Valley business leaders to convene for the RGV Business Journal’s inaugural economic outlook

EDINBURG — With tariffs looming and the economy still booming, the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal will host business leaders and a prominent economist and banker to discuss what 2026 might mean to the region and beyond.

On Feb. 13, the Journal will host its inaugural Economic Outlook Luncheon, featuring keynote speaker Pia Orrenius, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, followed by a panel discussion focused on binational trade, real estate, workforce development, and infrastructure.

“I think the insights and expertise of Dr. Orrenius will be very valuable to business operators in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Ramiro Garza, Jr., publisher and founder of the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal.

“She has written extensively on the Texas and Southwestern U.S. economies and focused on regional economic growth, labor markets, and has, in the past, served as a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President. We expect she will share her thoughts and research on what’s ahead for the border and Texas.”

Garza, who will moderate the panel discussion, launched the Journal in the fourth quarter of 2025 after a long career of public service. The overwhelmingly positive response has affirmed his vision that the Valley needed a central source of business information to effectively tell its story and inform investors and entrepreneurs.

The Economic Outlook Luncheon is the first of what he anticipates will be recurrent hosted events by the Journal during 2026.

The Feb. 13 event will be held at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, 118 Paseo del Prado, in Edinburg from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Individual tickets are $100 and can be purchased in advance by visiting the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal’s website. Sponsorship opportunities and information are also available at the site.