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McAllen Convention Center opens in Texas
The $62.2 million McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, TX, celebrated its grand opening last week. The facility includes a 10,659-square-foot ballroom, 25,724 square feet of meeting space and a 61,482-square-foot exhibit hall.

Construction on the convention center took two years to complete. Two hotels, owned by Hilton and Marriott, are expected to open across from the convention center by early 2008. City officials also expect a separate hotel adjacent to the convention center.

University moves spring graduation to new McAllen Convention Center

By Melissa Vasquez, Senior Editor
vasquezm@panam.edu
381-3639

Posted 4/27/2007
This spring semester, The University of Texas-Pan American will be changing the venue for the commencement ceremonies, scheduled for Saturday, May 12, from the UTPA Fieldhouse to the new McAllen Convention Center, located on South Ware Road and Expressway 83.

The University’s decision to move the commencement venue was prompted by the increase in UTPA graduates and their guests over the years said Dr. Ana Maria Rodriguez, chair of the Commencement Committee and senior vice provost for undergraduate studies. This semester, the 1,452 prospective candidates for degrees include 1,103 for bachelor’s degrees, 336 candidates for master’s degrees and 13 for doctoral degrees.

“Our fieldhouse can only accommodate so many people. When we began to issue a limited number of tickets to students, they began to request that we look at holding commencement at a location where we could accommodate more people. Therefore, the administration’s decision to change the venue was made in response to student needs and with a great deal of student input. The safety of graduates, their families and guests was also an issue that was considered,” Rodriguez said.

The McAllen Convention Center will seat 528 graduates and 4,894 guests, while the UTPA Fieldhouse seats between 450-500 graduates on the floor and 3,700 guests on the bleachers.

The committee took two years in exploring several venues around the Rio Grande Valley before settling on the $62 million facility she said. The committee found the UTPA commencement calendar, which is planned three to four years in advance, and the convention center calendar were a good match for this academic year.

“The McAllen Convention Center is a new venue in the Rio Grande Valley that is able to accommodate a large number of people for one event,” she said. “The staff at the convention center has worked well with us in planning and designing the event, since an event such as this will be a first. There is also ample parking spaces available to accommodate the guests.”

This semester, prospective graduates will be allotted 12 tickets for their family members and guests to comply with the Fire Marshal’s Code of maximum seating capacity for the convention center. In previous semesters they were designated six tickets each. Guests attending the commencement ceremonies will be required to present a ticket to be admitted.

“Graduates, their families, guests and audience can expect grand ceremonies, solemn and celebrative, as they have always been at the UTPA Fieldhouse, but now held in a brand new majestic center,” Rodriguez said.

Also this semester, the University will go to a three-ceremony format starting at 9 a.m. with the College of Education, which features 393 prospective graduates, the largest group in any of the six colleges. At 1:30 p.m. the College of Business Administration (224) and College of Health Sciences and Human Services (240) will share the arena. The final ceremony of the day at 5:30 p.m. will combine the College of Arts and Humanities (223), College of Science and Engineering (218) and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (154).

Serving as the 2007 spring commencement speakers will be Noé Hinojosa Jr., president and CEO of Estrada Hinojosa & Company, Inc., who will be speaking at 9 a.m.; Edward H. Muñoz, principal of Muñoz Group, who will be addressing the 1:30 p.m. ceremony; and Sylvia M. Courtney, vice president of engineering for Raytheon Company, will speak at 5:30 p.m.

For more information or special accommodations, contact the Office of the Registrar at 956/381-2389 no later than Thursday, May 10.

Get Ready: The Temptations rolling into McAllen Convention Center
Kate Lohnes
April 19, 2007 - 3:17PM
Listen to the interview with The Temptations' Otis Williams

The Temptations are performing Thursday at the McAllen Convention Center.
Forty years in music. Four Grammy Awards. Dozens of hit records.

The musical powerhouse known as The Temptations has had an amazing ride, said Otis Williams, the group’s last surviving original member. If you think “The Temps” are ready to call it quits, you’d be very mistaken.

“You can quote me: I’m going to ride the hair off the horse,” said Williams, 65, during a telephone interview. “That’s a lot of riding, to ride a horse ‘til it’s bald.”

