Call Center Company in Edinburg, TX

SONIC Drive-In Celebrates the Grand Opening of East Edinburg Location

First SONIC location to open in Edinburg since 2001, bringing fresh flavors and a fresh look to the east side of Edinburg

SONIC® Drive-In announced it will host the grand opening of its East Edinburg drive-in located at 2563 S. Raul Longoria Road on Wednesday, May 7. This marks the first SONIC Drive-In to open in the Edinburg area since 2001.

At 10:30 a.m., local franchisee Al Trevino, alongside the mayor and local dignitaries, will host the official ribbon cutting. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to enjoy free samples, SONIC-branded merchandise giveaways and coupons for their next visit, including 99-cent Corn Dogs, Buy One, Get One Cheeseburgers and more! Throughout the day, the new Edinburg SONIC will also host live entertainment from a local high school band and a Mariachi band.

Starting May 7, the restaurant will be open every day from 7:00 a.m. to midnight and features 14 drive-in stalls, a drive-thru lane and outside patio seating. The one-of-a-kind dining experience also incorporates eye-catching elements of SONIC’s updated architectural design and visual brand identity for guests to experience the new SONIC look.

The drive-in will bring approximately 45 new job opportunities to the area. Those interested in joining the SONIC team are encouraged to apply by texting Crushtx to 242424.

The new location is owned and operated by local Edinburg franchisee Al Trevino, who owns five additional locations throughout south Texas.

"We're thrilled to open a new SONIC Drive-In in East Edinburg," Trevino said. "As local residents, we look forward to serving our community and becoming the go-to spot for the best, freshest food and most delicious drinks with the friendliest service."

With hundreds of thousands of craveable flavors and drink combinations, including limeades, burgers, hot dogs and more, SONIC’s expansive, award-winning menu offers made-to-order and customizable breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options to delight the whole family.

In addition to drive-thru and drive-in service, East-Side Edinburg SONIC guests can place an order online or through the SONIC App for contactless ordering and payment, as well as to take advantage of the monthly offers and discounts available through SONIC Rewards.

SONIC is also committed to supporting public schools by donating a portion of proceeds from every SONIC Drink, Slush and Shake purchase to the SONIC Foundation, which is used to support local public education.* Since 2009, the SONIC Limeades for Learning initiative has raised more than $28 million for funding local classrooms, becoming one of the largest programs in the U.S. to support public education.

*SONIC donates a portion of every drink, slush, and shake purchase to the SONIC Foundation, which is used to support local schools across the communities SONIC serves through partners like DonorsChoose. The SONIC Foundation is a division of the Inspire Brands Foundation. For more information about the SONIC Foundation, visit foundation.sonicdrivein.com.

About SONIC® Drive-InSONIC, founded in 1953, is the largest drive-in restaurant brand in the United States, with more than 3,500 restaurants in 48 states. SONIC is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit SONICDriveIn.com and InspireBrands.com.

The city of Edinburg announced Friday that the Zoho Corporation has purchased the historic Echo Hotel.

In a news release, Edinburg’s economic arm said the global software company finalized the purchase on April 10 “with plans to redevelop the property into a state-of-the-art office campus.”

The company had been considering a popular park in McAllen, but the proposal was met with community pushback.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos later said after MyRGV.com reported that Zoho was instead considering a property in the Edinburg area that Zoho’s expansion in the region is a win for everybody.

Raudel Garza, executive director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, called the project transformative.

“We are thrilled to welcome a company of Zoho’s caliber to Edinburg,” Garza said. “Their investment not only strengthens our local economy but also sets the stage for long-term innovation, workforce development, and opportunity in our community.”

Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. said the plans for the Echo Hotel are exciting for the community.

“You’re taking an older, well-known property and giving it a new purpose—one that brings jobs, technology, and innovation to our city,” Garza said. “Zoho’s corporate culture aligns well with the spirit of our four-time All-America City, and we’re proud to welcome them to Edinburg.”

The release said that the city’s economic arm worked closely with Zoho to support its efforts to renovate the Echo Hotel.

“This project further solidifies Edinburg’s position as a destination for tech investment and high-impact development in South Texas,” the release stated.

Zoho is recognized for a suite of online business applications used by organizations of all sizes to manage operations efficiently, according to the release.

“The Echo Hotel property, a site with deep roots in Edinburg’s history, will be thoughtfully reimagined and will continue to reflect Zoho’s mission and commitment to education and workforce advancement,” the release stated.

