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…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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