NU-CO Tool, seeking up to 25 new employees continues job fair this Friday in Edinburg.

By DAVID A. DÍAZ

 As many as 25 new workers are being sought by the end of September by Edinburg-based NU-CO Tool Inc., which manufactures and distributes precision components and tooling, according to the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).

The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council.

NU-CO Tool Inc., which has been in Edinburg since 1997, has a 24,000-square-foot facility at Independence Avenue in the Edinburg North Industrial Park, which is located off North U.S. Expressway 281.

On Friday, September 16, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., company officials will host a job fair at the Edinburg Depot, located at 602 West University Drive, to interview prospective workers who would be part of a new production manufacturing project with the firm, according to Sylvia Nuñez-García, the company’s C.F.O.

“Applicants with experience in manufacturing are preferable, but any candidate who has a good work record, even if it is not in manufacturing, is of great interest to us,” said Nuñez-García. “We will provide the applications and screen the candidates, including conducting a criminal background check. We plan on having our new crew on the job by the end of October.”

These positions involve manual labor, and employees will be required to stand for extended periods during the workday in order to operate the equipment, she added.

“I am very excited to bring jobs to the Edinburg area and Rio Grande Valley,” said Gerardo (Jerry) Nuñez, the president/CEO of NU-CO Tool Inc. who has been a manufacturing entrepreneur for almost 30 years.

“We need CNC operators, machine operators, and tool makers. However, anyone willing to work and learn will be considered,” Nuñez encouraged prospective applicants…

Nelda T. Ramírez Appointed Interim Executive Director for Edinburg EDC

By DAVID A. DÍAZ

Nelda T. Ramírez, who is marking her 11th year in promoting Edinburg’s successful job-creation measures, business development policies, and state legislative agendas, on Wednesday, August 3, was appointed Interim Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.

The EEDC is the job-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council.

Ramírez, the veteran EEDC Assistance Executive Director, succeeds Pedro Salazar, who tendered his resignation earlier this summer after accepting an offer to help lead commercial lending efforts with Lone Star National Bank at that firm’s headquarters in McAllen.

Ramírez’ selection as Interim EEDC Executive Director was approved on a unanimous vote by the five-member EEDC Board of Directors, with Board Member Felipe García excused on important business.

That action took place during the EEDC Board of Director’s Budget Work Session, a public meeting that began at 11 a.m. on August 3 in the City Council Chambers at Edinburg City Hall.

“Nelda has a proven track record of leadership and effectiveness, as well as crucial insights into every key aspect of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation,” said Mayor Richard García, who serves as President of the EEDC Board of Directors. “She has long-standing, tremendous professional relationships with business and community leaders throughout Edinburg and Texas.”

Ramírez led the EEDC during a key transition period in late 2009, when then EEDC Executive Director Ramiro Garza, Jr. left that post to become Edinburg’s City Manager. Salazar succeeded Garza in early 2010.

“Her selection to again lead EEDC’s outstanding team of staff professionals, coupled with her extensive credentials, provide crucial continuity with the EEDC’s and Edinburg City Council’s economic goals,” the mayor noted…

Edinburg’s May 2011 Retail Economy Registers Best Improvement Among Key Valley Cities

By DAVID A. DÍAZ

Edinburg’s retail economy in May 2011, as measured by the amount of local and state sales taxes generated by a wide range of local businesses, was up 9.76 percent over the same month last year, the best showing among the Valley’s largest communities.

In May 2011, Edinburg’s retail economy generated $1,194,491.73 in local sales taxes, compared with $1,088,198.03 in local sales taxes produced in May 2010.

The city’s latest economic barometer also was better than the statewide average of 7.2 percent, and better than the 3.68 percent average of all cities in Hidalgo County.

McAllen, the retail sales leader for the Valley, showed a 2.11 percent improvement in May compared with the same month in 2010, while Brownsville, which has the most population of all Valley cities, reported a 2.78 percent jump in retail sales activities for May 2011 compared with May 2010, according to the state comptroller.

Harlingen, which is ranked fourth in city population in the Valley behind Brownsville, McAllen, and Edinburg, respectively, was up 3.86 percent in May 2011 over the same month last year.

Among the other larger communities in Hidalgo County, Pharr showed a 4.94 percent improvement, Mission reported a 0.70 percent increase, while Weslaco was up 1.35 percent in May 2011 compared with May 2010.

For the first five months of 2011, Edinburg’s retail economy is up 11.67 percent over the same period in 2010, the state comptroller’s office reported.

Edinburg’s continuing positive showing, documented by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, also represents the seventh consecutive month that the city’s retail economy showed improvements over those same months the year before, said Pedro Salazar, the executive director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).

The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council…