Movers & Shakers of the Coastal Bend - The Bend Magazine

Movers & Shakers of the Coastal Bend

How four very different people all have the same goal—bettering our community.

Words by: Kylie Kinnett  Photos by: Rachel Benavides

Whenbrgoogling the phrase “mover and shaker” the definition given is someone who isbrpowerful or has influence. The synonyms for the phrase include: mogul, leadingbrlight, and a force to be reckoned with. With new businesses popping upbreverywhere, the revitalization of Downtown charging full-speed ahead, and morebrpeople realizing just exactly what it is this city has to offer, the atmospherebris quickly shifting. Leading the way are those who aren’t afraid of change,brbelieve in taking action, and understand this city’s full potential. On allbraccords, the people we chose to call movers and shakers not only obtain thosebrqualities, they live and breathe by them. 
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Ben Molina 

District 2 City Councilman

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On the two occasions Ben Molina and I were in one another’sbrpresence, positivity oozed out of him. His smile, similar to the likes of abrchild on Christmas morning, stretches from ear to ear. While at lunch for ourbrinterview, more than one person came up to the table to say hello. On locationbrfor our photoshoot, at City Hall, he greeted multiple people—asking about theirbrfamilies and how their holiday season was going. You see, kindness and givingbrback are second nature to Ben.

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Originally from Kerrville, Texas, Ben moved to Corpus in thebrmiddle of high school. In 2004, he began working with a roofing company that hebrwould later go on to own. Although he has always kept himself quite busy, hisbrcolleague pushed him to join a city board in order to get more involved in thebrcommunity and so his passion for the people expanded. The Zoning Board ofbrAdjustment, Habitat for Humanity, Young Business Professionals, and the WestbrSide Business Association are just a few organizations Ben has found himselfbrbeing a part of. “I have always wanted to help in any way I can,” Ben says.br“So, the motivation behind running for City Council was simply me wanting tobrhelp as many people as possible.”

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He wanted to help more people, on a bigger scale, and earning abrseat as a City Councilmember was the perfect platform to do just that. Hisbrinnovative, fresh perspective on the city is something he uses to his advantagebras he brings new ideas to better our community. “I am always trying to findbrways to save the city money, labor, and time,” he says. As most Corpus Christibrresidents might say, the road repair process in town could use a bit of abrfacelift and this happens to be one of Ben’s main focuses in the new year. “Ibrcame across a machine that really will allow us to save not only money, butbrtime,” he says with optimism. “What else is out there; what else is new andbrwill lower our cost of resources? Those are the questions I try asking.”

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Ben believes his ability to listen to others is what allows him tobrbe such a good Councilmember. “My favorite part of this all is being able tobrlisten to an issue or concern and then have the ability to pick up the phonebrand actually do something about it,” he says.

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Aside from official council business, Ben stays busy with hisbrroofing business, his wife, and his children—and balance is key when it comesbrto juggling it all. His family is his main source of inspiration. Ben speaksbrabout his kids proudly; they are his motivation behind making a difference inbrour community. “What I want is to leave Corpus better than I found it,” hebrsays. He knows the work done today will affect his kids 10 to 15 years frombrnow. He aims to create a community with ample opportunities for the kids whobrlive here, in order for them to stay and raise their own families here. “Ibrthought to myself one day, ‘what do I want for my children and how do I achievebrit?’ and this is the way to do it.”

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Heidi Hovda

Corpus Christi Convention Visitors Bureau Director ofbrSpecial Events and Social Media  

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If you’ve ever had the privilege of having a conversation withbrHeidi Hovda (and believe me, it is a privilege), you probably know a couplebrthings about her. She is passionate and hardworking. She is loud, creative, andbrconfident. The way she speaks about Corpus Christi, with wide eyes and abrcertain sense of wonder, leaves you feeling inspired. She is, anbrall-encompassing, force to be reckoned with. 

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Heidi Hovda, the CVB Director of Special Events and Social Media,bris no stranger to the Coastal Bend. Her family moved here when she was fivebryears old and she never left. “There was a time, not too long ago, that Ibrwanted to give up and move,” Heidi says. “I called my 24-year-old twin boys andbrasked them if they could move anywhere else, where it would be.” Their answerbrwas simple: they wanted to stay in Corpus. They believed their place in thebrworld was here and their purpose was to make a difference in this city—somethingbrthey undoubtedly inherited from their mom.

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She reminisces back to her time spent working with the DowntownbrManagement District and believes it was there she realized how easy it was tobrmake a difference in the community. She had ideas and the right combination ofbrpassion and drive to see those ideas come to fruition. “City and electedbrofficials are ready and waiting for people with fresh ideas and as long as youbrare willing to blood, sweat, and tears the hell out that idea, someone will bebrthere to help you,” she says as she takes a sip of her Miller Lite.

