Isidro Garza, Jr. PE
Texas A&M University, Class of ‘73
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
D.O.B. 11-16-50
Mr. Garza has 51 years of professional experience. He was inducted into Phi Tau Sigma, an honorary mechanical engineering society. He has eight years of experience in an industrial environment with Union Carbide in polyethylene and olefins units. In both units, he managed over 50 operators and maintenance personnel and a budget of over $200 million. He installed a major heat recovery project that recovered 1500 psi steam from the furnace operation, which was used to generate electricity. He improved furnace operations in olefins by utilizing oxygen analyzers to operate furnace dampers and thus approach stoichiometric burner conditions. In addition, he installed continuous monitoring of BTUs required per pound of product produced, yielding major savings by automatically loading the most efficient furnaces and cutting back on the least efficient.
Professional Experience and Accomplishments
Global Oil & Gas Resource Development
In 1978-1980, negotiated with Pemex under the direction of Ing. Jorge Diaz Serrano, the purchase of major streams of ethane, butane, and propane that were being flared during the initial exploration and exploitation of Mexico’s immensely successful global standing as a world producer of oil and gas. Pipelines were built from Pajaritos to Veracruz, and docks were built to load vessels that would take this raw material to Union Carbide’s plants in Ponce, Puerto Rico. This transaction included the exchange of technology, particularly the high-density low-pressure polyethylene invented by Union Carbide.
The Eagle Pass Power Transfer Initiative
As city manager for the City of Eagle Pass, he was responsible for approximately 200 employees, including firefighters and policemen. Mr. Garza initiated and successfully worked with Mexico's Comisión Federal de Electricidad through the Undersecretary of Energy, Lic. Eliseo Mendoza Berrueto and Central Power and Light for the purchase and transfer of power from the bituminous coal-fired power plants across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. The cost difference at the time was $.08/kWh in the US vs. $.015/kWh. Eagle Pass installed a system that permitted power to be transferred to the US by isolating Eagle Pass from the rest of the CP&L system in 1982.
Trans-Pacific Intermodal Logistics Plan
Working with Enrique Martinez y Martinez, Mr. Garza developed a plan entitled “Asia a Estados Unidos,” which would alleviate the congestion of cargo ships in Los Angeles and reroute them to the port in Mazatlan through Coahuila and into San Antonio to an intermodal distribution center. A large part of this plan has been developed to include the crossing known as the Espinaso del Diablo because of its previously inherent danger.
$90MM Water Treatment Plant Success Story
Mr. Garza has recently finished a $90MM 20MGD water treatment plant as construction manager representing the City of Laredo. He performed construction management and inspection, supervising engineers and inspectors. The project was done $4,000,000 below budget, on time, with no lost-time accidents, with over 1MM man-hours of exposure. If requested, a PowerPoint presentation of the project is available. www.agapegracellc.com
Water, Wastewater, and Civil Infrastructure Design
His firm designed and provided construction management for a water treatment plant for Maverick County, Texas. The process included new pump stations, transfer lines, flocculation basins, pontoon clarifiers, a filtration system, clear wells, a 250,000-gallon overhead storage tank, and its associated distribution system. In addition, he has designed wastewater treatment facilities.
Furthermore, he has extensive knowledge in the design and construction of streets, highways, drainage, sewer collection systems, and water distribution systems. He has designed and constructed entire subdivisions in Eagle Pass, Texas, and in Laredo, Texas.
FAA-Compliant Airport Master Planning
He conducted an Airport Master Plan for Maverick County in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Texas Aeronautics Commission. It included a study to relocate the present airport in Eagle Pass to include inventory, forecasting, facility requirements such as runway length, runway orientation, navigational aids, markings & lighting, hangars, fuel storage, terminal building, etc., airport layout plan, airspace plan, approach zones, clear zones, land use plan management program, airport development, projected cash flows, and environmental analysis.
