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Category Archives: Chamber News
BOGGUS FORD – “IT’S BETTER AT BOGGUS”
Jacob, Frank, and Bob Boggus Was he a visionary or just a good businessman? One thing for sure, James (J.) Lewis Boggus was a risk taker. The man was a rancher back in 1933. He had also been a bookkeeper turned salesman for a Ford dealership, selling Model Ts and perhaps the brand new 1933 Ford Cabriolet with either a trunk or rumble seat for $588. Perhaps it was the thrill of seeing happy customers drive off in their modern vehicles, some with V8 engines. Whatever it was, J. Lewis Boggus sold his ranch and, partnering with the H-E-B Butt family, opened his first dealership in downtown Harlingen. “We call him the smartest guy that was alive because he had a lot of forward-thinking ideas,” great grandson Jacob Boggus, general manager at Boggus Ford in Harlingen, said. “Somehow he knew there was going to be an expressway built in McAllen.…
BUSINESS YOU SHOULD KNOW – NOBLE TEXAS BUILDERS
Rene Capistran President/CEO Rene Capistran, President/CEO of Noble Texas Builders, looked up the word noble on Google thinking he knew what it meant. “It means so much more than I thought,” he recalled. “This is it!” Thrilled, he accepted the word and all that it meant as the cornerstone of his company. “Now we work every single day to live up to it.” Only from a solid background would that word bring such meaning and emotion. Capistran joined the Navy after high school graduation and spent the next four years in law enforcement. “We were on base and served and protected our service members there.” Stationed in Dallas, it was the streets of Ft. Worth that would inspire him one day. “They have beautiful buildings downtown. I would see the cranes working and wished I could build something like that. It was my passion, what I wanted to do.” Entering…
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW – NOELY MENA
NOELY Jewelry and Boutique Multi-talented Noely Mena, owner of NOELY Jewelry and Boutique, accomplishes anything she puts her mind to and then some. Singing in a mariachi when younger, going to Hollywood and Mexico, she then worked at local radio and TV stations. She found her true love in sales, working at Lacks, before a debilitating illness forced her to stay home. “Find something to keep you busy,” her doctor said. Noely began making jewelry. “I had $40 in my account,” she remembered. “My husband was working in the Virgin Islands. We were struggling.” Making jewelry kept her busy and she loved it, she continued buying supplies to make more jewelry. She also found she was feeling better. “Stop!” cried her husband, Manuel, until they sold $1,000 in one night in their first Facebook live show. Uploading pictures on Facebook had paid off and she had found a new career.…
MEET YOUR AMBASSADOR – MARIO LIZCANO
Mario Lizcano, Administrator of Corporate Affairs at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health, watched at 6 years old as his neighbor burned down the home next door with children and their stepmother inside. “That incident stayed on my mind, and when I grew up, I became a volunteer fireman for over 20 years,” Lizcano said. He learned growing up in a tough area of the Valley that education was his only way out. He headed to San Antonio for college the day after graduation and obtained his marketing degree with biology and chemistry minors – science is his true love. However, his natural marketing ability and desire to help others eventually led him to over 28 years in the healthcare industry, with 16 years at DHR. Today he serves on 14 boards as well as a Chamber Ambassador. “I love being an ambassador. It gives me an opportunity to power network…
The Workforce in the 21st Century (Part I)
The pandemic has accelerated changes in the workforce that will have far-reaching implications for businesses, the workforce, and all people. It is hard to prepare for jobs that do not exist today and to understand what critical skills and qualifications will enable people to find jobs and opportunities in the future. As robotics, Artificial Intelli-gence (AI), and automation become more and more present in the workplace, what skills do people need to compete for jobs? There is a split occurring in the workplace. There will continue to be a demand for physical skills in logistics, transportation, warehousing, and distribution. There will also be a demand for technological skills, social skills, and higher-level cognitive skills in the emerging workforce. As more automation and digitalization occur in the workplace, people will need foundational skills. Three essential criteria include: • Added value beyond what AI or automated machines can do • Operating in…
Four Key Trends from the Pandemic
For years to come, there will be a discussion about winners and losers and how the pandemic has changed businesses and consumers. There are obvious winners, like Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Hulu. It is easy to track these companies’ dramatic increases in valuation over the last 18 months. But basic companies that keep the economy moving, such as logistics, critical metal, and food processing, have come to play an even more critical role in the economy and have seen a huge increase in their valuations. Main street businesses are reshuffling and finding new niches. However, we do not know how this will all finally shake out for small businesses. Some may never return to their pre-pandemic sales levels. Other businesses have found ways to reach more customers. Social media and technology have opened up new opportunities for small businesses that did not exist even five years ago. A…
How Online and Curbside Could Change Shopping
My wife started shopping online for some of our grocery items and using curbside pick-up during the pandemic. I, however, love going to the store because there are lots of other cool things that are not on my shopping list, but I think I might need, once I see them at the store. We are a consumer society. We now produce so much more than we need, and we have to find a way to sell all this stuff. We now have eight types of Cheetos or Doritos. Forty years ago, there was just one type of Cheetos and one type of Doritos. So I go to the store, and my mind goes crazy with all the choices and selections, which means the dopamine has kicked in. So, part of what is happening is a chemical reaction causing excitement and desire. Shopping psychologists understand that as consumers we may go…
The Rule of Three for Getting Things Done
