MISSION, Texas - The board of directors of the Mission Economic Development Corporation unanimously voted to appoint their financial officer, Joe Salazar, as acting CEO, at a special meeting held Sept. 9. The board also voted to search for a new, permanent chief executive officer.
This follows current CEO, Teclo Garcia’s announcement that he will be retiring, Sept. 11. Garcia was not at the special called meeting.
“I will retire from my position as CEO of the Mission Economic Development Corporation, Executive Director of the Mission Economic Development Authority and Executive Director of the Mission Redevelopment Authority, effective Sept. 11, 2026,” Garcia said a week ago, in a posting on LinkedIn.
“I became eligible for full retirement this month under the Texas Municipal Retirement System after more than 19 years of service at the cities of McAllen, Laredo and Mission.”
Garcia said that during his four-year tenure at Mission EDC, he enjoyed leading a team of economic development professionals that attracted nearly $400 million in new investment and created about 2,000 new jobs to Mission.
He also said he launched and managed programs that invested millions into local small businesses and worked to develop three bond programs pouring millions into local projects and infrastructure.
“Also, the Mission EDC was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Economic Excellence by the Texas Economic Development Council in 2026,” Garcia wrote. “MEDC earned the highest marks from independent, external auditors three years running and received an A- rating from the national bond-rating agencies. Looking forward to new adventures.”
Although Garcia points to high marks from independent, external auditors, Mission City Councilmember Alberto “Beto” Vela says Mission EDSC needs another audit. In an interview with the Progress Times, Vela said the audit should include internal controls, purchasing, spending, contracts, incentives, grants and compliance with policy and law.
In a recent news story, the Mission newspaper described the EDC’s current plight as “troubled,” in part because of a lawsuit it is embroiled in with Uncommonly, LLC.
Uncommonly's ongoing legal battle with MEDC centers around a lease dispute and property damage at the Cimarron Country Club. The company sued MEDC, claiming the corporation failed to fix severe roof leaks following a March 2025 storm, which damaged inventory. The MEDC claimed Uncommonly was delinquent on rent and in possession of the leased property in an eviction judgment on April 8, 2026.
Uncommonly returned to court requesting an order to force the MEDC to turn over missing internal records. An expedited hearing is scheduled for September 15 before State District Judge Joe Ramirez.
“When I read the article about the Uncommonly lawsuit, I was surprised to see how many different attorneys had been hired for a civil lawsuit,” Vela told the Progress Times. “But what concerned me even more was that we had not been made aware of many of the issues going on at the EDC.
“It’s disappointing when you’re having to learn about EDC issues through the newspaper instead of being informed directly. That’s really what led me to ask for an audit. I wanted to get a better understanding of how taxpayer dollars were being spent, but more importantly, I think the citizens deserve to know as well.”
One of Garcia’s final public appearances as CEO of Mission EDC came at a monthly meeting of the South Texas Manufacturers Association. Garcia spoke about Zerluma, an advanced metals recycling and manufacturing company backed by Mexico-based Grupo Century Recycling, building a plant in Mission. The company recently broke ground on a state-of-the-art $50 million facility located at 300 Trinity Street, near South Conway Avenue and the Mission Hike and Bike Trail. Click here to watch a video of Garcia’s remarks.