The Temptations formed in Detroit in 1961 and scored their first big hit in 1964, with Smokey Robinson’s “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” A slew of hits followed over the decades, including “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” and, of course, “My Girl.” As they continued to experience success, the group also experienced hardship, with roster changes and the premature deaths of several early and original members: Paul Williams in 1973, David Ruffin in 1991, Eddie Kendricks in 1992 and Melvin Franklin in 1995.

The highs and lows are part of the group’s past, Williams said, something that the current line-up honors, but does not dwell upon. They mainly focus instead on the constants: Delivering good music and a fun performance.

“You can’t just live in the past,” he said. “The past is the past, and here we are dealing with the here and now. We have to stay focused and deal with what we have to do. Now the audience has gotten to be very sophisticated and knowledgeable about performers. They know if they’re giving a good show and they know when they’re getting their money’s worth. We know what we have to do, and the constant is trying to be the best performers for what we do while we’re out there, today as well as it was 30, 40-odd years ago when we first started out.”

Certainly, The Temptations have changed over the years, Williams said. The group weathered various tastes in music, from Motown to disco to more modern R&B and soul music. At the same time, they maintained an emphasis on well-rounded, quality entertainment, which contemporary artists sometimes lack.

“When we were coming along, with Motown, everybody was very focused on being very consummate performers and giving the public their money’s worth and having some element of class, being very professional. It’s not too widespread now. Off top of my head, I like what Beyoncé (Knowles) has been doing, I think she’s a classy young lady, and when they were together, Destiny’s Child. I like Alicia Keys, I like John Legend. There’s a few I think are doing pretty good.”

Whatever their formula, it has worked: The Temptations continue to entertain fans around the world, from Japan to Sweden to the United States. Their success has been a source of pride for Williams, and something he’ll love for the rest of his life.

“I walk around my home and I look at all the platinum and gold, the Grammys, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the list is endless,” Williams said. “I’m very thankful to God. I never would have imagined I would achieve so much. We’ve had a lot of highlights. I’ve left a lot of things that can be looked upon for a long time to come.”

McALLEN, TEXAS - H-E-B and Rio Grande Regional Hospital are partnering to present the Healthy Baby & Child Expo, which will be held at the McAllen Convention Center on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22. The event is a unique resource for parents to learn about various products, services and organizations related to healthy living for children and families.

Throughout the Expo floor, attendees will find exhibitors representing everything from healthcare, nutrition, beauty and personal care to household, baby and childcare products, toy companies, free health screenings, education resources and non-profit services. Many will provide hands-on demonstrations, free samples and prizes.

"Researching and filtering information that benefits the family's health, safety and well-being is vitally important but also time consuming," said Stephen K. Jones, Jr., CEO of Rio Grande Regional Hospital. "That's why H-E-B and the Rio Grande Regional Hospital have partnered to provide parents the opportunity to learn about an array of products, services and organizations related to healthy lifestyles for children and families."

This year's Expo will offer prominent featured guests including keynote speaker Heidi Murkoff, author of the popular "What to Expect When You're Expecting" series. Often referred to as "America's Pregnancy Bible," according to a recent USA Today poll, Murkoff's books are read by 93% of moms-to-be. Murkoff is a senior contributing editor and columnist for Baby Talk and Parenting magazines and is a frequent guest on CNN, The Today Show, The CBS Early Show and Good Morning America. Heidi will answer questions from guests regarding pregnancy and parenting issues from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the "What to Expect" booth at the show.

Presenting practical advice to attendees is syndicated newspaper columnist Heloise. A San Antonio native, advice from Heloise is published in over 500 newspapers throughout the United States and abroad. She is a contributing editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine and is the author of many books.

Other highlights of the Expo will include:

* Expert advice for parents raising asthmatic children from Astra Zeneca;
* The Huggies Diaper Derby presented by Kimberly-Clark
* Performances by the Silverado's basketball team and Ronald McDonald
* A chance to win a $1,000 gift card for baby products from H-E-B Plus! Stores and a Rainbow Play System valued at $3,795 offered by Gerber and Rainbow Play Systems
* Skincare demonstrations and makeover tips for Mom offered by Alberto Culver, Dove and Arbonne
* Financial and educational savings plan advice from AG Edwards and Texas State Bank
* The latest in vehicles from Clark Chevrolet

Providing educational opportunities to learn more about keeping your family happy and healthy is important to everyone at H-E-B and Rio Grande Regional Hospital.

For Rio Grande Regional Hospital, the Expo is an extension of the Women's Services and parenting classes offered at the hospital. Visitors to the Rio Grande Regional Hospital area will learn about breast feeding, the hospital's childbirth education program and their full range of labor and delivery services.