Texas Border Business

EDINBURG, Texas – The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) announced today a major milestone in the city’s economic landscape with the official acquisition of the historic Echo Hotel property by Zoho Corporation. The global software company, based in Austin, finalized the purchase of the site on Thursday, April 10, 2025, with plans to redevelop the property into a state-of-the-art office campus. The move signals an expansion of Zoho’s operations in the Rio Grande Valley.

The company will expand its operations to Edinburg. Zoho is widely recognized for its suite of online business applications, which are used by organizations of all sizes to manage their operations more efficiently.

“This is the kind of transformative project the EEDC works every day to help make possible,” said Raudel Garza, Executive Director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. “We are thrilled to welcome a company of Zoho’s caliber to Edinburg. Their investment not only strengthens our local economy but also sets the stage for long-term innovation, workforce development, and opportunity in our community.”

The Echo Hotel property, a site with deep roots in Edinburg’s history, will be thoughtfully reimagined and will continue to reflect Zoho’s mission and commitment to education and workforce advancement.

“The plans for the Echo Hotel property are certainly exciting for our community,” said Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. “You’re taking an older, well-known property and giving it a new purpose—one that brings jobs, technology, and innovation to our city. Zoho’s corporate culture aligns well with the spirit of our four-time All-America City, and we’re proud to welcome them to Edinburg.”

The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has worked closely with Zoho’s leadership to support its efforts to renovate the Echo property. This project further solidifies Edinburg’s position as a destination for tech investment and high-impact development in South Texas.

Texas Border Business

McALLEN, Texas – The McAllen Economic Development Corporation in partnership with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and the City of McAllen is proud to present the MXLAN International Economic Summit, a full-day gathering of business leaders, policymakers, educators, and innovators to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are shaping the economic future of the Rio Grande Valley and its binational partners.

Summit Overview

Kanye Harris, Regional Sales Manager for Delta Air Lines, will present on behalf of summit sponsors Delta and Aeroméxico, focusing on how expanded air connectivity and cargo routes are driving economic accessibility and business growth across North America.

Commissioner Bryan Daniel of the Texas Workforce Commission will deliver insights on Texas’ proactive approach to workforce readiness in an AI-integrated economy. He will be followed by Aaron Demerson, President & CEO of the Texas Economic Development Council, who will outline the state’s AI innovation strategy and the vital role local organizations play in enabling adoption.

Featured Sessions and Discussions

The day will close with a keynote presentation titled “To AI or Not to AI: Are You Future Ready?” by Jesús Cochegrús, a globally recognized creative technologist and international speaker. His thought-provoking address will challenge attendees to embrace innovation and consider the region’s place in a fast-evolving digital world.

Tickets are available for $60 and include full access to all sessions, panels, and networking opportunities. Sponsorship packages offering premium exposure are still available.

An Austin-area tech company with a global footprint has begun making major investments in South Texas, including the purchase of a 1,000-acre tract of land, as well as a historic hotel in Edinburg.

Zoho Corporation — which in 2019 moved its corporate headquarters from Silicon Valley to the Del Valle area of Austin — is continuing to expand its footprint in Texas.

On Friday, April 11, the company finalized the purchase of Edinburg’s historic Echo Hotel, according to property deed records from Hidalgo County.

Founded in Chennai, India, in 1996, the company now has locations in 20 countries, including three in Texas.

Edinburg's Echo Hotel

The Echo Hotel was built in 1959 along the town’s main drag, U.S. Business Highway 281, also known as Closner Boulevard.

Famous for its enormous mid-century-style sign that glows nearly fluorescent green at night, the Echo sits on 15 acres of land, with the hotel occupying some 321,000 square feet of that space, county property records show.

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Zoho’s purchase of the Echo comes about six months after another large-scale land investment in the region.

On Sept. 23, 2024, Zoho finalized the purchase of a 1,050-acre tract of land about 15 miles north of the city of Edinburg near the famed Red Gate Ranch.

The expansive rural tract stretches from the northbound Interstate-69C frontage road directly eastward in a narrow ribbon that looks like two misshapen rectangles laid end-to-end.

However, it remains unclear how much Zoho paid for either property. The company declined to comment beyond saying, "As we've always shared, we are committed to the Rio Grande Valley."

But Hidalgo County appraisal records put the taxable value of the Echo at just under $1.85 million — a more than $1.1 million decrease from the $3 million valuation it received in 2022.

Meanwhile, the 1,050-acre tract of land was valued at just over $89,000 for the 2024 tax year — a plum valuation that came as a result of the property’s designation as agricultural land.

County appraisers estimated the rural land to be worth more than $2.9 million at market rate.

