Mission EDC, UTRGV team up to expand hands-on support for Mission entrepreneurs

The Mission Economic Development Corporation partnered with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to launch a new initiative to strengthen small businesses in Mission through hands-on training and peer collaboration.

The partnership includes hosting a six-week UTRGV Market Lab cohort at the Center for Education and Economic Development (CEED), alongside the launch of Mission Mindshare — a quarterly program designed to reconnect past grant recipients with expert guidance and one another.

Mission EDC CEO Teclo Garcia said the organization is the first economic development corporation to host a UTRGV Market Lab cohort through the university’s Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship. 

“Small business is a big deal in Mission,” Garcia said.

Market Lab complements Mission EDC’s existing small business initiatives, which together represent more than $500,000 in annual support for local entrepreneurs, he said.

Mission EDC launched the free classes for its previous grant recipients to further assist those small business owners.

The EDC held the first of its quarterly Mission Mindshare sessions Jan. 20 at its headquarters inside the CEED, a small-business incubator. 

Brand Geniuz CEO Yaw Sam, who is also a UTRGV lecturer, taught business owners how to use practical marketing tools they can immediately apply to their operations.

Mission entrepreneur Kenya Morin was one of seven grant beneficiaries who attended the inaugural workshop. She received a $15,000 grant from Mission EDC in November 2025 for her snack bar business, Mr. Korn Gourmet Corn and More.

Morin said the first Mindshare session was particularly relevant because she plans to use some of her grant funds for marketing. 

“Anything that is business-related, I told them, ‘Hey, I’m here for it,’” she said. “As a new business owner, I want all the guidance that they can give me.”  

Although the entrepreneur is about to celebrate Mr. Korn’s four-year anniversary, she said she still has a lot to learn about running a business.

“We got to communicate with others that also have businesses who benefit from what Mission EDC has to offer,” she said. “I liked it, I liked the program, and it reminded me that I’m not alone, that they’re there to help us, to support us, to give us guidance on what we need. And I appreciate them for doing that.”

Programs Director Brianna Casares said Mission EDC created Mindshare to stay connected to local business owners and foster community and connection among them.  

“We really wanted to create a very candid circle that’s really open to honesty, and then they can kind of bounce ideas off of one another,” Casares said. “I think that when you create something like this, it allows them to be kind of vulnerable…and they’re able to relate to one another. I don’t think it’s very common for business owners to share their struggles. And I think that this lets them do that.”

Mission has become a hot spot for large commercial retailers, such as Olive Garden, Burlington, and Murdock’s Ranch and Home Supply. But Mission EDC wanted to reassure its local small business owners that they still have a place in the community.

“Because we’re growing at such an exponential rate and because we’re attracting these big investments here within the city, we don’t want to outshine our small businesses,” Mission EDC Communications & Public Relations Manager Candace Rodriguez said. “So that’s another reason why we created Mission Mindshare — to have that support system and let them know that even though some of our focus is to attract big investment, another reason as to why Mission is the place to be is because of our small businesses.”

The Mindshare sessions are exclusively for past grant recipients, which includes about 80 businesses. 

Although only seven business owners attended the first session, the programs director said she hopes more entrepreneurs attend future sessions. They plan to tackle topics such as taxes, sales, customer retention, and artificial intelligence.

Casares also said the Mission EDC could be open to expanding the guest list to other businesses if the program becomes successful.

The next Mindshare session is in April at the CEED.

Mr. Korn’s business owner encouraged her fellow Mission entrepreneurs to join.

“Even if you don’t know anything about business, they’re creating these programs for us, and they’re free; that’s the best part,” Morin said. “I know I’m going to continue going. Don’t be scared and say, ‘No, I’m not going to know anybody that’s going to be there.’ It’s OK. That’s the whole point — for you to get to know more people that are in the same boat as you.”