H-E-B will showcase the H-E-B Baby line for infants, toddlers and young children. The H-E-B Baby line includes a full range of baby and childcare essentials such as diapers, training pants, wipes, formula, juice, purified water, pediatric electrolytes, toiletries and skincare products. In addition to H-E-B Baby, H-E-B will also be featuring a variety of their Own Brand products from their Drug Store department, including: Vitamins and OptiMeal, oral care products, feminine hygiene items and over-the-counter remedies.

"H-E-B's support of this event is a natural extension of our commitment to the community and building healthy families," said Shelley Parks, Director of Public Affairs for H-E-B, South Texas. "We want to help parents make good choices that will help their children."

The Healthy Baby and Child Expo will show runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 22. Tickets will be available at the door, $5 for adults and children under 18 are free. For more information about the Healthy Baby and Child Expo call (210) 938-8000 or visit www.heb.com.

About H-E-B

H-E-B was founded in Kerrville, Texas in 1905 with a single grocery store. For more than 100 years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer known for low prices, fresh food, quality products and convenient services. The company has grown to more than 300 stores in Texas and Northern Mexico with more than 65,000 employees. It conducts a wide range of efforts geared toward helping the community and the environment. H-E-B is one of the largest food chains in the United States, with annual sales more than $12.5 billion, and is the largest privately held company in Texas.



About the Rio Grande Regional Hospital

Well known for its outstanding medical staff, experienced and caring nurses, exceptional facilities and the best Maternity Care in the Valley, Rio Grande Regional Hospital has delivered quality and patient safety to South Texas for more than 25 years. Last year, more than 6,000 healthy babies began their lives at Rio Grande Regional Hospital. For nationally recognized medical care right here in your own neighborhood, trust award-winning Rio Grande Regional Hospital.

After years of planning and even conflict over where to build it, the new McAllen Convention Center is now officially open for business.
"Well, the day is finally here," said McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez during morning press conference.

Cortez was joined by Simon Properties, owners of McAllen's La Plaza Mall and Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets in Mercedes, who have secured retail tenants for the adjacent Palms Crossing shopping center.
The McAllen mayor recognized past city leaders for having the foresight to secure the land and build the impressive new complex.

Everyone who joined the mayor seemed to be beaming with pride, including John Sellers, the director of the new convention center.

"I think the excitement is immeasurable," he said. "Because I think what we're seeing is the pride, like you can almost see it in people's faces."

The complex cost nearly 51 million dollars to construct and includes 174,000 square feet of enclosed space with impressionable features.

"It's hard for me to put one thing ahead of the other," said Sellers, when asked about which features he was most impressed with, "because I think in this building there are special features for different people."

For basketball fans, for exhibitors, for concert goers, and graduations, the complex houses two large exhibit halls. Sellers says the exhibit halls collectively can house 6,500 people.

For business people there are several executive meeting rooms, and for social events a grand ballroom.

The convention center also has a banquet kitchen capable of preparing 1200 meals in an hour.

And not too far away, visitors can experience what McAllen is famous for, shopping. Simon Properties plans to open new retail outlets on the 18 acre site. And they can even spend the night in hotels, also being built on site.

"They'll stay in the hotels, they eat in the restaurants, they will be spending other money in the community."

On Thursday morning, Simon Properties confirmed three more tenants for the new site: P.F. Chang's chinese bistro, BJ Restaurant and Brewhouse, and IBC Bank.

New venue for home show offers more variety, vendors
Kate Lohnes
Monitor Staff Writer
March 29, 2007 - 12:16PM

Jim Parks, the host of the HGTV show New Spaces, is appearing at the Rio Grande Valley Home & Garden Show Saturday at the new McAllen Convention Center.
Attending the Rio Grande Valley Home & Garden Show doesn’t necessarily mean everyone there is a construction whiz or a gardening guru.

However, you might just leave feeling like one.

The RGV Home & Garden Show spotlights various professionals within the home and garden industry, including builders, developers, interior designers and more.

Homeowners can use the event to inspire their own building and remodeling activity, or find the perfect vendor to meet their needs, said Quincy Barnes, a representative from the show’s parent company SMC Events.

“We have everything for someone looking at home and garden items,” he said. “It’s everything under one roof.”