Public Sector Project Authority
Furthermore, Mr. Garza has vast experience working with municipalities, the State of Texas, the Office of the State Architect of the State of California, and governmental agencies, including the Air Force, National Guard, Veterans Administration, Federal Aviation Agency, Texas Aeronautical Commission, Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Administration, and Texas Department of Community Affairs on projects that include airport master plans and major highway construction. Mr. Garza's experience includes projects originating from the idea stage, funding, design, and through construction.
Kickapoo Friendship and Community Transformation
Mr. Garza has been a friend of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas for over 45 years. He was able to have a positive impact on the lives of the Kickapoo Tribe, who were considered by many as squatters on city property underneath the International Bridge. He participated in a committee, which successfully obtained federal recognition for the tribe from President Reagan on January 8th, 1983. He participated in a committee that raised funds for the purchase of the 125 acres of land, which is now the Kickapoo Reservation. He was a part of the committee formed to raise the level of consciousness in the community concerning the plight of the Kickapoo through an awareness drive. The Kickapoo have come from the most blighted conditions anywhere in America to now having jobs with respectable living wages, respectable homes, children in schools, and health care for the youth and the elderly. They have gone from being landless to now having over 11,000 acres and tens of thousands of hectares in Mexico to add to the 7,000+ hectares ceded to them by President Benito Juárez in 1858.
Casino Development and Professional Recertification
He assisted Kickapoo in establishing the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, Texas, and continued as a consultant to the Kickapoo Tribal Council, representing the tribe on all issues. He managed over 600 employees and construction workers.
Unfortunately, because of politics, he served 811 days out of a 235-month sentence in federal prison. On 5 January 2010, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals VACATED all his convictions and remanded him to the district court, where he was released with time served. Since then, he has built a $90MM water treatment plant for the City of Laredo, has been employed by the Texas General Land Office, and has been recertified as a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.
Other Notable Projects
Impactful Funding and Development Wins
Obtained the funding for a National Guard Armory for Eagle Pass.
Calexico, California—Developed a 135,000 sq. ft. Wal-Mart and a 125,000 sq. ft. Sam's store, the first in the state of California. This included site selection, acquisition of land, development of the concept, annexation process, rezoning of land, obtaining a California Environmental Quality Assurance Permit, processing through the planning and zoning commissions as well as the City Council, and representing Wal-Mart in the negotiations of a $2.8MM rebate from sales tax for infrastructure from the City of Calexico.
Public Works & Community Infrastructure
He provided construction management and direct supervision for the construction of a ranger station for the Office of the State Architect. The project included an office building, a maintenance building, a building housing the hydro-pneumatic water system, its associated water and sewer systems, various ramadas, and comfort stations.
In Maverick County, he designed and provided construction management for sewer, water, and street improvements. These improvements served approximately 5,000 residents.
Some Construction and Engineering Projects
Phoenix Subdivision
Eagle Pass, Texas
Designed and built infrastructure for Phoenix Subdivision in Eagle Pass, Texas, to include sewer, water, drainage, streets, and curb and gutter.
LAS Brisas DEL MAR
Laredo, Texas
Constructed site improvements for this 33-acre subdivision to include sewer, water, drainage, streets, and curb and gutter.
Border Patrol Station
Eagle Pass, Texas
Built this complex for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
State Highway 16
Poteet, Texas
Overlaid approximately 20 miles of highway with two-inch layers of asphalt, at times achieving 2,800 tons of asphalt per day. The total project was $800,000.00.
Kelly AFB Access Road
San Antonio, Texas
Prepared subbase, base, lime stabilization, and two-inch asphalt.
Laughlin AFB, 2nd St. And Main Thoroughfare, Aircraft Tie Downs
DEL RIO, Texas
Installed sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, and asphalted streets. Also installed 8-foot stainless steel tie-downs for 100 planes.
Bergstrom AFB
Austin, Texas
The scope of the work consisted of seven parking areas at the base. Installed curb and gutter, asphalt, and 12" and 24" RCP for drainage on several of the sites.