Zoho's plans for Rio Grande Valley tech campus meets backlash

Zoho’s purchase of the two properties is not its first foray into establishing a location in the Rio Grande Valley.

Since 2022, the company has operated an office in the city of McAllen.

At the time, McAllen city leaders celebrated Zoho’s opening — located in a “creative incubator” facility operated by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce — as a coup signaling the beginning of a tech revolution in the Valley.

The company had a bold plan to build what it called a “tech campus” that would fuse an “ecological paradise” with modern-day “advanced technologies” such as robotics engineering.

But the company needed somewhere to build the campus.

Enter the city of McAllen, which owns a 90-acre undeveloped plot of land that sits in the middle of a FEMA flood plain on the south side of town.

Undeveloped, but not unused.

The land, which locals have for years called Green Jay Park, is home to scores of native plants and animals that draw visits from birdwatchers near and far.

It’s also home to one of the few 18-hole disc golf courses in South Texas and is a favorite among the disc golf community.

McAllen city leaders offered Zoho the Green Jay Park property, even going as far as rezoning the park from open space to light industrial.

That drew the ire of hundreds of residents, who showed up en masse at McAllen public meetings to voice their dissent and to call on city leaders to save the park.

Ultimately, in July 2023, the city rezoned the property. But afterward, there was nothing but silence — until Zoho quietly bought the acreage north of Edinburg last year.

Zoho purchases solidify South Texas commitment

Edinburg leaders were mum on the details of the company’s decision to buy two properties, but they did express excitement at Zoho’s decision.

“I think that Zoho opening up a facility in Edinburg brings a lot of job opportunities for the region, as they have done in other parts of their operations,” Raudel Garza, director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, told MySA on Wednesday, April 23.

“They’re gonna do big things here,” he added.

The EDC director declined to go into detail over how much money Zoho paid for the two properties, but he did say that the EDC didn’t do anything to sweeten the deal.

“I can tell you that this was a straight up real estate deal. There have been no economic incentive agreements whatsoever,” Raudel Garza said.

Over the last three years, Edinburg has seen a billion dollars in new investments, Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. said.

And Zoho’s decision to build in the city is just another sign that “business attracts business,” Ramiro Garza said.

“We're just excited that we now are also getting a good amount of traction on some of the larger employers that are looking at the South Texas region,” Raudel Garza said.

The city of McAllen is excited, too — even though Zoho didn’t choose its Green Jay Park location.

For McAllen City Manager Isaac “Ike” Tawil, Zoho’s presence anywhere in the Valley is a boon for the entire region.

“The fact that they’re in the Valley is a good thing, and the fact that McAllen brought them to the Valley is a great thing,” Tawil said, adding companies like Zoho bring high-paying jobs with them.

Indeed, during its deliberations over locating in McAllen, company officials touted the inroads they’d already begun making with local colleges.

“Let’s continue to celebrate those kinds of victories. Let’s continue to elevate this part of the country,” Tawil said.

EDINBURG, TX (April 16, 2025) |

Shaun Dawson, who has worked for 25 years at the Greater Texas Credit Union office in Edinburg, has been promoted to Branch Manager, now serving the Rio Grande Valley community.

Dawson, a South Texas native, started as a teller at the Edinburg branch in 2001 and has had various roles supporting all aspects of member services and branch operations before being named to the top branch post.

Born in Zapata, he worked in banking briefly before joining Greater Texas as a teller in Edinburg and relocating there, launching his credit union career.

“No one knows the credit union and the Edinburg community better than Shaun Dawson,” said Cynthia Olivares, Assistant Vice President, Market Development & Operations. “He was the natural choice for the branch manager position, as someone who knows the importance of member service and providing a great banking experience.”

Dawson has been active in the Greater Texas Credit Union’s volunteer program, Greater Good, in various local community efforts, including H-E-B food stores’ Feast of Sharing. He also drove the credit union’s participation in last year’s Edinburg Cares Food Drive. He’s now looking to get even more involved in the community, but says his number one goal as branch manager is to deliver top-tier service to ensure happy, loyal members.

Greater Texas Credit Union, founded in 1952, is a financial cooperative that emphasizes community stewardship, charitable giving, and employee volunteerism through its Greater Good initiative. Together with its subsidiary, Aggieland Credit Union – which serves the Brazos Valley – the credit union offers a wide variety of consumer-oriented banking services to its 85,000 members across the state of Texas. Greater Texas has locations in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Bryan-College Station, Edinburg, and the Dallas-Ft. Worth market with assets of nearly $1 billion.

Contact

Kristine Tanzillo Dux Public Relations Kristine@duxpr.com 903-865-1078