PHARR, Texas - To get a true picture of the potential of the Rio Grande Valley, prospective investors must look beyond purely U.S.-based data.
This is the advice of Sasha Levine, executive vice president of Levcor, Inc.
Levcor owns the highly successful Pharr Town Center, whose tenants include T.J.Maxx, Main Event, and Academy and welcomes the first IKEA store to the Rio Grande Valley in the fall 2025.
Levine spoke at the recent 2025 Governor's Small Business Summit-Pharr.
“Let's talk about why Pharr and why this region have worked so well, not just for Levcor, but for our tenants, for our partners, and for our customers. One of the key things we learned about Pharr Town Center is that this city and this region serve three incredibly unique customer bases,” Levine said, in her speech at the summit.
“Firstly, we have over 1.5 million locals in the Rio Grande Valley. Secondly, there are also 150,000 Winter Texans, or snowbirds, who flock to this region for the warm months. And this is the kicker: there are an estimated five million Mexican nationals who cross the border each year to come here to shop, to dine and experience what this region has to offer.”
Levine continued: “So, if you're a business looking at the Valley and relying on a traditional US-based data provider to tell you what your traffic will be when you start a business here, you're missing half the story.”
Levine said Levcor has had tenants who have opened their stores understaffed “because they just didn't believe us when we told them how strong their traffic would be.”
Levine said these tenants only anticipated their American customer base.
“They never considered the narrative behind the traffic coming from south ofnthe border. And then we get a call a week after opening - every single time – to say, we ran out of inventory, we're short staffed, we need to extend our hours.”
Levine described these as the best calls she gets. “This Rio Grande Valley region has a booming national economy, and that is something that you need to take advantage of,” she said.
Levine then ran through some of the region’s biggest assets. She started with the Pharr International Bridge.
“The Pharr International Bridge is one of the busiest commercial ports in the country. It connects directly to Reynosa, Mexico, and supports a binational supply chain that fuels logistics, retail and industry in ways that most US metropolitan cities can only dream about,” Levine said.
“Pharr isn't just open for business, it's uniquely positioned at the crossroads of international commerce, regional growth and cultural exchange.”
Levine then mentioned SpaceX and the liquefied natural gas export terminals being built at the Port of Brownsville.
“We're seeing SpaceX revolutionizing the Rio Grande Valley area. Liquified natural gas companies and corporate tourism are booming, and the population here is young, bilingual and driven, not to mention the strong network of hospital systems and universities, as you see here today, like UTRGV, Texas A&M and South Texas College, to name a few. These institutions are feeding a skilled and talented workforce.”
Businesses relocating or opening shop in the Valley can thrive if they develop strong local partners, Levine argued.
“None of this happens without strong local partners. Our relationship with the City of Pharr and the Pharr Economic Development Corporation has been second to none. As a developer who's worked in dozens of markets across the country, some friendly and some not so much, I can say without hesitation, that Pharr is among the best of the best.”
Levine said she wanted to close by providing some lessons learned.
“Let me leave you with a few takeaways from our journey with Pharr Town Center, where we came from, where we are today and where the center is going.
“Firstly, believe in the market that others ignore. Levcor saw value here decades ago, when most national developers couldn't even locate the Valley on the map. They missed out.
“Embrace binational opportunity. The Valley is uniquely positioned to thrive on US and Mexico commerce and culture.
“Thirdly, and very importantly, partnerships matter. The City of Pharr and the Pharr Economic Development Corporation have been true partners, motivated, creative and committed to our vision and the vision we have together, to make this community the best and to bring it to its full potential. The people deserve it.
“Retailers underestimate this market until they don't. Then they call us back every time - truly every time - and say, why didn't you tell us to do this sooner? And we say, we tried. They have now they've opened two, three, four, locations within a three-mile radius.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of everything Sasha Levine said at the 2025 Small Business Summit-Pharr:
