Hooping It up

C on Lo n c ec al ti B ng us Y in o e u ss W N ith ew s Volume II, Issue 5 www.valleybusinessreport.com January 2011 HHooooppiinngg IItt UUpp!! eveloping world-class basketball players for the Houston Rockets is the goal of the RGV Vipers. While doing that, Dthe Vipers won the NBA Development League Champi - onship, topped League attendance charts, and saw Coach Chris Finch named D-League Coach of the Year. Guess what's the hottest ticket in the Valley and priced for family fun? See page 5 January 2011 • Valley Business Report 3 Executive Summary New Scenery in the New Year On very rare occasions in the Rio Grande Valley etc. The scenery has definitely changed. we see snow. We all remember Christmas morning of We all asked for a boost to our local economy and 2004. What a sight! Kids of all ages played in ½” to 2” we got it. Sure, with growth comes growing pains and of snow. It was a fabulous two days. now we’re forced to sharpen our pencils to maximize While we definitely don’t want the blizzard condi - the business opportunities at hand. Personally, I see the tions that the upper Midwest and the northeast saw last Rio Grande Valley bouncing back from the recession month, but enough to make a little snowman in the and having a phenomenal year. front yard would be welcomed by most of us. I’m not predicting a 1st quarter record comeback It’s all about a change of scenery - something new or that the road will be easy, but I do believe from ob - and different. For many, that’s a major reason some of serving recent business activities and talking to many our neighbors from Mexico have moved to south Texas. local leaders that the Rio Grande Valley will see tremen - The Rio Grande Valley has new residents, new businesses dous growth in 2011. Certain industries and businesses exactly defined, positive days are ahead. - which has provided a boost to our local economy. may not see the boost until late spring / early summer, Change can be good. Embracing and smiling about Of course, this flight of residents and businesses but all indicators I study and persons I trust for their this change in scenery can be as positive as fresh took on a new level a few months ago as violence economic wisdom say, “it’s coming.” cookies during the holidays at grandma’s house. Just stepped up even more in northern Mexico. The move The new scenery that our friends in Monterrey are ask my niece and nephew. is on and 2011 brings new benefits and at the same time helping create is two-fold. This fresh and brighter en - - adversities. New commercial investments and devel - vironment for their families and businesses is a win- Todd Breland opments have begun, residential lot sales are up, homes win situation. The RGV offers business opportunity General Manager are being purchased, stores and hotels were especially and residential advantages unlike any other market in Valley Business Report crowded for holiday shopping, grade school enrollment the U.S. [email protected] has drastically increased, additional traffic issues exist, While our economic future is not picture perfect or 956 310 8953 4 Valley Business Report • January 2011 Contents Valley Business Report Staff Executive Summary . 3 Editor Eileen Mattei Vipers Are Hooping it Up . 5 [email protected] General Manager Harlingen Country Club . 8 Todd Breland [email protected] Texas Mutual . 10 Marketing Consultant Cori Thomas IDEA Schools . 11 [email protected] Production Art Director Burton McCumber & Cortez . 13 Sharon Campbell [email protected] Sister MDs . 15 Website Design : Valley IT Solutions Linda McKenna . 16 Philosophy We are a pro-business publication providing in-depth perspectives on business Laguna Vista Convenience . 18 trends and creating a forum in which business leaders can exchange ideas and information affecting the local community’s economy. Bridges of Hidalgo County . 19 Letters to the Editor Letters of 300 words or less should be e-mailed to editorial@valleybusinessre - Coaching Cortez/Payton . 21 port.com with the subject line: Letter to the Editor. Please include your full name and city of residence. Wetlands Education . 22 © 2011 Valley Business Report is published by VBR Media, L.L.C. Office: 956-310-8953 El Valle Book Review . 