RGV Business Journal

USMCA isn't ending — but it just entered a new phase of year-by-year uncertainty. In this episode of the RGV Business Journal podcast, host Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Jorge Torres, president of Interlink Trade Services and a licensed customs broker, to break down what happened when the U.S. declined to join Mexico and Canada in extending USMCA another 16 years, what the resulting yearly review process means for cross-border trade, and why the Rio Grande Valley may be positioned to benefit from all the uncertainty.Chapters:0:00 Cold open0:39 Welcome & guest introduction1:10 What is USMCA and the sunset clause?3:13 How the yearly review process works5:32 Where trade uncertainty is coming from6:06 Uncertainty since President Trump took office8:20 A customs broker's view on tariff whiplash10:15 New tariffs enacted last week11:27 The $166 billion in collected tariffs & refunds13:40 Real-world example: nearshoring hesitancy15:17 Reynosa's industrial vacancy & the case for optimism17:36 Why USMCA isn't a "free trade" deal anymore19:40 Mexico's own tariffs on Asian imports20:42 Opportunities emerging in the RGV22:24 Infrastructure and workforce challenges24:44 Competing with Laredo27:13 Automotive slowdown, new growth sectors28:55 Data centers and Vertiv's Reynosa footprint32:13 USMCA: what's next34:03 Mexico's path forward37:20 Closing thoughtsSubscribe to the RGV Business Journal for more coverage of trade, real estate, energy and the border economy shaping South Texas.https://www.rgvbusinessjournal.com/#USMCA #RioGrandeValley #CrossBorderTrade #Tariffs #Nearshoring #RGVBusinessJournal

The Rio Grande Valley is growing faster than almost anywhere else in Texas — and that growth is testing the region's infrastructure and workforce. In this episode, Brian Godinez, president of the I-LinCP RGV chapter and principal at Aero Architects, joins the RGV Business Journal Podcast to talk about "Powering Texas and Regional Growth: Infrastructure and Workforce Development Exchange," a luncheon set for Aug. 13 at the Harlingen Convention Center.Godinez breaks down the event's two panels — one on capital projects, one on workforce development — featuring speakers from AEP Texas, RGV Desal, Workforce Solutions Cameron County, NextDecade LNG, Texas State Technical College and RGV LEAD, plus why this marks the first time I-LinCP has co-presented an event with an economic development corporation.🎟️ Register: I-LinCP.org📅 Aug. 13 | 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.📍 Harlingen Convention CenterRead more from the Rio Grande Valley Business Journalhttps://tinyurl.com/357977ue

#RioGrandeValley #EconomicDevelopment #Infrastructure #WorkforceDevelopment #RGVBusinessJournal #Harlingen

Martín Anzaldúa of Grupo Río San Juan — the Reynosa, Tamaulipas developer behind industrial parks like Villa Florida and Parque Industrial del Norte — joins host Naxiely López-Puente to make the case for RíoPlex: a binational effort to market Reynosa and the Rio Grande Valley as a single 3.5-million-person region with nearly 20 industrial parks, 14 international bridges and five airports.

Anzaldúa talks through Reynosa's post-nearshoring industrial vacancy, tariff-driven investment uncertainty, the electrical infrastructure gap left by reduced Mexican federal investment, and a worsening water shortage pushing the region toward desalination and water reuse regulation. He also gets candid about what's holding cross-border cooperation back — a "crab bucket" mentality where border communities compete instead of working together — and closes with a call for more investment in arts and culture to keep young talent from leaving for Austin, Dallas or Monterrey.

Topics covered:

• Grupo Río San Juan's history and industrial park development since 1958

• What RíoPlex is and why the border needs to market itself as one region

• Post-nearshoring vacancy and why developers are still investing

• Tariffs, uncertainty and what investors actually need

• Mexico's electrical infrastructure gap and the push for new substations

• Water scarcity, desalination and water-reuse regulation

• The "crab bucket" mentality holding back regional cooperation

• Richard Cortez's "mall" analogy for regional economic development

• Keeping young talent in the Rio Grande Valley and Reynosa

(EPISODE IN SPANISH)

🔗 Read more and explore our coverage: rgvbusinessjournal.com

📩 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the RGV and border economy.

#RíoPlex #Reynosa #RioGrandeValley #BorderEconomy #Nearshoring #IndustrialRealEstate #CrossBorderTrade

It's not every day the governor of Texas stands alongside the CEO of a hot Austin tech startup to announce a $3.2 billion investment in South Texas. In this special edition, RGVBJ reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza sits down with Gilberto Salinas, president and CEO of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, to break down how Brownsville landed autonomous vessel maker Saronic Technologies — a deal expected to bring 10,000 direct jobs to Cameron County over the next decade. They dig into the incentives package, the workforce pipeline that helped seal the deal, what it means for the Port of Brownsville's shrimping legacy, and why Salinas thinks Brownsville is entering a new industrial era alongside SpaceX and the LNG sector.

