(Employment : McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) 8/17/2009 1:00:00 PM
(McAllen) - RECON
International companies uprooted by the nationwide recession are planting roots in the Rio Grande Valley.
ALPS Automotive Inc., Fujitsu Ten Corp. and Panasonic Electronic Devices Corp. are moving large portions of their businesses from the Midwest and the South to McAllen. The three auto parts suppliers have had a presence in Reynosa for years, but want to cut costs as auto sales sag.
Fujitsu Ten is moving its distribution and logistics operations from Rushville, Ind., to a newly leased building on Ware Rd. The move, which should be complete by the end of September, will create 32 new jobs in McAllen.
Panasonic has found itself in a similar situation. The company — which produces speakers, switches and censors — announced last week it will move its headquarters from Knoxville, Tenn., to McAllen.
It is also moving its speaker assembly operation from Forks of the River, Tenn., to its manufacturing plant in Reynosa.
The speaker assembly operations move should be complete by December. Headquarters will open in April 2010.
ALPS decided to move its support operations — quality control, customer services, planning and purchasing — from Detroit to McAllen when it learned the McAllen Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) was working to create a college-educated workforce.
And the recession has accelerated the move.
The MEDC has been cooperating with the engineering department at University of Texas Pan-American to prepare Valley residents for careers with these companies.
The department graduated four engineers when it opened in 1995. It now graduates 100 engineers a year.[Brownsville Herald]
Monday, September 7, 2009
Rio Grande Valley retail market continues to expand
(Retail : McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) 8/18/2009
Retail activity in the Rio Grande Valley continues to expand, albeit not at the pace enjoyed over the past 5 years, according to Randy Summers of Davis Equity Realty in Weslaco.
Sales tax revenue for the entire Rio Grande Valley is about the same as last year, but some individual cities are down 8 to 10 percent while others, such as Weslaco, Mercedes and Edinburg, are up 8 to 12 percent.
JCPenney and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse are under construction and will open in Weslaco in October and November, respectively. Panda Express will open in McAllen by year’s end and has plans to open five to seven units in the Rio Grande Valley.
Rooms To Go is under construction in McAllen and will open in the third quarter. CVS/pharmacy has entered the Rio Grande Valley market this year and has five locations under construction or opened. Walgreen’s, which controls the market share in this area with 13 locations, has a little more than a handful on the way.
The most active retailers leasing at this time are budget tenants like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, as well as some of the soft good stores such as Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Bealls, and Melrose.
Walmart recently completed and opened a new store in Penitas; SDI Development is completing the JCPenney and Lowe’s development in Weslaco; and First Hartford Development is beginning the second phase of the Shoppes of Rio Grande in Edinburg.
Simon Properties is almost complete with Palms Crossing in McAllen; the Chelsea Development’s Premium Outlet Stores in Mercedes completed its third phase this year; and Davis Equity Realty is completing leasing on the Walmart SuperCenter-anchored Trenton Town Center in Edinburg and the Lowe’s-anchored Harlingen Plaza in Harlingen.
[Texas Real Estate Business]
Real Estate Center at A&M University
Retail activity in the Rio Grande Valley continues to expand, albeit not at the pace enjoyed over the past 5 years, according to Randy Summers of Davis Equity Realty in Weslaco.
Sales tax revenue for the entire Rio Grande Valley is about the same as last year, but some individual cities are down 8 to 10 percent while others, such as Weslaco, Mercedes and Edinburg, are up 8 to 12 percent.
JCPenney and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse are under construction and will open in Weslaco in October and November, respectively. Panda Express will open in McAllen by year’s end and has plans to open five to seven units in the Rio Grande Valley.
Rooms To Go is under construction in McAllen and will open in the third quarter. CVS/pharmacy has entered the Rio Grande Valley market this year and has five locations under construction or opened. Walgreen’s, which controls the market share in this area with 13 locations, has a little more than a handful on the way.
The most active retailers leasing at this time are budget tenants like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, as well as some of the soft good stores such as Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Bealls, and Melrose.
Walmart recently completed and opened a new store in Penitas; SDI Development is completing the JCPenney and Lowe’s development in Weslaco; and First Hartford Development is beginning the second phase of the Shoppes of Rio Grande in Edinburg.
Simon Properties is almost complete with Palms Crossing in McAllen; the Chelsea Development’s Premium Outlet Stores in Mercedes completed its third phase this year; and Davis Equity Realty is completing leasing on the Walmart SuperCenter-anchored Trenton Town Center in Edinburg and the Lowe’s-anchored Harlingen Plaza in Harlingen.
[Texas Real Estate Business]
Real Estate Center at A&M University
McAllen Construction Permits (Commercial & Residential) 01-07/2009
McAllen construction permits issued Jan.-July 2009
(Mixed-Use : McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) 8/28/2009
McAllen Building Permits January-July 2009
Issued Permits
1,972
Fees Collected
$229,957
Valuation
$155,231,750
Tables show total amount of building permits issued (commercial and residential). Permits issued includes only those extended for actual construction (new, addition, remodel, etc.).
See the full report at the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development.[Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development]
(Mixed-Use : McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) 8/28/2009
McAllen Building Permits January-July 2009
Issued Permits
1,972
Fees Collected
$229,957
Valuation
$155,231,750
Tables show total amount of building permits issued (commercial and residential). Permits issued includes only those extended for actual construction (new, addition, remodel, etc.).
See the full report at the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development.[Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development]
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