By Roda Grubb Who better to guide you in your security needs than James Bond himself? Well, not quite, but Ric Tamez spent 18 years as a police officer with the McAllen PD before choosing to become a private eye. All those years in law enforcement taught him one thing – people need someone else to teach them about the variety of protection gizmos available on the market – be it cameras, alert and security products, or alarms, to name a few. “I came up with the idea of a spy shop because I found I was so interested in spy equipment when I went to private investigators’ conferences and shows,” Tamez said. “I decided it would be a good idea to have a spy shop in South Texas.” One out of only approximately 40 similarly styled shops in the country, Tamez feels privileged to offer the opportunity to people…

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In an effort to assist deserving students preparing to enter the workforce, Grainger Industrial Supply has supplemented its annual scholarship to students by donating tools to South Texas College. Grainger, a leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products, has donated $6,000 worth of tools that will then be distributed to students through the college. Grainger has been a constant supporter of South Texas College’s students for several years. “Grainger provides new tools for students in several fields including auto, diesel, heating/ventilation/air conditioning/refrigeration, electrician, construction and law enforcement to name a few,” said Mario Reyna, Dean of Business, Technology and Public Safety at STC. “Over the years, Grainger has provided scholarships and now they decided to donate the tools to our program,” Reyna said. “They had three pallets, almost $6,000 worth of tools, and they opted to bring them here and left it up to us to decide…

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 Congratulations to Kamryn Ramirez, a member of the McAllen High Mariachi Oro, for placing first in the vocal competition and was also named Overall Vocal Grand Champion at the 2018 FESTIBA (Festival of International Books and Arts) Conference and Competition March 2-3 at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Center. She earned a $1,000 scholarship on behalf of MPR out of San Antonio and The Mariachi Connection.

In Colombia, South America, the mother country of Martha Garza, McAllen’s Breadsmith franchise owner, it’s customary to sit daily with friends or family and partake of a cup of tea and some form of bread. She followed her country’s custom by being a long time client of Breadsmith’s delectable goodies. When the opportunity to acquire the business became available, she jumped at the chance. “Though I was already retired, I got the feeling I had to go for it,” Garza said. “I went through two weeks of intensive training at the corporate headquarters, learning to bake every single item we make just in case the baker misses a shift,” Garza said. It’s a good thing she was prepared, because she was baking her heart out one night at 11:00 p.m. when the baker didn’t appear as scheduled. Perhaps her willingness to jump into the process was simply because she had…

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The Valley, like an island of innovation deep down in the tip of Texas, keeps adding to its list of unique services available for events in the area. The latest is Kairos Coffee Catering, named after the Greek word meaning “an opportune time”. Gabriel and Jessica Sanchez, owners, are longtime coffee aficionados who dreamt of one day owning a coffee business. The two first met as teens on a mission trip, then again after five years when Jessica was attending Christian Bible college in Chicago, where she was studying linguistics and working in a coffee shop. “I learned the ins and outs of the business and how to make all the drinks,” Jessica revealed. “Gabriel learned also.” Dating led to the next step, marriage. A few years later, and after adding a little one to the family, they decided to move to the Valley to be closer to family. “Literally,…

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Texas has one of the highest populations of mesquite trees in the country. To the average person this really doesn’t matter, but to Victoria Barrera Cappadona, those feathery, spring-green trees with long, glittering, golden beans have been the catalysts to a tremendous change in her life. “When we were in the midst of a heavy drought in 2012, everything dried up around the ranch except the mesquite trees which looked like Christmas trees with their beautiful glorious pods,” Cappadona stated. “I asked my father-in-law what could be done with the mesquite bean pods and he said he’d heard of honey and jelly being made.” Launching into research mode, a common mode for this inquisitive, exuberant woman, Victoria began studying about the bean and discovered its many health benefits. Deciding to act on the knowledge, she first launched her original Mesquite Bean Jelly-experiment with the Chilli Pequin for a delicious added…

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