Marcos Garcia at 31 years old oversees the boards of two of Mercedes’ most important institutions.

One is acting as president of the Mercedes Independent School District board and helping to lead the local school district through challenging times. The other leadership post is overseeing the Mercedes Economic Development Board as its newly inducted board president. Garcia’s perspective of board membership is a bit wise beyond his relative youth and also a reflection of being mentored by Fred Gonzalez, the immediate past president of the EDC board.

“You have to know your role as a board member,” Garcia said. “You’re not there to run the day-to-day (operations). We have a diverse board from all walks of life and I’m part of a team of eight.”

He was referring to his EDC board membership but his description could just as well apply to school board duties. Garcia is a Mercedes native who grew up on Mile 2 1/2 Road and went on to attend the University of Texas San Antonio and later earn a law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.

Garcia didn’t leave behind his love for Mercedes, saying, “it’s all about the pride I feel for our city.”

He is especially beaming with that pride these days as Mercedes is seeing considerable new housing growth to go with the recent announcement of a major new retail development to be build adjacent to the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets.

“The city of Mercedes is coming,” Garcia said.

Being Consistent

The recent elevation of Garcia to being the president of the EDC board is more than just having a new leader.

“My presence on the board is a start of the changing of the guard,” he said. “It’s moving from the (baby) boomerish age to my generation’s age of governance.”

In saying that, Garcia made clear that the advice and counsel of older community leaders is sought and appreciated. He cited Gonzalez as a prime example. For years, Fred Gonzalez served as president of both the EDC board and the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce board. He saw the need to begin the process of developing younger leaders such as Garcia, who sees Gonzalez as a role model of effective leadership.

“His mentorship has meant so much to me,” Garcia said of Gonzalez. “He went through everything with us. How to look at budgets, how to run meetings, and I was like a sponge. I took in everything he knows.”

Managing the EDC board means having the proper respect and recognition for the leadership of executive director Melissa Ramirez and her staff, Garcia said. He credits Ramirez and her team for being “largely responsible for the economic development we’ve seen in Mercedes.” Supporting those efforts with broad and effective oversight is important as is stability in leadership, Garcia said.

“You’ll never get anywhere without consistency,” he said of leading boards and the organizations they oversee.

‘Shops’ Will Be The Catalyst

The consistency of messaging and efforts is paying off for Mercedes.

A groundbreaking is expected this summer for The Shops at Mercedes. It’s a nearly $53 million retail plaza planned for construction at the intersection of Expressway 83 and Mile 11/2 East Road. The 250,000square-foot development will be located across the outlet mall.

The project’s developer is Merit Commercial Real Estate, a San Antonio-based company with Valley roots. Merit has built and opened similar retail plazas across the region in recent years. Garcia says The Shops at Mercedes highlights “one of the best assets we have and that’s the amount of vacant land we have along the expressway.”

“Shops at Mercedes will be the catalyst,” he said. “We’re set up for success. The economic development to come will be the greatest Mercedes has ever had.”

And it’s not only large commercial development that Garcia and the EDC are proud of. The EDC’s signage improvement program has provided over $125,000 in grants to small businesses in the city. The program has improved the exterior appearance of many businesses in Mercedes in boosting visibility and gaining new customers.

“I’m so proud we can do both,” Garcia said. “We can compete for national brands and retailers while also helping to build our small business community.”

-         Ric Cavazos