MCALLEN, Texas - Michael J. Blum has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Blum has established a distinguished career spanning more than five decades in real estate, economic development and public service. As a real estate broker and partner at NAI STX since 2018, he has played a pivotal role in guiding the company’s transition from NAI Rio Grande Valley to its current identity. His responsibilities include finding and closing deals, assisting colleagues, managing commercial land, office buildings, industrial properties and open land, and identifying opportunities for property owners, tenants, buyers and sellers. Through his affiliation with NAI Global, Mr. Blum has extended his professional reach beyond McAllen, Texas, to a global network of offices.
From 2004 to 2018, Mr. Blum served as a partner at NAI Rio Grande Valley, where he continued to build on his expertise in strategic planning and economic development. Prior to this role, he was the president and associate at NAI Rioco Realty from 1997 to 2004. In these capacities, he contributed significantly to the growth of the region’s commercial real estate market by leveraging technology and the internet to connect buyers and sellers nationally and internationally.
A transformative period in Mr. Blum’s career began in the late 1980s when he became president of First City Development Services Group from 1989 to 1991. This opportunity arose after being recognized as Volunteer Industrial Developer of the Year by the Texas Industrial Development Council in 1988, a distinction that affirmed his expertise in economic development and led to his recruitment by First City Bank Corporation. As the president of First City Development Services Group, Mr. Blum worked closely with Hunt Oil Company on the master plan for Sharyland Plantation and served as a consultant for both First City Bank and Hunt Oil Company in Dallas.
Simultaneously, from 1988 to 2010, Mr. Blum owned and operated the Michael J. Blum Company, providing comprehensive development services throughout Texas. Earlier in his career, he was the director of planning and partner at MBA Architecture Group and Valcon Construction Company in the Rio Grande Valley from 1979 to 1988. In this capacity, he oversaw planning initiatives that shaped regional growth.
From 1973 to 1979, Mr. Blum held the roles of director of planning and assistant city manager for the City of McAllen. During this tenure, he served as the lead consultant on efforts that culminated in a Presidential Permit for a new international bridge and supported the designation of key regional corridors as Interstate I-69 and Interstate 2, infrastructure decisions that reshaped long-term economic development in the Rio Grande Valley.
During that process, Mr. Blum identified a location for a future international bridge that would later become a critical gateway for cross-border commerce and regional mobility. This work ultimately led to being selected by the City of McAllen to pursue a Presidential Permit for a future international bridge at a location he identified in his work on the Sharyland Master PlanThe most defining chapters of his career were both his involvement in the master planning of Sharyland Plantation, helping identify the future location of what would become a vital international bridge.
That work ultimately led to a face to face meeting in McAllen, at the invitation of our then Congressman with President Bill Clinton to advocate for the issuance of a Presidential Permit necessary to advance the bridge project and to gain his support for the Regional effort to make the Rio Grande Valley a region with Interstate highway designations. Eighteen months following that meeting the Permit was presented to the Mayors of the affected cities at the Roosevelt room in the Whitehouse. Blum was in the room where that happened.
The successful authorization and eventual construction of the bridge helped reshape regional logistics, strengthen international commerce, and accelerate economic growth throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Beyond Blum’s professional practice, his work has always been grounded in a deep commitment to civic, cultural, and humanitarian service. Community involvement has been a natural extension of my professional responsibilities, reflecting a belief that sustainable development must be paired with stewardship and investment in the people and institutions that define a region.
Mr. Blum began his municipal career as a city planner for Edinburg from 1972 to 1973 after completing an internship with the city following his graduate studies.
Mr. Blum’s professional journey includes two years of service in the United States Army during the Vietnam War era. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he attended Officer Candidate School but ultimately served as a battalion operations sergeant at Fort Hood, Texas. His military experience provided essential leadership training that shaped his approach to public policy formulation and community service throughout his subsequent career.
Recognized for his expertise in strategic planning, economic development and public policy formulation, Mr. Blum is a member of several industry organizations. These include the National Association of Realtors and Greater McAllen Association of Realtors. His commitment to civic engagement is reflected in leadership roles, including his former presidency of Temple Emanuel in McAllen, his past presidency and board membership of the International Museum of Art and Science and his role as the chairman of the Citizens’ Community Advisory Committee for McAllen Independent School District from 2004 to 2009.
Mr. Blum holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Texas A&M University, earned in 197,1 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas A&M University, completed in 1969. His academic pursuits were directly influenced by his military service; time spent in the Army provided him with invaluable skills that led him to pursue higher education at Texas A&M University before launching his career with an internship in Edinburg.
Throughout his life, Mr. Blum has demonstrated a strong commitment to civic involvement and creative expression. He has volunteered as Santa Claus for hundreds of children over many years and served as a music director and guitar player at his synagogue’s Sunday school for four decades, teaching traditional Jewish music to young students.
Mr. Blum’s achievements have been recognized through numerous professional and civic honors. These include CoStar Power Broker recognition in 2018 and the third quarter of 2020, Easter Seals of the Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian of the Year in 2013, the Mayor’s Community Service Award in 2017 and Texas Volunteer Industrial Developer of the Year by the Texas Industrial Development Council in 1988.
Mr. Blum's time in the U.S. Army was an essential leadership-training experience that shaped his future in ways he could not have anticipated. That two-year stint in the Army was pivotal, providing him with invaluable skills and experiences that set him on a successful path. It led him back to Texas A&M, to complete his master’s study in Urban and Regional Planning. That eventually led to an internship with the City of Edinburg Model Cities agency. This opened doors to opportunities in Edinburg when he became City planner after only 60 days. Several months later, he was recruited by the City of McAllen to become its first City Planner. Reflecting on his journey, Mr. Blum considers his 24 months in the Army as a gamechanger that significantly influenced his career and life trajectory.
“My career has always been guided by the belief that commercial real estate is not simply about transactions, but about shaping communities and creating pathways for long-term economic growth,” said Mr. Blum. Those principles closely align with the values that define NAI Global—disciplined advisory practice, market-driven insight, and a steadfast commitment to client success.
Taken together, these experiences reflect the core values that define NAI Global—integrity, expertise, stewardship, and a commitment to creating lasting value within the communities it serves. My affiliation with NAI Global, spanning 25 to 30 years, has provided a worldwide footprint, connecting McAllen to a network of offices and opportunities across the globe. NAI STX, serving South Texas since 2018, builds on a legacy that began as NAI Rio Grande Valley, which operated for more than 20 years under previous ownership.
Now in his eighth decade, Mr. Blum continues to pursue the real estate business which he loves, while valuing family, community, and service. He enjoys playing music with children, woodworking, and giving back to the community. Blum and his wife have been married for 43 years, and together they share two grandchildren, ages 25 and 5, and a life built on partnership, service, and dedication to south Texas.
Born in Houston, Mr. Blum enjoys woodworking and vessel art. Notably, his vessel art is on display at the International Museum of Art and Science, where he participates annually alongside other artists, including painters, sculptors and woodturners. He has created unique pieces, including a wooden representation inspired by an ostrich egg, demonstrating more than 15 years of dedication to woodturning. Looking ahead, Mr. Blum intends to continue contributing to real estate alongside personal pursuits, including music education for youth and woodworking projects.
Editor’s Note: The above commentary was provided by Marquis Who’s Who honors Michael J. Blum for Expertise in Real Estate Services. Blum is a longtime real estate broker in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and a partner at NAI STX.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who ® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
