explore the business boom happening right now in Edinburg and across the Rio Grande Valley — from 127 new housing subdivisions to the game-day economic ripple...

First Brands Group’s bankruptcy is still rippling across the U.S.–Mexico border — triggering layoffs, severance disputes, and raising new questions about how labor laws work on both sides. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, Editor Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with attorney Francisco Peña, a partner at Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, to break down what happens when...

South Texas is building something bigger than most people realize. In this Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast episode, reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Rick Carrera of the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) to break down how the region is positioning itself for the next wave of manufacturing and industrial growth. The conversation covers:• The Valley’s overl...

McAllen City Manager Isaac Tawil joins host Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza to break down some of the biggest economic developments hitting the Rio Grande Valley right now. In this episode:✈️ A brand-new daily nonstop flight between McAllen and Monterrey — just 45 minutes in the air🛍️ Near-record-breaking sales tax revenues and what they mean for economic development🏙️ The $230 million Bowie mixed-use de...

How does the Rio Grande Valley advocate for its priorities at the state and federal level? In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast , Editor Naxi Lopez-Puente interviews Paco Sanchez , the new president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership . They discuss: • The role of the RGV Partnership in legislative advocacy • The organization’s influential RGV Legislative Tour...

In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast , host Naxi Lopez sits down with contributor Matt Wilson to discuss two stories drawing attention across South Texas. Wilson explains the growing concern among farmers and ranchers about the potential return of the screwworm parasite , which devastated the cattle industry decades ago before being eradicated. The conversation also ex...

¿Qué está pasando realmente en Matamoros tras el cierre de Tridonex? Anayancy Ulloa comparte lo que vio en el lugar — organización, incertidumbre y resiliencia en la industria maquiladora. También analizamos: • Aranceles • Fallas aduanales • Crecimiento en Reynosa • Economía binacional México-EE.UU. Suscríbete para más contenido empresarial. ********************* What’s really happening in Matamor...

Once only available in major cities, this technology is now saving lives in the Rio Grande Valley. ECMO — short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation — is a specialized form of life support that temporarily replaces the function of the heart and lungs. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast, host Naxi Lopez speaks with Dr. Andrew Phillips and Jennifer Tobar about how t...

The Rio Grande Valley Business Journal presents highlights from its inaugural Economic Outlook Luncheon, featuring keynote economist Pia Orrenius , vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas . After opening remarks from publisher Ramiro Garza Jr. , Orrenius breaks down Texas job trends, housing affordability, migration shifts and cross-border trade — and what those forces could mean for...

In this Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast episode, reporter Kristen Mossbrucker-Garza talks with Bert Guerra of Cine El Rey and James Alexander of The Flying Walrus about the growing tensions between city leadership and longtime downtown stakeholders. The conversation covers: • The original Heart of the City revitalization plan • Recent enforcement actions and power shutoffs • Zoning prop...

In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast, Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Mike Willis, executive director of the South Texas Manufacturers Association, to discuss tariffs, automation, supply chains and workforce challenges shaping manufacturing today. Willis explains why jobs didn’t “disappear,” how consumer choices fueled globalization, and what companies really n...

Brownsville is experiencing a historic economic shift — and for the first time in modern history, more people are moving into the city than leaving. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast, Gilberto Salinas , president and CEO of the Greater Brownsville EDC, breaks down what’s driving that transformation. From SpaceX’s Starbase operation to major LNG projects near the Por...

Federal officials, SpaceX defense contracts and AI data centers are transforming the Rio Grande Valley. In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast, our reporters break down border security policy, ICE enforcement, SpaceX’s expanding role as a defense contractor, and the rise of AI-powered data centers in Cameron and Willacy counties.

On this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast, host Naxi Lopez-Puente speaks with Jonathan “Johnny” Vasquez, executive officer of the Rio Grande Valley Builders Association (RGVBA), about the state of residential construction in the Rio Grande Valley. Vasquez discusses why the market has slowed, what affordability pressures look like (tariffs, regulation, land costs), how inven...

Rio Grande Valley Business Journal host Naxi Lopez-Puente speaks with Mario Guerrero, CEO of the South Texas Builders Association, about what builders and contractors say they’re seeing on construction sites across the Rio Grande Valley — and how worksite enforcement activity can ripple into project delays, construction loans, timelines, and the broader local economy. Guerrero also discusses how t...

Rising construction costs, higher land prices and changing buyer demand are reshaping the Rio Grande Valley housing market. In this interview, a local builder and real estate broker walks through what affordable new construction looks like today in Pharr, how labor and material costs have changed over the past decade, and why incentives are becoming more common in a buyer’s market. The conversatio...