Emergency Repairs West Jones Disposal Area
Pasadena, Texas
The scope of work consisted of repairing a 50-foot-high damaged levee for the Corps of Engineers, as well as the reconstruction of the existing spill box. Colonel Tudela from the Corps was appreciative that these emergency repairs were conducted during a major storm that threatened the collapse of the levee and spilling into Pasadena. This project also included slip lining of the existing 48" corrugated metal pipe, which used fusion of the lines and pumping grout in the annular space between the polypipe and the existing metal pipe.
Intercoastal Waterway
Port Arthur, Texas
Installed erosion protection rip rap for the Corps of Engineers. 471 tons of rip rap and 184 tons of blanket stone were utilized on this project. The material was placed in a barge, and a dragline was mounted on a spud barge to route it to the final destination. Blanket stone and rip rap were placed along the drainage culvert, thus eliminating bank erosion.
Little Vince Bayou
Pasadena, Texas
Deepened and widened Little Vince Bayou and provided erosion protection for the Corps of Engineers.
Barker-addicks T-Wall at Outlet
Houston, Texas
Built a retaining wall at the Addicks/Barker Reservoir for the Corps of Engineers.
$16mm Heat Recovery Project
Managed this project for Union Carbide with Bechtel Corporation as the contractor. Responsible for numerous multi-million dollar design/construct projects in both the polyethylene and olefins processes.
SH35
West Columbia, Texas
Project manager for this TxDOT project to re-route SH 35 around the City of West Columbia. Worked directly with all affected property owners to obtain the right of entry so schematics and R.O.W. maps could be developed.
Westpark (HOV)
Houston, Texas
Project manager for the survey of a new High Occupancy Vehicle Lane in Westpark. The survey included utility locations and profiles of Beltway 8 for the proposed HOV.
SH 96
League City, Texas
Mr. Garza, from its inception, working with Dannenbaum Engineers, established the scope, obtained funding, designed, and implemented a hurricane evacuation route from State Highway 146 in Seabrook to I-45 in League City. Supplement the design and EIS with a survey of 7.1 miles of east/west thoroughfare. Set up ground controls, wetlands delineation, and off-site drainage studies. Total project construction cost is $23MM.
Wormser Road
Laredo, Texas
Project manager for this Webb County project to re-route Wormser Road. This project is approximately one mile.
Kickapoo Roads in Village
Eagle Pass, Texas
Project Manager to design and construct approximately two miles of roads and drainage within the village. Funding is administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Professional and Civic Leadership
Mr. Garza is the past president of the Eagle Pass Chamber of Commerce. He sat on a committee chaired by President Vicente Fox on establishing relationships between Mexico and Mexicans and Mexican-Americans abroad. He was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma, the national honorary society of mechanical engineers.
Public Service & Civic Leadership
Isidro Garza, Jr., ran for Congress in the year 2000. He was president of LULAC Council 255. He was the city manager for the city of Eagle Pass. Along with Makateonenodua, chairman of the Kickapoo Nation, they took a tribe from extreme poverty to develop a nation with prosperity and an even brighter future. He is known by many congressmen and senators from both sides of the aisle and has good relations with the executive branch.
Family & Legacy
Mr. Garza has been married to Martha for 53 years. They have 3 sons: Isidro Xavier Garza, a registered public land surveyor and graduate of Texas A&M Corpus Christi; Timoteo Garza, a former state representative for District 80 and co-chair of the Committee on Law Enforcement and a member of the Transportation Committee, as well as a member of the Select Committee on Public School Finance. He is a business major and a surveyor in training, and Fernando Garza received a bachelor's degree in economics from Texas A&M University. He has been the senior terminal manager for Union Pacific in Laredo, Brownsville, Victoria, Eagle Pass, Houston, and now in Spring. Isidro and Martha have 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Garza can be reached at (832) 446-8647 or at bacisidro@aol.com.