steve valdez

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Members of the South Texas Manufacturers Association heard about new projects from various local economic development corporations at their most recent monthly meeting. 

Julia Landrum, community development and marketing manager for San Benito EDC, gave brief details about a big manufacturing firm coming to her city. Steve Valdez, executive director of Weslaco EDC, spoke about his city’s new industrial park. And Rick Carrera, director for economic development for the Council for South Texas Economic Progress, said his group would be bringing site selectors to the region early next year.

McAllen Economic Development Corporation could not be present so STMA President Mike Willis gave an update on manufacturing activity in McAllen.

Around 80 people attended the meeting, which was held at Rancho Viejo Conference Center. 

Here is an audio recording of their remarks. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

WESLACO, Texas - Weslaco Economic Development Corporation has made its first foray into Mexico and it plans to make more.

Steve Valdez, the group’s president, and Michelle V. Garcia, who manages digital communications, represented the EDC on a trade mission to Monterrey. 

In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, Valdez said the trip was very successful. In the interview, he also talked about land availability for development in Weslaco. 

Here is the interview.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

PHARR, Texas - Steve Valdez executive director of Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, says plans are being developed to bury a canal so that the runway of Mid-Valley Airport can be extended by 1,000 feet.

According to Weslaco Mid-Valley Airport website, the airport currently has a 6,000 x 80 foot lighted runway.

Valdez announced the plans when he spoke at IWS2, the industrial warehouse summit hosted by Pharr Bridge Board and held at Pharr Development and Research Center. 

The theme for the summit was, “Building a Competitive Border Region for Near-Shoring and Industrial Growth.”

Valdez said: “We have a what we believe is the fourth largest airport (in the Rio Grande Valley), behind Harlingen, McAllen and Brownsville. Recently we were awarded with a $5.7 million grant for additional hangars. We just finished about six hangars and so we seem to be growing in terms of the airport.”

Valdez then pointed to a slide in a powerpoint presentation.

“If you can see it… at the very top of the airport there's a canal and the City is looking at ways to cross that canal. Bury the canal process so that you can extend another 1,000 feet for our airport runway.”

Leaders from across Hidalgo County recently attended a press conference to hear the announcement of the $5.7 million grant. Valdez said that the press conference.

“During the announcement of the $5.7 million we went to the Payne Auto Group hangar, a 10,000 square foot hangar that sits about six airplanes, a beautiful location,” Valdez said at IWS2.

“If you get a chance to stop by there at some point, it is a really nice expansion to our airport. On site (customs) inspections, as you can see. Within one hour, if you call ahead of time, you could have Customs Border Protection be there as well for your inspections.”

The grant for the new hangars came from state and federal resources. State lawmakers appropriated $5 million with Hidalgo County adding $750,000 from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service to read the full story.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

WESLACO, Texas - Nine new retail projects are coming to Weslaco, with six of them on the frontage of I-2/US 83. 

Steve Valdez, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation of Weslaco, announced the projects in an exclusive Zoom/podcast with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. 

Valdez said the demand for more retail establishments in his city is great, with the number of visitors frequenting existing stores and restaurants greater than the average for the Rio Grand Valley as a whole.

“What I can talk about are developments and a certain amount of acreage that is going to be dedicated to retail. So, we have nine different properties in Weslaco that are being considered for commercial development to bring more retail to Weslaco,” Valdez said.

“Six of them are located along the expressway and three of them are either north or south of the expressway within a mile or two. And so, to be able to have nine projects, nine different companies, nine developers that are looking at Weslaco (is exciting).”

Valdez said the developers are calling the city’s permitting offices and doing their due diligence. 

"Some of them have actually turned in master plans to the city engineering department and city planning for review. And then some of them are at that phase where they are having conversations with planning to understand what the codes might be with regards to them bringing in this type of development.”

Valdez was not in a position to say what new retail stores and restaurants will be coming in. 

“Give me a year from now, Steve, and you will see at the very least those six locations along the expressway that have been sitting quietly for many years. One that I am allowed to talk about is right next to the (Valley Baptist) micro hospital and a smaller strip center there. Domain Development has purchased all of that land. I want to say there is probably about 12 to 15 acres within that space. And so he is in the process of recruiting companies.”

Valdez said he face of the expressway is going to continue to evolve as it has in Weslaco over the last 15 to 20, years. 

“We are going to continue to see that. At some point we are going to be like some of the other cities: there’s no more land along the frontage and we are going to have to grow north, we are going to have to grow south,” Valdez said.

Valdez said praise should go to Maria Cisneros, who handles retail development for the economic development corporation. 

He said that the EDC received good feedback at a recent trade show for retailers.

“What was exciting to us was the numbers they would give us back. They would tell us, your retail numbers in Weslaco are over the top,” Valdez said. “Ours are well above the average. Weslaco’s numbers are really, really impressive.”

In addition to commercial development, the Zoom/podcast also focused on a new industrial park for Weslaco, the importance of the Progreso International Bridge, the importance of Mid Valley Airport, higher education in the area, and Census 2020. 

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part Zoom/podcast series with Steve Valdez and the Economic Development Corporation of Weslaco. Part Two, focusing the Mid Valley International Industrial Park, will air in our next broadcast. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

WESLACO, Texas - With its one industrial park almost full, Weslaco Economic Development Corporation is developing another 15 acres of land for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. 

Around $9 million worth of Infrastructure improvements are being made on the land off of FM 1015 and Mile 9.

Steve Valdez, executive director of Weslaco EDC , recently gave an exclusive interview to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service about the new developments. He said Weslaco did not suffer as big a downturn in the economy due to the coronavirus pandemic and is now rebounding well.

“Our existing industrial park is full. We have small spaces here and there, but for larger manufacturing companies, warehousing, distribution centers and the like, we just don’t have any more space,” Valdez said.

Valdez said he and his predecessor, Marie McDermott, have been looking for the right piece of property to develop as an industrial park for the past four or five years. 

“That right opportunity just showed up and presented itself - 150 acres right off of FM 1015 and Mile 9. So, we are only two miles off of the expressway. We are on a state highway so that highway is always going to be maintained by the state.”

Asked if he would have any trouble filling the new industrial park with manufacturing, warehousing and distribution companies, Valdez said: “It is one thing to be optimistic, it is another thing to have letters of intent in front of you saying, we are ready to break ground, how fast can you get it ready for us. That is just amazingly exciting for us.”

The new industrial park is only eight miles from Progreso International Bridge, with a direct connection along an overweight corridor, FM 1015. The bridge, which is privately owned, is currently being expanded also. This will help Weslaco, Valdez argued.

“By the end of this year they plan to open up four new lanes of commercial traffic at the bridge,” Valdez said. “We think Weslaco will benefit from this. Cold storage, warehousing, distribution centers. We are going to go after all them.”

Valdez said all the ingredients are present to help Weslaco become even more prosperous, including having South Texas College and UT-Rio Grande Valley in the city to train high-skilled workers.

“It is a blessing to have good leadership, it is a blessing to have good, smart residents in our community that want to continue growing. Our schools are amazing. We just have a nice formula of success that everyone partners in to make it what it is today.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.