Last month Commissioner Leon participated in the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony for “MY TIME FITNESS” gym.
This success story is the culmination of a public/private collaboration between John Ball, the owner, and the Southwest Texas Border Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a program of the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC is the largest management and technical assistance program for small business development in the U.S.
Commissioner Leon attended the ceremony to show his support for this very special public/private collaboration. The agency has contributed greatly to the expansion of commerce and jobs in his precinct. Over the past two years, the SBDC has provided services to almost 900 businesses in Precinct One.
During his tour of the gym, Leon learned about the background of Mr. Ball. The new business owner is recently retired as a Command Sergeant Major from the Army. Ball trained soldiers in a variety of physical fitness regimens and has implemented the techniques of his training into the concept of his gym.
The SBDC assisted Mr. Ball with the set-up of some administrative manuals, the research for the opening of the day care at the gym, and with some aspects of his grand opening ceremony. The agency offers much more in services to aspiring and existing small business owners.
The following is part of what the SBDC provides as free services: business start-ups and planning, SBA Financing Programs, research and training. The agency also provides one to one confidential counseling in areas such as personal evaluation and management. There are also over 100 seminars provided on a variety of business topics designed to help small businesses.
Commissioner Leon strongly believes small businesses are the backbone of commerce in El Paso County. When small businesses succeed, money stays in El Paso and creates more commerce and jobs. He encourages existing and potential small business owners to contact the SBDC to take advantage of their services.
To visit the SBDC website, Click here.
To visit “MY TIME FITNESS”, Click Here.
Commissioner Carlos Leon and his wife Bonnie were honored to participate in the 2013 First Light Federal Credit Union Sun Carnival Parade. The crowd of people along the parade route on Montana Street was estimated to exceed 300,000. While somewhat cool in the morning, the temperature was perfect for the rest of the day.
This edition of the parade was the 77th parade since its inception. The first parades were held on January 1st in conjunction with the Sun Carnival ending with the Sun Bowl Football Game. Eventually, the day of the parade was changed to Thanksgiving Day.
Recently, the parade was ranked by AOL Travel in the top five nationally of Thanksgiving Day parades.
During the November 4th session of Commissioners Court, Commissioner Leon presented a resolution declaring November of 2013 as Spice is not Nice Month.
Commissioner Leon recognized Ruth Rivas to narrate a PowerPoint presentation. She shared with the public her grief from the death of her son, Adam Robert Hernandez, whose death was attributed to the use of spice.
During the presentation, Ms. Rivas explained about the ingredients in spice and how it is marketed in order to attract the attention of young people. She also explained how the product has no disclaimers about the ingredients.
The organization she formed, “Spice is not Nice”, was created to inform parents and young people about the hazards of this synthetic form of marijuana. The website for her organization is www.spiceisnotnice.org.
Please visit her site and learn more about spice and its dangers to our young adults and teens.
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On October 16, a Union Pacific (UP) freight train derailed several cars just under the Cotton Street overpass by I-10. One of the derailed cars collided with a concrete pillar that supported the freeway.
Because of the extensive damage, lanes on the freeway were closed for several days.
Ivan Jaime, the public affairs person for the railroad visited Commissioner Leon on October 29th to update him on the status of repairs. He presented information in a PowerPoint presentation. Jaime explained how UP quickly teamed with TxDOT to initiate traffic safety and repairs. In just over two weeks, the needed repairs were completed and the closed lanes were reopened.
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PowerPoint Presentation
Click to View
On October 25th, Commissioner Leon held his third of three leadership classes with county department heads. He shared his thoughts and experiences from throughout his long career in the El Paso Police Department. The county provides these leadership classes to supervisors so that they may be better prepared for change and to recognize and act on new opportunities as they arise. Through his career as a supervisor at various levels, and eventually chief, in the police department, Leon shared the importance and means of dealing with stressful situations. He also emphasized the importance strong teamwork within and between departments.
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