00:00 Intro — a special day for Brownsville

00:17 Why the governor's visit is a big deal

01:24 Federal-level momentum and D.C. conversations

01:47 How the Saronic deal came together

04:12 10,000 direct jobs — becoming the Valley's largest employer

05:05 Building the workforce pipeline (20 institutions, one weekend)

07:55 Defining success beyond the announcement

09:50 Manufacturing pay and the supply chain ripple effect

10:44 From McAllen to Matamoros — building the ecosystem

17:10 Brownsville vs. Houston, Corpus and San Antonio

18:30 Amazon as an economic bellwether

20:13 Breaking down the incentives package

21:14 Inside the $80M Texas Enterprise Fund

21:49 How GBIC's incentive fund is actually paid for

23:11 Texas' 20-year run as the No. 1 state for recruitment

24:33 The $3.2B build-out and the shift to retention

26:12 Advice for other communities chasing next-gen industry

28:14 The Port's shrimping legacy and the Fathom & Fillet closure

29:44 Why some industries cycle out — and others cycle in

30:31 The Henry Ford analogy: space as the new industrial revolution

31:50 The "Cyber Beach" debate and Brownsville's identity

33:24 Closing thoughts

"Tokenization" is banking's biggest buzzword right now — but what does it actually mean for your business? In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, host Naxiely Lopez-Puente talks with Shawn Main, chief business architect at Vantage Bank and founder of the Hazel Network, about how stablecoins and tokenized deposits could change the way RGV businesses move money — especially across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Shawn breaks down what tokenization really means, how it compares to a digital cashier's check, why community banks finally have a shot at building their own payment infrastructure, and whether AI is coming for banking's back-office jobs.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Tokenization: more buzzword than mystery

3:21 Meet Shawn Main: from Rackspace to Vantage Bank

4:34 Building the Hazel Network

8:05 Explaining tokenization over coffee

11:01 Is there risk in tokenized deposits?

12:39 Faster, cheaper cross-border payments

15:12 Will AI replace bank jobs?

19:15 How community banks and credit unions can join

24:32 The "golden opportunity" for community banks

28:37 How to connect with Shawn Main and Vantage Bank

ABOUT THE GUEST

Shawn Main is chief business architect at Vantage Bank and founder of the Hazel Network, a platform helping community banks and credit unions access tokenization and stablecoin technology.

RGV Business Journal covers the people, companies, and trends shaping business across the Rio Grande Valley and the U.S.-Mexico border region.

🔗 Learn more about the Hazel Network: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vantage-bank-and-custodia-release-white-paper-unveiling-hazel-network-302804851.html

🔗 Read the full transcript: https://www.rgvbusinessjournal.com/podcast/shawn-main-vantage-bank-tokenization-hazel-network/

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week.

#RGVBusiness #Tokenization #Banking #Fintech #VantageBank #RioGrandeValley

Is the Rio Grande Valley housing market really overpriced? And is now the right time to buy — even with rates in the mid-sixes? We sit down with Brian Reed of the Ryan and Brian Real Estate Team for a candid conversation on where the RGV real estate market stands today, what the data actually says, and why waiting could be the most expensive decision a buyer makes. Brian brings 23 years of experience, 20 years in the Rio Grande Valley, and more than 2,000 homes sold to the table. He doesn't sugarcoat it — and the numbers tell a compelling story. In this episode: • Why the "overpriced market" national report is misleading — and what RVM vs. AVM data actually shows • McAllen vs. Brownsville: why Cameron County's per-square-foot price now tops Hidalgo County • The buyer's market opportunity hiding behind high interest rates • How builders and sellers are negotiating right now — appliances, rate buy-downs, repairs • Why the average first-time homebuyer is nearly 40 — and what that delay costs them • What happens to the market when rates drop to 6% (NAR's 1.5 million buyer projection) • The No. 1 mistake sellers are making right now: overpricing CHAPTERS 0:00 — Introduction 1:30 — Brian Reed's background: 23 years, 2,000+ homes in the RGV 3:45 — The "overpriced market" report — myth vs. reality 7:10 — AVM vs. RVM: why Zillow gets it wrong 10:20 — McAllen vs. Brownsville: a market comparison 13:00 — Outside investor interest and what's driving it 15:30 — Are buyers sitting on the sidelines? 18:45 — Rate buy-downs and builder incentives explained 22:10 — First-time homebuyers: what $150K–$300K gets you now 26:00 — The overpricing problem and how to fix it 31:15 — Home flipping in the RGV today 34:00 — The net worth gap: homeowners vs. renters 37:30 — Brian's 12-month outlook for the RGV 🔔 Subscribe to the RGV Business Journal Podcast for in-depth conversations on business, real estate, and economic development across the Rio Grande Valley. 🌐 RGV Business Journal: https://www.rgvbusinessjournal.com/ 📞 Ryan and Brian Real Estate Team: ryanandbrian.com/ #rgvrealestate #RioGrandeValley #RealEstatePodcast #McAllen #Brownsville #HousingMarket #BuyersMarket #SouthTexas #RGVBusinessJournal #BrianReed

