​   My name is Hatali Breckenridge and I am excited and humbled to be chosen as the new Director of Health Issues for the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I was born and raised in Del Rio. I am passionate about our city and the health of our community.
   For the past three years, I have had the privilege of working for Val Verde Regional Medical Center as the Marketing Service Coordinator where I work with the community on health issues. I am a graduate of the University of Texas in San Antonio with a Bachelor degree in Communications. I am currently working on my Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and International Management.
   As the Director of Health Issues for DRHCC, I plan to present health related issues to our community and bring awareness of the different healthcare services available locally.  I look forward to meeting current and new members of DRHCC and learning more from our veteran board members who possess a wealth of knowledge and experience.

​Congratulations to Mr. Polo Del Rio on the re-opening of his restaurant Cripple Creek! It was a long-awaited event and it finally happened in January.   A special thanks goes to Mayor Robert Garza and his staff for hosting the January meeting and for  presenting the State of the City report and all the progressive projects that are being explored, modified, or implemented to make our community a better place in which to live and do business.
 February is a month filled with special days celebrating special people past and present.  February is the month of our Valentine’s Social at Border Federal Credit Union, Black History is celebrated all month long and this year there is an extra day to celebrate as 2016 Leap Year.  Ground Hog Day, Lincoln’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, Washington’s birthday, Levi Strauss (what would we do without jeans?).  We hope that  the days leading up to February 14th businesses will enjoy  a large volume of traffic  as it is probably the first big business day of the new year.  Please allow us to work with you to promote your business, keep sending information for the Weekly Blast and the Newsletter
Congratulations to all our new member businesses that received their plaques in January.  We look forward to your partnership and your participation.
Otila Gonzalez - President

​In the month of January the City of Del Rio hosted DRHCC’s first Monthly Membership Meeting of 2016.  Guest speaker, Mayor Robert Garza, presented the audience with a short video that highlighted key projects that were completed in different parts of town in 2015. 
   After he spoke about current issues including: a progress report on the condition of the streets, the need for an additional international bridge, creating a customer friendly environment amongst city employees, and the possibilities of training locals to do infrastructure work in house in order to cut costs and save time for future projects.  HEB sponsored a rosca, and brought both the “Three Wise Kings” and “HEB Buddy” to celebrate Día de Reyes with members in attendance. Toyota of Del Rio representatives, Sammy Mireles and Chris Lee, were present that night as well as Olga Suday, owner of Wright’s Steak House. 
   Both Toyota and Wright’s were welcomed that night as new incoming members. A $25.00 dollar gift card was raffled at the end of the night, compliments of Wright’s Steak House. DRHCC would like to thank everyone in attendance. We would also like to thank the City of Del Rio and HEB for providing refreshments.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet current and incoming members at our Valentine’s Business Social, hosted by Border Federal Credit Union this month!  We look forward to seeing you there.
 Leslie Herrera -  Director of Membership​

​On January 6th HEB invited the community to join them in celebrating Dia de Reyes at their store located on the corner of Veterans Blvd and Gibbs.  This is their 4th annual Dia De Reyes Celebration and has become a tradition amongst members of DRHCC.  Janie Garcia, Unit Director of HEB Del Rio, was present along with “HEB Buddy” and the “Three Wise Kings”.  We thank HEB for always making community a priority, and for showcasing Hispanic culture and heritage through the presentation of the rosca.

BOTH CHAMBERS CONGRATULATE CRIPPLE CREEK
They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and we can attest to that!  Cripple Creek is now open for business and we couldn’t be happier.  On January 7th, DRHCC joined forces with the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce for the grand re-opening of the popular steak house located off of HWY 90.  The restaurant was filled with familiar faces that evening, including Father Henry Clay Hunt who presided over the prayer that evening.  Owner, Polo Del Rio, gifted $10.00 off coupons to all those in attendance.  DRHCC extends a special thanks to Polo for his generosity and for allowing us to be part of this event.

By: Al Cervantez
   For several years the City of Del Rio and Cuidad Acuña have been talking about the need for a second international bridge between the two cities to facilitate the crossing of commercial traffic from the maquilas in Cuidad Acuña to Del Rio and to the northern, eastern, and western parts of the United States.
   In order to accomplish this task, in 2012 the City of Del Rio and Val Verde County agreed to sponsor a feasibility study. A consultant firm, S&B Infrastructure Ltd, was hired to perform an initial study (Phase 1) to determine the most feasible location for a bridge across the Rio Grande.
   In 2014, the first phase of the proposal project study was completed and presented to the City Council and to Val Verde County. A site upstream of the existing bridge was determined to the preferred location and was eventually approved by the City of Del Rio, Val Verde County and by the City Council of Cuidad Acuña.
   Just recently both the Del Rio City Council and the International Bridge Board voted in favor of the second phase study which will determine if the traffic flow to the proposed bridge merits the construction of a second bridge. This is part of the overall process and will probably take approximately five to eight months to complete.
   The building of a second international bridge is a drawn out process that requires detailed studies, especially one built for commercial traffic. This a very important economic factor for our border city.
​More to come in 2016.

"The collection of toys to assist Niños Navideños was a great success thanks to the generosity of our members and friends who donated toys for this worthy project. We appreciate your participation. You helped make Christmas special for many children."

​On behalf of the DRHCC I would like to wish you a happy and prosperous new year! As we begin the year 2016, we look forward to monthly calendars filled with activities to promote our member businesses and our community in general. While we were shocked and saddened by the tragic accident that claimed the life of one of our directors and injured three others, we rejoice in the recovery of the survivors and look forward to their involvement in 2016.  
   ​The schedule of meetings for the Hispanic Chamber will remain as in the past. Membership meetings will be held the second Thursday of each month. The Board of Directors will continue to meet on the last Monday of the month unless it falls on a holiday. We will strive to bring to you interesting and informative presentations from dignitaries and leaders from within our community and from our surrounding areas. With your cooperation and participation we hope to have a successful event in April and the very important Gutierrez Scholarship Dance event in June that will enable us to give more scholarships to deserving students this year.
   ​We encourage you to continue to use the weekly Blast and the monthly Newsletter to promote your businesses. The Newsletter will feature one of our directors each month so that you may get to know and call upon us. We look forward to serving you during the coming year.
Otila Gonzalez - President