Texas Border Business
The South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce told Texas Border Business Senator Morgan LaMantia and Representative Janie Lopez will be guest speakers at the Public Affairs Luncheon scheduled for August 23, 2023 at the beautiful Margaritaville Beach Resort. City of South Padre Island lobbyist Louie Sanchez will moderate the discussion. The luncheon is sponsored by SpawGlass Contractors.
Senator Morgan LaMantia was elected to the Texas Senate in November 2022 to represent the newly drawn Senate District 27, which spans eight counties and runs along the Gulf Coast from the border of Mexico to the Coastal Bend, and includes three ports, a space port, Padre Island, oil and gas industries, wind farms, agricultural farms, and thousands of acres of ranch land.
A Valley native and sixth generation Texan, Senator LaMantia is part of the next generation of leadership in her family business that supports over 1,200 jobs across Texas and beyond. Currently, Senator LaMantia heads up data analytics and serves as In-House Counsel for L&F Distributors, carrying on the legacy of her grandfather by building opportunities through hard work and giving back to the community.
Today, Senator LaMantia is stepping up to provide the next generation of leadership for South Texas as one of the newest members in the Texas Senate. Her priorities include expanding access to affordable health care, standing by our teachers and public schools, supporting rural communities, and encouraging small businesses through workforce development.
Senator LaMantia attended the University of Texas – Austin, and St. Mary’s University School Law. In her downtime, Senator LaMantia enjoys spending time with her loving family and her five amusing dogs.
On November 2022, Janie Lopez made history by becoming the first Republican Hispanic elected as State Representative to represent House District 37, an area in south Texas that includes both Willacy and Cameron Counties.
Janie’s parents legally migrated from Mexico to the United States in a quest for a better life. As a middle child of seven siblings, her parents devoted themselves to instilling the importance of hard work and education to achieve the American dream. She graduated from San Benito High School in 1997 and became the first in her family to attend and graduate college with honorary awards with a Master’s in mental health. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Community Care and Counseling.
Janie has worked in everything from food service, manufacturing, and retail to building a successful career as a mental healthcare professional treating at-risk children, veterans, and first responders with PTSD.
Under her leadership as a Director of the San Benito CISD, student achievement increased and disciplinary referrals were reduced by 66%. She served the lowest-performing campus as a GEAR UP counselor in Brownsville CISD and was instrumental in achieving significant gains across the board with major improvements in the state proficiency rates in Science (#1) and History (#2), achieving a high-performing school status in the district. In addition, Janie demonstrated budgetary responsibility over millions of dollars for school counseling programs as a director for our local school districts.
Before being elected to the Texas House of Representatives, Janie served as a San Benito Consolidated Independent School District (SBCISD) trustee in Place 7. With SBCISD she served as the school board’s Vice-President and Chair of Finance and Administration, where her commitment to teachers and staff resulted in pay increases all while reducing taxes. She provided checks and balances to ensure financial accountability within all aspects of the ISD’s budget and projects via local, state, and federal funds. In addition to economic competence, Janie oversaw infrastructure improvements, increased student activity participation, and enhanced academic campuses. Proudly, Janie was pivotal in increasing the police force to better secure our classrooms district-wide.
Guided by her Christian values, we can count on Janie to represent the conservative family values of Willacy and Cameron Counties. As a State Representative, Janie has been appointed to serve on the Environmental Regulation Committee and the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee. As a member of the Policy Committee, Texas House Republican Party Caucus, Aerospace Caucus, Texas Conservative Caucus, House Water Caucus, and Texas Energy and Climate Caucus, Janie will work to lower the cost of living, fully secure our border, properly fund our schools, protect life in the womb, stop the dangerous defunding of police, fight human trafficking, and defend the constitutional rights of Texans.
The buffet line will open at 11:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 12:00 p.m. Cost for the luncheon is $20.00 per person for Chamber members and $25.00 for future Chamber members through August 16, 2023. After August 16th the price will increase to $25.00 and $30.00. Reservations made the day of the luncheon and walk-ins will be $30.00 for everyone. No refunds will be made after August 16, 2023. Reservations are required and only guaranteed with payment.
Online reservations can be made by going to www.spichamber.com. For additional information, please contact the SPI Chamber at 761.4412 or come by our office at 321 Padre Blvd.