Weslaco is one of the Rio Grande Valley's most strategically located cities — and right now, it's one of the fastest growing. In this episode, RGV Business Journal host Naxiely Lopez Puente sits down with Steve Valdez, executive director of the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, to talk about what's really driving the city's growth.Steve covers:• How Weslaco's central location gives it a workforce pool of nearly 1 million people within 30 miles• The industrial park that's already 50% sold just three years after opening• Sam's Club's arrival and how it will transform the Highway 1015 corridor• Crossing the $1 billion taxable sales mark — for a city of 50,000 people• How downtown Weslaco went from 15 vacancies to a thriving nightlife district• Facade and interior improvement grants still available for business owners• The Pollo Loco groundbreaking — six years in the making• A peek at a major future project that Steve can't quite talk about yet🎙️ RGV Business Journal Podcast | Episode 36📰 Read more at RGVBusinessJournal.com📧 Contact Weslaco EDC: (956) 969-0838 | weslacoEDC.com#Weslaco #RGVBusiness #EconomicDevelopment #RioGrandeValley #SouthTexas #TexasBusiness #SmallBusiness #SteveValdez #WeslacoEDC #RGVValley

The RGV Red Crowns started as a community-first soccer club built from scratch — with the Valley helping shape the name, colors, identity and mission.Now, the semi-pro team is set to appear in a national Bank of America campaign tied to the FIFA World Cup.In this episode of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal Podcast, Naxi Lopez sits down with Jamal Fayyad, founder and president of the RGV Red Crowns, to discuss how the team was built, why community buy-in matters, and how a local soccer club caught the attention of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.Fayyad explains why the Red Crowns are focused on local athletes, local businesses, local artists and a Valley-wide identity — from playing at Harlingen Field to partnering with Brownsville’s Pluton Brewery and giving young players a path to the next level.The conversation also explores the economic impact of the commercial shoot, the Valley’s image beyond border stereotypes, and what it would take for the Red Crowns to eventually move toward professional soccer.Topics covered:• RGV Red Crowns and Valley soccer• Bank of America’s FIFA World Cup campaign• Community-first sports branding• Harlingen Field and local soccer culture• Opportunities for Valley athletes• Local business partnerships and sponsorships• The economic impact of filming in the RGV• The future of professional soccer in South Texas👉 Subscribe to the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal for more reporting on business, sports, culture, economic development and the forces shaping South Texas and northern Mexico.

Naxiely Lopez-Puente sits down with Yaw Sam, CEO of Brand Genius and co-founder of Social Fest, to discuss how the event is growing after drawing more than 1,000 attendees in its first year.Sam explains why Social Fest was created, how organizers brought national and international speakers to the Valley, and why the 2026 event is moving to the McAllen Convention Center.The conversation also explores the business side of content creation — from brand deals and paid platforms to food creators, lifestyle creators, and the growing role of AI in helping entrepreneurs build businesses.Looking ahead, Sam says Social Fest aims to become a destination event for creators, marketers, small businesses, students, and brands looking to connect with one of the country’s largest Hispanic and young consumer markets.Topics covered:• Social Fest 2026• Creator economy growth• Content creators and brand deals• Marketing, AI, and audience building• Hispanic and young consumer markets• Food, lifestyle, and sports creators• Keith Lee and national speakers• McAllen Convention Center👉 Subscribe to the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal for more reporting on business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and economic development across South Texas and northern Mexico.

In this National Small Business Week special, we sit down with Justin Crossie, South Central Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), to talk about the tools, resources, and capital available to entrepreneurs in the Rio Grande Valley and across Region 6.Justin breaks down:✅ What the SBA actually does beyond loans✅ How to access capital as a first-generation entrepreneur✅ Why South Texas is seeing a manufacturing resurgence✅ When to reach out to the SBA (hint: it's earlier than you think)✅ Resources available right now for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businessesWhether you're dreaming of starting your first business or scaling an existing one — this episode is your starting point.#SmallBusiness #SBA #RioGrandeValley #Entrepreneurship #NationalSmallBusinessWeek #RGV #SouthTexas #BusinessPodcast