San Benito Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Rebeca Castillo prepares to leave her office after three years serving in San Benito. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herlad)
SAN BENITO — After more than three years on the job, Rebeca Castillo, the San Benito Economic Development Corporation’s executive director, is resigning to develop her business.
On Monday, the EDC’s board members, who gave her a 3.5-percent pay increase boosting her salary to $80,000 last month, opened a search for a replacement after Castillo stunned them with her resignation.
”It’s bittersweet to resign from my role but after careful consideration I have decided to explore other options which include increasing my role as chief executive officer-founder of my firm,” Castillo wrote in her May 25 letter to EDC President Julian Rios. “I want to thank the EDC board and the city commission for the opportunity to serve the San Benito community and spearhead its economic development efforts. I strongly believe that my knowledge and expertise have been integral on the growth and progress in our community.”
Rios said Castillo’s resignation, effective June 25, surprised him.
“It was unexpected but I wish her the best,” he said. “I’m proud to see she’s pursuing her dream. She’s done an excellent job in getting us to where we are.”
Castillo, who launched Castillo Creative Consulting three years ago, said she plans to build up the San Benito firm helping small businesses and non-profit organizations.
“I’m at a point where I want to go more into my own business,” she said during an interview. “I want it to grow. All the experience I’ve gathered in 28 years, I’m incorporating.”
In January 2019, Castillo became the EDC’s first director in nearly three years.
“I’m very happy with what we’ve accomplished,” she said.
Downtown revitalization
After serving on the EDC board, City Commissioner Rene Garcia credited Castillo with helping to revitalize the downtown business district.
“She initiated the downtown revitalization program,” he said.
In the last three years, 43 new businesses have opened along Sam Houston Boulevard, now home to 108 shops, Castillo said.
Since then, she’s helped businesses move into downtown storefronts, cutting vacancies from 80 to eight, she said.
“We have been able to develop a good city profile that makes our community available for new prospects,” she said. “As one business closes, we have other businesses interested in opening. There’s always a space and a location available.”
Business center
After taking the job, Castillo moved the city’s EDC offices into a 6,293-square-foot resaca-front building the agency purchased for $385,000 in 2013.
As part of the move, she launched a business incubator program offering entrepreneurs office space to develop their products and services before opening their own shops.
Now, she’s holding training sessions and workshops aimed at small business development.
“We have a fully functioning economic development business center,” Garcia said
Building cache to draw business
Meanwhile, Castillo has worked to boost the agency’s savings.
Now, the EDC’s annual budget stands at $1.2 million, with $3.7 million in cash reserves, up from $1.1 million in 2019.
Through her tenure, the agency has built up its cache to fund incentives, giving it leverage to draw business to town.
“We want to save to have a competitive edge,” she said.
Shifting CEO title
In June 2021, a split city commission cut into Castillo’s job duties, giving City Manager Manuel De La Rosa the EDC’s chief executive officer’s job along with a $45,000 raise, bumping his salary to $175,000.
“At first there was a little friction,” she said.
But by October, she was back as the agency’s CEO, she said.
“My relationship with Mr. De La Rosa has been good,” she said. “We’ve been working very closely with prospects. He’s been very helpful in assisting on the city’s end.”
Sales tax revenue climbing
While Castillo has been on the job, the city’s annual sales tax collection has climbed over $5 million, with retail developments such as Resaca Village opening as big-name franchise chains prepare to launch restaurants and shops.
“Sales tax has definitely increased with her marketing effort,” Garcia said. “We continue to get new businesses.”
