Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation

10/29/2026

Look what we brought back from New Orleans! 🏆

This week, our team attended the International Economic Development Council's 2026 Annual Conference, where BCIC accepted four Excellence in Economic Development Awards!

🥇 Gold: BCIC Strategic Plan 2025-2029
🥈 Silver: Quality of Life Grants
🥈 Silver: FY 2024 & FY 2025 Annual Report
🥉 Bronze: What the Permit? / Permitting Made Simple Series

These awards recognize work that directly benefits Brownsville, including improvements to public spaces, practical guidance for business owners, and greater transparency in how we invest in our community.

We first shared the news in August, but getting to celebrate these achievements in person made the occasion that much sweeter!

With these four honors, BCIC has now received 17 IEDC Excellence Awards since 2021!

We're grateful to the staff and community partners whose work made these awards possible, and to IEDC for the recognition. Congratulations to all this year's winners! We're proud to bring a little more recognition home to Brownsville. 💚

Read more about our awards: https://brownsvillecic.com/bcic-receives-four-2026-excellence-in-economic-development-awards-from-the-international-economic-development-council/

10/27/2026

In the Rio Grande Valley, we know what hard work looks like! That determination is alive in the businesses lining our streets and in the next generation preparing to build their own.

It's that same determination we'll be celebrating November 16–20, when Global Entrepreneurship Week returns to Brownsville!

Part of an international celebration of entrepreneurship, the week recognizes the people who start businesses, create opportunities, and invest in the places they call home.

Together with our partners at the UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center, we're bringing the celebration back to eBridge, where we'll recognize the entrepreneurial drive that makes the 956 what it is.

📅 November 16–20, 2026
📍 eBridge Center | Downtown Brownsville

The week's lineup is on its way. Save the dates!

The 956 has plenty of good ideas, and Global Entrepreneurship Week is coming back to Brownsville to celebrate them! 🚀

November 16–20, the eBridge Center will join communities around the world in celebrating entrepreneurship and the people who make it happen.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is an international initiative that brings aspiring entrepreneurs, established business owners, and the people who support them together to exchange ideas and build connections.

Here in the Rio Grande Valley, we know there's no shortage of people with the ambition to build something of their own. We're excited to bring the celebration back to eBridge alongside our partners at the UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center.

📅 November 16–20, 2026
📍 eBridge Center | Downtown Brownsville

We're putting together the week's lineup now, so keep an eye out for more details. Save the dates!

10/23/2026

Brownsville had a great summer. Visitors spent $29.9 million here between July 1 and Sept. 19, up 18.9% from last year.

Naturally, we checked whether that was just higher prices. Inflation ran about 3.5%, so real growth still lands near 15%. Take gas out entirely and spending grew about 18%. Most visitors came for the day, but the ones who stayed the night spent $363 on lodging alone, up from $286 last summer. And Houston sent more visitors than any city outside the Valley.

There’s more in the slides, including some good news for local food favorites. Swipe through the highlights and read the full report at bcic.us/drip2

DRIP is our quarterly business trends brief. Sign up for BCIC updates and get each issue in your inbox: bcic.us/updates

10/23/2026

Happy birthday to our Director of Community Development, Eric Quintero! 🎉

A Brownsville native with a background in banking, Eric knows his way around helping people make plans happen. At BCIC, he works closely with local businesses through programs like BIG LIFT and with nonprofits seeking support through our Quality of Life Grants.

Outside the office, Eric enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on the New Orleans Saints (of all teams).

We're glad to have Eric on our team. Join us in wishing him a very happy birthday! 🏈👇

10/16/2026

Happy Boss’s Day to our President & CEO, Cori Peña!

Cori joined BCIC in 2010. Sixteen years later, she leads the organization, and Brownsville has felt her work throughout: small businesses that got their start, parks and public spaces that bring families together, a home for BCIC at eBridge, and a team that knows she has their back.

Thank you, Cori, for your leadership and for believing in what we can do together for Brownsville.

