Texas Border Business
The Regional Hispanic Contractors Association (RHCA), the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (RGVHCC), the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, the RGV Partnership and the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, will hold the South Texas/Rio Grande Valley Heavy Highway Forum at the Pharr Event Center, 3000 N. Cage Blvd., Pharr, Texas from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley and Pharr Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez will headline the event.
The Heavy Highway Forum will concentrate on the opportunities for Historically Underutilized Business (HUBs) contractors for the ten-year, $70 billion Texas Unified Transportation (UTP) roll-out, including the I-69 corridor. Attendees will be able to meet and network with key TxDOT personnel, including TxDOT Chief Engineer Bill Hale, Laredo District Engineer David Salazar, Pharr District Engineer Pedro Alvarez, Corpus Christi District Engineer Valente Olivarez, Jr. and Professional Engineering Procurement Services Division Director Martin Rodin, as well as prime contractors and consultants pursuing UTP projects. The event will include not only the Heavy Highway Forum from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., but also workshops on OSHA Construction Training/Fall Safety presented by the RHCA, and Finance, Capital and Bonding in the Heavy Highway Industry, presented by the Rio Grande Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Both will run concurrently from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Fall Safety class will provide students with information needed to better understand the risks of working above the ground, as well as the proper use of rigging, harnesses and other safety equipment. Upon completion of the two-hour course, students will receive a Certificate of Completion of the OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant – Fall Protection.
Interviews are available with representatives from TxDOT, RHCA, Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, RGV Partnership and United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. “We encourage everyone who has done work or wants to work with TxDOT to attend and free Forum and have the opportunity to hear from those leading the projects” noted Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, RGVHCC Pres/CEO. “This is a great opportunity for small business owners to partner up with the Bigger companies and get a slice of the pie as well.”
