Raymondville business boom buzzes the Valley

RAYMONDVILLE, WILLACY COUNTY – Business activity boomed in 2013 when about seven new businesses created about 150 jobs, and city leaders expect the trend to continue.

“It’s a trickle but there’s a speed-up; there’s a buzz in the Valley about Raymondville,” said Denise Saenz Blanchard, the city’s consultant.

A proposed $4 million produce storage and distribution center has committed to the creation of 57 jobs, said Deborah Sosa, owner of F&R Packing. The center will be situated on a six-acre area along Sixth St. from Sauz to San Francisco streets.

In 2013, Valley Telephone Cooperative’s VTX1, a broad-band network that extends from the Rio Grande Valley to south of San Antonio, created 60 jobs, said Catalina Ozuna, executive director of the Raymondville Economic Development Corporation.

Also in 2013, BCFS, an organization that holds undocumented immigrant children, opened 65 jobs while First Community Bank created about 12 jobs.