– The BCIC Team

👇 If you know Cori and have a story to share, please leave it in the comments.

10/13/2026

Happy birthday to BCIC Board Member Michael Rodriguez! 🎉

A Brownsville native, Michael brings firsthand experience in entrepreneurship and small-business development to our Board of Directors. As the owner of Ma$ Dinero Income Tax, he has built his career serving local taxpayers and businesses. His entrepreneurial experience also includes owning Alpha Pups Grooming Salon.

Since joining the BCIC Board in August 2025, Michael has brought the perspective of a local business owner to our work in economic development and improving quality of life across Brownsville.

We're grateful for his service, experience, and commitment to our community.

Please join us in wishing Michael a very happy birthday! 🎊👇

10/13/2026

RJ was known worldwide for his work in entertainment and advocacy. He also called Brownsville home.

As a leader at the Mitte Foundation, he helped drive the revitalization of the Mitte Cultural District and supported investments in arts, culture, and community spaces across the city.

We were honored to host RJ on the RGV Startup Week stage, where he spoke about his family’s legacy, his vision for Brownsville, and why investing in culture and quality of life matters.

The BCIC team sends our condolences to the Mitte family, his friends, and everyone who knew him.

The spaces he helped build will serve Brownsville for generations, and the community he believed in will carry his work forward.

The RGV Startup Week team is heartbroken by the news of the passing of RJ Mitte.

RJ was a tireless advocate for disability rights, a patron of the arts, and one of Brownsville and the greater Rio Grande Valley's loudest champions.

All of us who worked with RJ will miss his generosity with his time, his personal warmth and humility, and his endless and contagious belief in other people's potential.

This April, we had the honor of hosting him on our stage for a panel exploring family legacy, philanthropy, and cultural investment in Brownsville, titled "The Long Game." He recalled how his grandparents instilled in him a lifelong love of the Rio Grande Valley.

Later, when asked about his vision for Brownsville's future, he told the audience, “There is no other place like it in the world, and I'm so grateful that I have family here, and I've been a part of this amazing community for quite some time, and have many friends here, and it's my home.”

We will miss you, RJ.

10/06/2026

Happy birthday to BCIC Board Secretary Sergio Martinez! 🎉

Sergio has spent more than two decades serving students and the Brownsville community.

At UTRGV, where he now serves as Associate Director of the Student Union, his career has spanned student life, housing, campus engagement, and programs that connect students with the community around them.

Sergio has also served as President of the Mr. Amigo Association, currently serves on Brownsville's Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and joined the BCIC Board of Directors in 2023. He has served as our Board Secretary since 2024 and is also a member of our Entrepreneurship & Innovation Committee.

We're grateful for the community perspective and deep connection to Brownsville that Sergio brings to BCIC.

Please join us in wishing Sergio a very happy birthday! 🥳✌️

10/05/2026

Las solicitudes para BIG LIFT Distrito 2 cierran el viernes 9 de octubre a las 5 p.m.

Los pequeños negocios locales que sean elegibles pueden recibir un reembolso del 80% de los costos aprobados para mejoras exteriores, hasta $30,000.

Si ya empezaste tu solicitud, este es el momento de terminarla y enviarla.

¿Tu negocio está en el Distrito 3 o 4? Tu turno viene después: las solicitudes para el Distrito 3 abren el 1 de diciembre, y las del Distrito 4 abren el 1 de marzo de 2027.

Aplica ahora o revisa las fechas de tu distrito: brownsvillecic.com/lift

10/05/2026

BIG LIFT District 2 applications close Friday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.

Eligible locally owned small businesses can receive reimbursement for 80% of approved exterior improvement costs, up to $30,000.

If you’ve already started your application, now’s the time to finish it up and get it submitted.

In City Commission District 3 or 4? Your turn is coming up next: District 3 applications open Dec. 1, followed by District 4 on March 1, 2027.

Apply now or check your district’s dates: brownsvillecic.com/lift