McAllen has hosted the RGV Home & Garden Show for the past 17 years, Barnes said. This year, the event will have a different look and feel. This is the first year San Antonio-based SMC has hosted the event. As a result, the number of vendors has tripled in size: where once there were 100 vendors, there will now be 300, including vendors from different parts of Texas.

The Home & Garden show has also upgraded its location. This is the first public event at the new McAllen Convention Center, which formally opened March 23. Compared with other home and garden shows his company hosts around the country, Barnes said McAllen benefits from one of the newest, top-notch locations available.

“We do shows in Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as other venues in Texas,” he said. “The McAllen Convention Center is really a first-class facility.”

In addition to the vendors on hand, SMC also will bring in Jim Parks, host of the television program New Spaces on HGTV. Parks will do two presentations at the show. One is an open-panel discussion called “Upgrade My Kitchen!” which helps home owners sort through the confusion of kitchen remodeling. The other is “Home Owner Quiz-O-Rama,” a game show for those attending the home and garden show.

“It’s active and fun,” Parks said in a telephone interview. “It’s kind of a break from going up and down the aisles looking. It’s info-tainment.”

Both Barnes and Parks said home and garden shows provide home owners with a way to shop around quickly and easily.

“I tell people in my seminar that this is the best place on earth to find out information about your home, including the Internet,” Parks said. “You can talk to the people doing the work. You can ask questions and touch the product. You can compare notes from the competitors. When you’re doing a remodeling job, you cannot be too well-prepared.”

The Rio Grande Valley Home & Garden show will have free parking, as well as food vendors available to the public.

McAllen City Commission Seeking
Hotel Devloper for Property Adjacent
to Planned Convention Center


McALLEN – The McAllen City Commission took another step toward developing a first-class, full service convention center hotel by authorizing requests for proposals to be issued to build the facility.

Request for proposals are simply proposals from firms interested in developing the hotel project and are submitted to the city. The deadline for the hotel proposals is May 31, 2001 and proposals would be reviewed by a committee and the City Commission shortly there after. A final decision on which proposal to accept would not be made until later in the year.

The hotel, to be anchored by the planned McAllen Convention Center, should be a first class, full service hotel with at least 200 rooms, and the proposals begin the process of identifying a hotel development team that represents the high quality standards of McAllen.

The hotel will be located on a 168-acre, city-owned, vacant tract of land with boundaries that include Galveston Avenue to the north, 29th Street to the east, Expressway 83 to the south and Ware Road to the west.

Architects Raymond Gignac & Associates of Corpus Christi and Thompson, Ventulett and Stainbeck of Atlanta Georgia were chosen by the City to design the convention center to be located contiguous to the hotel.

McAllen Convention Center

South Texas City Hopes to Increase Tourism With New Facility

Jennifer Hiller

The new $50 million convention center in McAllen, built by SpawGlass and part of a planned 162-acre retail and hospitality complex, is on schedule to open in early 2007.

A rendering shows the clay-tile roof and exterior granite of the completed convention center and surrounding courtyards designed to attract native birds and butterflies. Image courtesy TVS & Associates.

A 190,000-sq.-ft. convention center under construction by the Harlingen office of SpawGlass will not only give the Rio Grande Valley region a chance to lure large events and meetings, it's also the biggest civic building project the city of McAllen has ever undertaken.

The McAllen Convention Center is the first element of a planned 162-acre campus that eventually will include a hotel, arts center and shopping mall. An existing veterans memorial was incorporated into the site's master plan.

The $50 million project includes extensive sitework.

"The city of McAllen had been working on this project and had been in the political and planning phase for 10 or 15 years," said John Sellers, McAllen Convention Center manager. "We're proud of it. It allows us to do what we've never been able to do before-recruit the conventions and the association meetings."

The new convention center, which is more than 50 percent complete and projected to finish in February 2007, is on South Ware Road about 4 mi. from the Rio Grande River and includes a 60,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall, 10,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The city of McAllen is also finalizing plans with Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc. for a retail center on 60 acres of the campus. The retail center is expected to open at about the same time as the convention center, Sellers said.

And the city is preparing to put out a request for proposal for a 300-room convention center hotel, he said.

The structural steel convention center building uses concrete-reinforced masonry, brick, granite, metal panels and >> precast, said SpawGlass project manager Kirby Baird.
 

Workers broke ground on the building in January 2005 but not before hauling more than 500,000 cu. yds. of dirt to the new site to improve drainage. Crews also installed water and sanitary lines for the convention center and future buildings.