Our world seems to move faster and faster every day. If you are like me, your “to-do” list never seems to get any shorter. Many of us are on the proverbial “hamster wheel,” spinning and running ever faster, but getting nowhere. We constantly react to what is put in front of us, and we dutifully add it to our list of things to get done. Human nature likes it when we check things off our list or cross them out. The more we cross off our list, the more productive we feel. The curse or challenge is when the important stuff is not getting done. The next level of productivity is leveraging getting the things done that move the needle in accomplishing significant projects or goals. Focus on the things that add the most value to your business or company. The rule of three requires that each day you establish…
MAN & WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2020 – CHIEF VICTOR RODRIGUEZ AND SALLY FRAUSTRO-GUERRA
Chief Victor Rodriguez and Sally Fraustro-Guerra Being selected as Man or Woman of the Year for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce is no easy task. First, the Chamber President/CEO Steve Ahlenius forms the Man & Woman of the Year committee. An article in The Monitor runs requesting nominations from the community several times and the requests for nominations are publicized on the Chamber website. Once they are received, the committee reviews the applicants and painstakingly makes the difficult decision. This year, as usual, two extraordinary individuals have been selected to receive these prestigious awards. Man of the Year McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez was arriving home when he received the call from Steve Ahlenius telling him of his award. “It was very humbling,” Rodriguez said. “I sat in the garage for about 15 minutes considering what it meant.” As he thought about it, he added, “I believe it is a…
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW – MAYOR JAVIER VILLALOBOS, CITY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 1 TONY AGUIRRE , CITY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 6 PEPE CABEZA DE VACA
What to expect from our newly elected Mayor and City Commissioners. Three newly elected officials have taken their positions for the first time. What can we expect from them? Let’s take a look. McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos Mayor Villalobos, with 23 years experience working as City Attorney for small cities, decided to run for mayor when Mayor Jim Darling announced his retirement. “I knew what to expect and what to do, so I feel comfortable after serving as City Commissioner for District 1,” Villalobos said. With a long agenda of priorities he would like to accomplish, he has jumped in feet first. “The city will work on keeping taxes low, a high priority for many of our citizens, though we have no control over how the appraisal district assesses property.” Anxious to rejuvenate the downtown area, Villalobos will propose an increase in the budget for the downtown area and be…
BUSINESS YOU SHOULD KNOW – BELLA MIA ITALIAN AND AMERICAN CUISINE
Chef Juan and his wife Maria M. Martinez Guarcas How could a little six-year-old boy know his dreams could come true as he slept on a dirt floor in his Guatemalan home? Meeting Chef Juan Guarcas, co-owner and chef of Bella Mia Italian & American Cuisine Restaurant, you understand how this determined, talented Mayan used his culinary gifts and firm resolve to bring his vision to life. When his mother left for a month, Chef Juan told his four brothers and sister, “We have to survive. We have to make our food.” After the first try with a chicken and veggies flopped, he told his dad he could fix it, and he did. He had no idea where that instinct came from, but it shaped his life. While growing up, Chef Juan experienced his father spend the family’s money on drinking instead of purchasing food, so he was determined…
Stripes® Stores Announces Seventh Annual Fundraising Campaign for MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
The state-wide campaign aims to top $5.8 million raised to date for pediatric cancer programs. (Dallas, Texas) September 1, 2021 – Stripes® Stores at 7-Eleven, Inc. kicks off its seventh annual MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital instore fundraising campaign today in locations across Texas. Benefiting The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the campaign will run in more than 570 stores across Texas and Louisiana from September 1 through September 30 as part of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. “We’ve dedicated September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month in our stores to raise funds for children with cancer in our local communities. Since 2014, we have collaborated with MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital to help make a difference in pediatric cancer patients’ lives through emerging treatments. With the help of our passionate team members and generous customers, we can continue to support pediatric cancer research and fund camps and educational programs in the hospital,” said…
UTRGV purchasing land in McAllen to double size of its medical school
MCALLEN, Texas – UT-Rio Grande Valley is to purchase 38 acres of land in McAllen in order to double the size of its medical school. The land, part of the 495 Commerce Center development just south of Pecan Boulevard between Jackson and McColl, will be home to UTRGV’s planned McAllen Academic Medical Campus. News of the purchase was announced by Dr. Parwinder Grewal, executive vice president of research, innovation, and new program development at UTRGV, in his monthly report to the McAllen Economic Development Corporation. Interviewed after the meeting, Grewal told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service: “Mainly I wanted to share that UTRGV plans to buy 38 acres of land to double the size of its medical school. That will be in the City of McAllen. That land will be on the south side of Pecan Boulevard, between Jackson and McColl. We will complete the acquisition of that land…
McAllen ISD will follow school mask mandate
McAllen ISD will be following the school mask mandate issued by Hidalgo County. This means all students, staff, and school visitors will be required to wear a mask starting on Aug 23, the first day of classes. Click the following link for copy of the letter: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1478302/08172021_McAllen_ISD_letter_to_staff_and_parents__mask_.pdf