Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas — Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Raudel Garza outlined the agency’s expanding operations, growing staff, and plans for additional development during the official opening of its new 4,000-square-foot headquarters at the Edinburg Transit Terminal.
Garza said the new offices represent an important change for an organization that has expanded its responsibilities and workforce over the past four years.
“We talk to businesses every day. We talk to folks who are looking to invest in Edinburg every day,” Garza said. “We have a lot of things going on, and we’re excited to be here in the middle of everything.”
The headquarters is located in an area Garza called Midtown, near the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, City Hall, the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the county courthouse.
Garza said the location places the EDC near several institutions involved in the city’s development.
He also discussed plans for nearby properties, including land owned by UTRGV north of the headquarters and property controlled by the EDC south of the Chamber of Commerce.
“There are some properties to the north of us that are owned by UTRGV that we hope UTRGV will develop in the very near future,” Garza said.
He added that the EDC has plans for its own nearby property, which it will announce later.
Garza recalled arriving at the organization nearly four years ago, when he was its only employee following a restructuring.
He initially worked from City Hall before hiring additional employees and eventually moving into leased offices as the agency’s workload increased.
“I went from just me being the single person to now we have nine people on staff, and we’ve got one more coming who will be our project engineer,” Garza said.
He explained that the additional engineering position is needed because of the number of construction projects the EDC is managing. The position remained unfilled at the time of the ceremony.
Garza also described how the new headquarters was selected and designed.
He said a board member encouraged him to consider the available space, which initially consisted of an unfinished interior with exposed structural components.
Despite those conditions, Garza saw potential in the building’s windows, visibility, and central location.
He developed preliminary sketches showing how the offices could accommodate the organization’s employees and future needs.
Architect Rudy Molina of Milnet Architectural Services said his team worked with Garza to turn those initial drawings into the completed offices.
Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa credited Garza with strengthening the EDC’s organizational practices, including its objectives and performance measures.
EDC Board President Richard Gonzáles said the headquarters would improve coordination by placing employees near City Hall.
The project was completed through cooperation involving the City of Edinburg, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, and federal transportation funding.
Garza concluded by welcoming residents and business representatives to visit the new headquarters.
“Our office is always open to you all for anything and everything that you need,” he said.