"It's a two-phase project, and lot of that was a big earthwork project," Baird said.

Architects for the project are from Atlanta-based Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates in partnership with Gignac & Associates of Corpus Christi.

Rob Svedberg, architect with TVS, said the clay-tile roof, arcades, towers and exterior granite lend the building a traditional South Texas feel, while curtain walls help blend some contemporary elements into the convention center.

"The idea was Texas tropics, but also cutting edge and look to the future," Svedberg said. "It's on the crossroads between a traditional place and a more dynamic type of engine."

The main lobby is granite with clay-tile roofs, traditional masonry brick piers and arcades. "It's a rich material palate," Svedberg said. "The commission working with us kept using the word 'timeless.' They were focused on it being solid and gracious."

Because McAllen is considered a world-class birding destination, the convention center includes several small courtyards that will be landscaped with palms and other plants to attract native and migrating wildlife. The main ballroom features a monarch butterfly ceiling.

"They have so many birds and butterflies that migrate through the area," said architect Raymond Gignac. "The ballroom has a custom-designed light fixture with hanging segments of colored synthetic material in oranges and blues that resemble a large butterfly, but they're not an exact representation. It's dramatic."

Additionally, Gignac said the building's main entrance will feature freeze-dried palm trees. Architects considered using live palms, but the energy costs for the building would have been prohibitive.

"They require so much light that the heat would have been incredible," Gignac said.

Eventually, the convention center, hotel, 2,500-seat performing arts center, existing veterans memorial and more than 600,000 sq. ft. of retail space will be defined by a monumental oval pedestrian arcade and fountain that draw the components together, Svedberg said.

The normally dry Rio Grande Valley has meant that construction crews have not lost many days to rain, although they have had to deal with other issues. "We've got dust," Baird said. "We have been using five water trucks to keep the dust down."

Nearly all of the job's subcontractors are based in the Rio Grande Valley, which has pleased and surprised SpawGlass. "We have a lot of local participation, and the people that bid are all qualified to do work of this size," Baird said. "I tell people that I couldn't have planned this to turn out any better."

The contract was hard bid, but Baird said that the city, architects and contractors have been working together on design or cost changes. "It hasn't been an adversarial role at all," he said.

The new convention center will replace McAllen's existing convention center, which was built in the 1960s and seats 1,176 in a small auditorium, Sellers said.

"It's a small convention hall with a low roof and small facilities," he added. "We're doing the weddings and quincineras and the small trade shows." Sellers said the convention center won't give up on those community events.
 

The new McAllen Convention Center, designed by Atlanta-based architects Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates Inc.

U.S. construction on Anzalduas Bridge to start within two weeks


McALLEN — The much-anticipated Anzalduas Bridge project
jumped its final U.S. hurdle Monday.

Construction on the border crossing’s U.S. portion is
set to start within two weeks and vehicles should start
crossing the Anzalduas International Bridge by June
2009, local officials announced Monday.

Earlier that morning, McAllen city officials inked a
contract with a design and construction firm to build
the U.S. portion of the bridge, while the U.S. General
Services Administration signed a contract to construct
customs facilities.

“All of the details for the construction of the
Anzalduas Bridge are now in place,” said McAllen Mayor
Richard Cortez. “We will be starting construction within
10 to 14 days.”

The Anzalduas Bridge is planned as a 9,200-foot long,
four-lane road running from Farm-to-Market Road 494 near
Granjeno across the Rio Grande to the western side of
Reynosa.

The U.S. side of the bridge is expected to cost nearly
$80 million, paid for by the federal government and city
of McAllen. McAllen plans to recoup its $28.5 million
investment through bridge tolls.

Hunt Valley Development, owner of Sharyland Plantation,
donated land for the bridge.

“Every critical piece is in place and we are ready to
turn dirt,” said George Ramon, a member of the bridge
board and director of the Hidalgo-Reynosa International
Bridge.

Mexico has yet to award the contract for its side of the
bridge, but construction on this side will start
regardless, Ramon said.

Mexico has opened bidding for its side the project and
the government is scheduled to award a contract June 29.

Then a bidding process will start on the center span of
the bridge, open to companies in both the United States
and Mexico.

City officials in McAllen, Mission, Granjeno and Hidalgo
have been working on building the bridge for more than
14 years as a means to alleviate heavy traffic and long
wait times at border crossings in Hidalgo and Pharr.

