Texas Border Business
Omar Quintanilla, the current McAllen City Commissioner for District 3, has been serving his District since May 2017.
A native of Mission, Texas, upon his high school graduation Omar furthered his education at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He studied Business Administration and graduated with an emphasis in Corporate Finance in 1994.
He began his career at Frost Bank in San Antonio working in the Credit Department at their corporate headquarters. He was able to transfer to the McAllen location in 1999 and he has resided in McAllen since then. At Frost McAllen, he continued handling middle market corporate accounts. He helped many small businesses start-up operations locally with his guidance and knowledge of Small Business Administration (SBA) programs and business plan assistance. During this time, Omar developed a strong appreciation for meeting community needs as he assisted in administering programs to meet an important banking regulation entitled the Community Reinvestment Act, which directs banks to meet needs within the communities they serve on a broad basis and with a focus on the underserved.
Omar became involved in various community organizations such as serving as President of the Community Development Block Grant committee, President of the McAllen Library Board, Vice President of Amigos del Valle Inc., board member of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and Vice President of the McAllen EconomicDevelopment Corporation. He is a graduate of Leadership McAllen’s Class 20 which further helped him gain an appreciation of all the facets within our community that serve to make McAllen the vibrant and thriving city it is today.
Quintanilla stated, “Although serving others was already ingrained in me, I consider my experience serving the needs of our small businesses and community through my banking career as well as my involvement in Leadership McAllen as pivotal in my choice to continue to serve by seeking public office. I have also been blessed by my mentors along the way with encouragement and guidance which led me towards this path. I have found my time as District 3 Commissioner extremely rewarding and gratifying and look forward to the future.”
His past experience serving on the McAllen Community Development Board (CDBG), among others has assisted him in gaining insights into effective delivery of funds or services to meet the strong needs in McAllen.
Additionally, as a board member of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, he’s provided leadership in promoting small businesses in McAllen. He was a driving force in providing much needed assistance for small businesses to sustain operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Omar met and married Nidia Gutierrez Quintanilla and are both committed to their church home, BT Church McAllen, where Nidia serves as Worship Pastor. They have been married for 17 years and they have two children.
At present, Quintanilla continues his career at Frost Bank McAllen where he is a Senior Vice President of Corporate Banking.
Omar, a known fitness advocate is an avid cyclist and runner. He promotes a healthy lifestyle for his family and District. He hopes to continue this message in an effort to promote health improvement in our area, which suffers greatly with high rates of diabetes and obesity. He is a regular participant in many McAllen community and organization races in an effort to continue to raise awareness and promote an active lifestyle.
“It has been a pleasure working with Omar on our City Commission. His methodical thinking and business acumen have been extremely helpful to us. Right now, the Foresight McAllen plan is beginning, which is McAllen’s road map for growth patterns into the next 20 to 30 years. His experience and expertise will certainly assist us in this project as we continue to expand McAllen into the future,” Mayor Jim Darling.
During his first term in office, Quintanilla supported and completed many goals for his District.
- Drainage projects in District 3 and throughout McAllen to reduce flooding
- Creation of parks and walking trails for health and wellness
- Small business grants to support local business that have been hurt by the pandemic
- Wi-Fi access so that students can remain connected and residents can stay productive
- Improving safety in our neighborhoods and throughout the District
- Helped create the COVID-19 relief Small Business Grant and Small Business Loan programs to assist small businesses.
Quintanilla will also continue to bring his skills in finance to the table, which has proven invaluable in the development of assistance for businesses in McAllen as well as during the City budgeting process.
His plans for continuing to serve District 3 and the city at large in his next term include:
- Oversight of continuing drainage improvements in the District to avoid flooding issues
- Beautification and safety along with installation of sidewalks and lighting
- Improvement of traffic congestion and mobility
- Work closely with the McAllen Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to bring businesses to McAllen resulting in good paying jobs
- Focus in assisting with the coordination of ongoing overall COVID-19 health response and vaccination delivery
- Work on the Foresight McAllen planning project which will work on our city growth over the next 20 to 30 years
In an effort to connect with his District, Quintanilla will maintain strong accessibility for citizens and communicate both through regular “Town Hall” meetings in the District and any other means needed.
For questions or information, please contact Quintanilla via email: Omarfordistrict3@gmail.com. Visit his website: www.omarfor3.com for other information or follow Omar on his campaign page on Facebook.
