RGV Business Journal

Caminos Institute executive producer Andrik Gonzalez sits down with RGVBJ reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza to break down a new report quantifying the economic impact of immigration enforcement on the Rio Grande Valley — from construction and health care to restaurants and remittances. Using FOIA'd federal data from the Deportation Data Project, the Caminos Institute tracked 13,377 apprehensio...

After nearly two decades of public service in the Rio Grande Valley — including roles in McAllen, Laredo and Mission — Teclo Garcia is retiring as CEO of the Mission Economic Development Corporation. RGVBJ reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Garcia to talk about his path from newspaper newsrooms to economic development, what he learned about trade while working in Laredo, and how Miss...

Reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza breaks down the six-hour Brownsville City Commission vote that let SpaceX de-annex land near the Brownsville landfill for Starbase, then sits down with Southmost Regional Water Authority board member Joseph Hollmann to unpack the two water projects the deal will help fund. SpaceX's own pitch to the council — delivered by Sheila McCorkle — is included in full....

McAllen Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Elizabeth Suarez and McAllen Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Small Business & Innovation Jorge Sanchez join the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal podcast to break down how the city combined its EDC and chamber leadership, landed a $225 million Valeo manufacturing plant, and built small business programs like Latina HOPE...

Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Dr. Gina Cano-Monreal, provost of Texas State Technical College's Harlingen campus, to talk about how TSTC is retooling its programs to meet the Valley's fast-growing industrial workforce needs. Dr. Cano-Monreal explains why TSTC is phasing out mechatronics in favor of a new Advanced Manufacturing program, how the college builds "triad partnerships&...

USMCA isn't ending — but it just entered a new phase of year-by-year uncertainty. In this episode of the RGV Business Journal podcast, host Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Jorge Torres, president of Interlink Trade Services and a licensed customs broker, to break down what happened when the U.S. declined to join Mexico and Canada in extending USMCA another 16 years, what the resulting year...

The Rio Grande Valley is growing faster than almost anywhere else in Texas — and that growth is testing the region's infrastructure and workforce. In this episode, Brian Godinez, president of the I-LinCP RGV chapter and principal at Aero Architects, joins the RGV Business Journal Podcast to talk about "Powering Texas and Regional Growth: Infrastructure and Workforce Development Exchange,&...

Martín Anzaldúa of Grupo Río San Juan — the Reynosa, Tamaulipas developer behind industrial parks like Villa Florida and Parque Industrial del Norte — joins host Naxiely López-Puente to make the case for RíoPlex: a binational effort to market Reynosa and the Rio Grande Valley as a single 3.5-million-person region with nearly 20 industrial parks, 14 international bridges and five airports. Anzaldúa...

It's not every day the governor of Texas stands alongside the CEO of a hot Austin tech startup to announce a $3.2 billion investment in South Texas. In this special edition, RGVBJ reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Gilberto Salinas, president and CEO of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, to break down how Brownsville landed autonomous vessel maker Saronic Technologie...

"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...