23 P.O. Box 2332 Mission, Texas 78573 Cover photo by provided by the Rio Grande Vipers organization. January 2011 • Valley Business Report 5 Hooping It Up in the Valley By Eileen Mattei When the Rio Grande Valley Vipers clinched the NBA Development League Championship in April 2010, that marked the first time a Valley team had captured a national professional championship. The basketball team’s storybook season included having new coach Chris Finch named D-League Coach of the Year, Vipers player Mike Harris named the D-League’s Most Valuable Player and five Vipers being called to NBA teams. Finch and his entire staff were selected to lead the Western Conference All-Stars in the 2010 D-league All-Star game. The icing on this sports cake is fan support. Avid Vipers fans pushed the Vipers to the top of the D-League attendance charts last season, averaging above 4,700 per game in a testament to a great fan experience. “It’s a very exciting sport. I go as often as I can,” said fan Kristi Collier, publisher of the plus the Viper and Lone Star Bank mascots roaming RGV Vipers owner Alonzo Cantu stood next to Winter Texan directory Welcome Home RGV. Having the crowd. The big crowd pleaser is the Big Screen Vipers star Craig Winder after his team won the the D-League gives Winter Texans a bit of home in which spotlights fans who are asked to flex their NBA Development League 2010 Championship the Valley, she added. “Basketball is as popular in muscles, smile or kiss their honey. game. (courtesy RGV Vipers Organiation ) their homes up north as football is here.” Actually the prospect of entertaining Winter Texans and local residents was one reason Alonzo Cantu bought controlling interest in the Vipers which has also five local, minority owners, including two bank presidents. “I thought it was good idea for the Valley to have more things to do. It’s good for the kids, too,” Cantu said, a few days after 4,400 kids from 19 school districts attended a Vipers game. “It was a great event. Some of the kids had not had an experience like that before.” Cantu mentioned several Vipers games have been televised nationally on ESPN and Versus, and each time the telecast brought positive exposure to the Valley. “The Rockets have been easy to work with. They come and practice in the fall and played two NBA games here,” he added. Nonetheless, Cantu admitted his investment will be even more enjoyable once it breaks even as the team grows in popularity. A Vipers game combines affordable family fun and the opportunity to watch great athletes playing fast-paced, professional level basketball. Twenty percent of current NBA players have come through D-League teams. Local sponsors banners circle State Farm Arena. Entertainment abounds--the Snake Charmers dance team who are trained by a former Dallas cheerleader captain, youth acrobatic and dance groups, multiple audience challenges, 6 Valley Business Report • January 2011 As one of the NBA’s official minor league teams, the Vipers began playing in the Hidalgo arena in 2007. Despite expectations the Vipers would become a San Antonio Spurs affiliate, the club began their second season as a farm team for the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets. Then the Rockets realized the value of having their own development team, according to Jonah Goldberg, Vipers’ Director of Communications. Now the Rockets decide what young players—often fresh out of college—come to the Vipers. (A few have been selected from walk-in tryouts held in Houston and the Valley.) The Vipers team is trained in the Rockets’ offense and Rockets’ defense. The NBA team controls the coaching and the training. In emergencies the Rockets can turn to the Vipers for a player already versed in Rockets’ way with a ball. Coach Chris Finch, who in the past took his European teams to the playoffs 12 times in 13 seasons and won eight championships, is glad to back in the U.S. and developing young talent for the Rockets. “That’s what it’s about,” said Finch: the Vipers exist to strengthen the Rockets’ chances of taking the NBA championship. After an hour- long practice on game day, Finch had reviewed edited videos from the previous day’s game with Basketball fans, jammed to the rafters at State Farm Arena, watched the RG Vipers capture the National NBA Development League Championship in 2010. (courtesy) the team. “We do a lot of video work. The modern athlete responds more to the visual,” he said. After looking at what the team did right and what they need to work on, the coaches go over how to counter the other team’s plays and personalities. Finch faces a tough challenge this season, more or less starting from zero with only two players re - turning from last season’s 11-man roster. “The first thing to do is solidify everyone’s trust in each other. You are very interdependent. It’s about building the culture, reshaping the team every year,” he said, coping with the fact that players move around during the season. “We deal with players as human beings,” not as the position they play.

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