Sen. Lucio says “medical education district” could help finance Valley UT medical school
Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, featured center, standing, on Saturday, March 24, was honored for his legislative achievements and contributions by the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which bestowed its Golden Eagle Award for 2012 on the veteran state lawmaker. The Golden Eagle Award is presented every year to an individual who has excelled in promoting the best interests of the Rio Grande Valley. Hinojosa received the honor during the chamber’s annual Noche de Gala, held at The Legacy Event Center in Edinburg. Featured, seated from left: Eli Ochoa, founder, president and CEO of ERO Architects, who was chosen as Business Man of the Year; Melisa Smith representing Frank Smith Toyota, which was selected Medium Corporation of the Year; and Lucy and Armando Regalado, owners of Collision Center, named Small Corporation of the Year. Standing, from left: Ronnie Bernal, general manager for Frank Smith Toyota; Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, the 2012 Golden Eagle Award recipient; and Eloy Cruz representing HEB, which was named Large Corporation of the Year. Not shown are Val LaMantia Peisen, a member of a prominent McAllen family which owns L&F Distributors, who was named Business Woman of the Year; and Mr. and Mrs. Lee and Illiana Cabrera, honored as Volunteers of the Year. See story on Sen. Hinojosa later in this posting.
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On Wednesday, March 7, Edinburg Mayor Richard García, flanked by video screens at the City Auditorium, delivered the annual State of the City Address, which featured highlights of major activities and successes by the Edinburg City Council and its jobs-creation arm, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, during 2011. “What a year we’ve had in Edinburg,” the mayor proclaimed. “If I had to choose one word to describe the activity that occurred in our city in 2011, that word would be success, which leads me to believe that either someone up there likes us or we’re doing something right.” The full text of his presentation, plus comments from other business and community leaders who were featured in news videos during the mayor’s presentation, are included at the end of this posting.
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Freddy González Elementary Principal Arnoldo F. Benavides, a 47-year veteran educator at the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, was recently named one of 10 regional finalists in the 2012 H-E-B Excellence in Education Elementary Principal Award category. An H-E-B delegation paid a surprise visit to Freddy Gonzalez Elementary to recognize Benavides as a regional finalist. Each regional finalist is awarded $1,000 plus $2,500 for their respective school. The regional secondary and elementary principal finalists will be interviewed by a panel of judges in May, during the H-E-B celebratory dinner in Houston. Two grand-prize winner principals will be chosen from among the 10 regional finalists. Each winning grand-prize principal — one elementary school and one high school — will each receive $10,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools. Created in 2002, the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards are designed to honor outstanding public school professionals and to thank them for their dedication and commitment. Through this program, H-E-B seeks to pay tribute to those educators who go the extra mile each and every day to serve their students and their communities and who inspire others to do the same.
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Dr. René Gutiérrez, superintendent for the Edinburg school district, on March 9 presented a framed letter of appreciation to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan during a visit in San Antonio by Gutiérrez and a delegation of 15 other school district superintendents from Region One Service Center in Edinburg, which represents the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo. The letter was from Daniela Galván, a fourth grade student at Guerra Elementary, recognizing Duncan’s support for education and technology. Galván is the daughter of Laura Aguirre and Javier Cerda. The session, hosted at Fox Technical High School in San Antonio, featured discussions on a wide range of educational issues spanning topics “from cradle to grave.”
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Edinburg North High School Principal Ramiro Guerra, a 32-year veteran educator at Edinburg CISD, has been named one of 10 regional finalists in the 2012 H-E-B Excellence in Education Secondary Principal Award category. An H-E-B delegation recently paid a surprise visit to ENHS to recognize Guerra as a regional finalist. Guerra has served as ENHS principal for seven years, and previously served as ENHS assistant principal for six years. Each regional finalist is awarded a $1,000 plus $2,500 for their respective school. Featured participating in the $1,000 check presentation, from left: Dr. René Gutiérrez, Superintendent of Schools; Robert Pena, Jr., Edinburg school board trustee; School Trustee; and the H-E-Buddy look on proudly. The regional secondary and elementary principal finalists will be interviewed by a panel of judges at the H-E-B celebratory dinner in Houston in May who will then select the two grand-prize winner principals from among the 10 regional finalists. Each winning grand-prize principal—one elementary school and one high school—will each receive $10,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools. Created in 2002, the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards are designed to honor outstanding public school professionals and to thank them for their dedication and commitment. Through this program, H-E-B seeks to pay tribute to those educators who go the extra mile each and every day to serve their students and their communities and who inspire others to do the same.
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The Women’s Business Center – in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Wells Fargo Bank, H&R Block, PRIME and ZERHIN — on Saturday, March 31, hosted a first of its kind event, the “Business Plan Boot Camp,” which provided one-on-one business consultation for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners who sought to learn the process of putting together a business plan. The “Business Plan Boot Camp”, which included two sessions, was held at the Women’s Business Center headquarters located at 2314 West University Drive, Suite 230 in Edinburg. Featured, standing from left: Rolando Fernández De Lara with Wells Fargo Bank; Oriol Zertuche with ZERHIN; Abel González with ZERHIN; Thalia Hernández with the Women’s Business Center; Javier Hinojosa with ZERHIN: María Pérez with the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Bret Mann with PRIME. Seated, from left: María Mann, executive director with the Women’s Business Center; and Jocelyn Olmedo, Marcela Salinas, and José Enríquez with the Women’s Business Center. Not shown are Judi Flowers from Wells Fargo Bank and Gayle Rice from H&R Block. See story later in this posting.
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The McAllen Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on Wednesday, April 18, will host a business luncheon with leaders of Reynosa’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry to continue fostering the relationship between both groups and their constituents. The event will be held at the McAllen chamber’s headquarters, 1200 Ash Avenue. “The McAllen and Reynosa chambers share common interests and problems,” said Luis Cantú, vice president of Inter American Relations for the McAllen chamber. “Providing the opportunity to our board members to meet some of the chamber leaders from Reynosa is also a very important step towards improving our chamber international relations.” Featured promoting the event are Karen Valdez, Chairman of the Board of Directors, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and Luis Cantú. Additional information on attending the luncheon is available by contacting Cantú at 956/682-2871.
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