As the waits to get across bridges in Hidalgo and Pharr
have gotten longer — hours on weekdays — local city and
business officials have clamored to get construction
started on the new bridge.

Many hope the crossing will encourage retail tourism
from Monterrey, Mexico’s third largest city and a major
source of revenue for the Upper Rio Grande Valley.

The city of McAllen estimates that by circumventing
downtown Reynosa and creating more bridge capacity, the
new border crossing could cut as much as 45 minutes off
a trip to or from Monterrey.

Nevertheless, work on the bridge has been slow because
of all the governmental bodies involved.

In addition to the local municipalities, several federal
and state agencies are part of the process. All that
work also has had to be coordinated with federal and
state governments in Mexico.

“At the end, we are going to start construction in two
weeks, so we’re proud of that,” Cortez said.

McAllen, Texas Ranked Top Ten Entrepreneurial Cities for Small Business



Riverside, Provo, McAllen, Sarasota… You may be
surprised by the places that top our list of the hottest
cities for entrepreneurs.

Boomtowns and Texas have often gone hand in hand. Now,
buoyed by high energy prices, a rebounding tech sector,
and an influx of educated newcomers from the U.S. and
abroad, the Lone Star State's economy is booming once
again.

Just look at the big movers on Inc.'s annual survey of
the nation's boomtowns. Among large cities, Dallas
soared 18 spots, to No. 25 among the 65 large cities
measured; Houston climbed 14 places, to No. 17; and
Austin shot up 10 spots, to No. 16. Among small and
midsize cities, McAllen, Midland, and Laredo posted
similarly strong gains. "Everything is hitting on all
cylinders," says Bill Gilmer, an economist with the
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

You could say the same about all of the municipalities
on the upper reaches of this year's list. As always, our
rankings (compiled by Michael Shires, a professor of
public policy at Pepperdine University) put the focus on
job growth, which we believe is the best measure of
economic vitality. Strong job growth suggests that an
economy is expanding--which means plenty of opportunity.
What's more, the Small Business Administration estimates
that as many as three-quarters of new jobs are created
by small companies; as a result, regions showing strong
job creation are likely to be hotbeds of entrepreneurial
activity. To compile the rankings, Inc. examined job-
growth data, supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
on 393 metropolitan statistical areas. We analyzed
current-year employment growth, as well as average
annual job growth over the past three years, and
compared job growth in the first and second halves of
the period comprising the past 10 years. We also
analyzed job growth by industry sector. (For more on our
methodology, click here.)

The top performers should be familiar to any observer of
recent economic trends--or, for that matter, any reader
of Inc.'s previous lists. This year's top large, medium,
and small cities--Las Vegas; Fort Myers, Florida; and
overall leader St. George, Utah, respectively--all were
No. 1 or 2 in their categories last year. Other top
spots--Phoenix; Sarasota; Reno; Salt Lake City; Bend,
Oregon; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho--have been sizzling for
some time now.

It's when you start looking at the places that are
moving most rapidly up the list that unexpected trends
begin to emerge. Seattle, for example, jumped 10 places
on the large cities list, to No. 18. "Things are really
turning around," says Paul Sommers, an economist at
Seattle University. He credits robust hiring at Boeing
(NYSE:BA) and the impact of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and
its spinoffs. Other regions are slipping. San Diego;
Santa Ana-Anaheim, California; and Nassau County, New
York, all took tumbles from last year.

There's no such softening in Texas. Gilmer ascribes the
state's strong showing to several factors, including
relatively low business costs, a recovery in technology--
and most important, the thriving energy sector, which is
attracting a new cadre of highly paid professionals to
an increasingly sophisticated high-tech business. Job
growth in Austin, hit hard by the dot-com bust, is now
more than triple that of rival high-tech centers like
Boston (No. 56) and San Jose (No. 60).



The 10 Top Cities
St. George, Utah
Yuma, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Fort Myers, Florida
McAllen, Texas
Naples, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sarasota, Florida
Morgantown, W. Virginia
Bend, Oregon
Published May 2007

McAllen Convention Center

CHPA is providing the MEP engineering services for this new 130,000 s.f. convention center, in McAllen, Texas. The new facility will be constructed on 33-acres, and will incorporate 40,000 s.f. of exhibit hall space, a 10,000 s.f. ballroom, and 15,000 s.f. of meeting room spaces. The project is currently budgeted for $22.5 million, and is expected to be complete in late 2004.