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The jobs Heidi obtained on her path to her current position allbrhelped to lead her to where she is now. The CVB opened up the position inbrJanuary 2014, and she jumped. “I get emotional when I think about it,” shebrsays. “I truly was born to do this job.” She speaks of her ability to love herbrcity and tell the story of Corpus to those who don’t live here.

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Fiesta de la Flor is one of Heidi’s biggest feats. It is no easybrtask to put on a festival of such magnitude, but she is proud to have been a partbrof it from the ground up. In addition to the festival, CC 7 Day Film Festivalbris another huge accomplishment with her name on it. As we sit in a booth at ThebrHouse of Rock for our interview, she points to a corner in the bar and a sensebrof nostalgia takes over. “It was right over there where the co-founder and Ibrhad the idea and, with the help of Casey Lain, we made it happen. After thebrfirst year, we couldn’t do it here anymore because it grew so much.”

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She is the Corpus Christi Film Commissioner, the Music OfficebrDirector, she’s served on countless numbers of boards and committees, but mostbrimportantly, she is a mom and a wife. Her love for this city keeps the wheelsbrin her mind turning at all times—constantly coming up with new ways to not onlybrattract visitors to our city, but to keep our current residents excited aboutbrliving here. The new year holds excitement for both Heidi and the CVB. Fiestabrde la Flor will continue to be bigger and better than it has been before. Theybralso are in the works of a new festival for the city, that she says, willbrcompletely change the way people view Corpus Christi.

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Regardless of what Heidi Hovda has planned for the future, it isbrsure to be good. She knows this place like the back of her hand. “I know peoplebrhave this image of me in their heads. It is an image of me being strong andbrsaying whatever comes to mind and banging my fists on a table, and while yes, Ibram all of those things, I am also a person who cares deeply and has a profoundbrpassion for this place,” she says unapologetically, and for that, this citybrshould be grateful.

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Dr. Kelly Quintanilla

Texas A&M University-Corpus ChristibrPresident

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Dr. Kelly Quintanilla begins her thoughts with hope andbroptimism—emotions true to her character. “When my picture was hung in thebrhallway, the only woman amongst eleven portraits, I got a lump in my throat,brbecause I knew I had overcome some pretty big limitations. When I saw mybrdaughter take a photo to share with her friends, I knew she saw no limits.”brNothing is more important to Kelly than that. While becoming the President ofbrTexas A&M University-Corpus Christi was never really her career intention,brwhen she was asked to serve as the interim President, something kind ofbrclicked.

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“I was inspired by all the people—the faculty, staff, alums, andbrcommunity members. Being able to work daily with so many people who shared thatbrpassion for student success and understood the transformative power of higherbreducation for students and the community, well that made it my dream job,” shebrsays with a smile.

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Kelly had just finished her PhD in Communication from PennsylvaniabrState University when she happened upon an ad for a position at TAMUCC. Shebrdescribes her first day on campus as exciting and filled with energy. Shebrinstantly fell in love. She had found her home. In 1994, she became one of thebryoungest members of the faculty, and now, 24 years and several titles later,brshe became the first woman to hold the position of President.

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Being the first woman president for the University is a big deal,brand Kelly is aware of that. However, she also touches on the subject with abrfeeling of sadness. “I look forward to the day when leadership positionsbreverywhere are filled at the same level of diversity we see in our community,”brshe says. “But, I also realize that is not going to happen until little girlsbrsee women in positions of power.”This feeling of inclusion for all is something quite evident inbrthe work Kelly is doing for the university. As a first-generation collegebrstudent, she understands how hard it is for some people to get to the frontbrdoors of higher education; she wants to be there for the underrepresentedbrgroups of students. In addition to her vision of inclusivity, Kelly is a hugebradvocate for the arts—a department that is oftentimes overlooked. While shebrdidn’t come from an educational background of art, she held several positionsbrin the department, and with her office being inside the Center for the Arts forbrtwelve years, she speaks on how that experience helped shape her career. “Thebrarts push students to be innovative, to work as a team, to think bothbrcritically and creatively, to take risks, and be resilient.”

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Her hope for the future of the University is to maintain the levelbrof excellence they have already achieved and continue along their trajectory ofbrsuccess. However, she makes it clear that at the Island University, they arebrnever satisfied with the status quo, even if the status quo is excellence.brClosing the gaps of achievement and delivering a robust campus experience arebralso high on her to-do list. She realizes it is a bold vision, to constantlybrstrive for better than excellent, but she also knows her students deservebrnothing less.

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Iain Vasey

Corpus Christi Regional Economic DevelopmentbrCorporation, President and CEO

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Upon arrival to One Shoreline Plaza, Iain Vasey opened his officebrdoor wide with a big smile. He wore a tie that day, just for us, he says. He isbrgoofy and managed to crack jokes the entire time we photographed him on the SeabrWall one sunny Friday morning. “I’m giving you Blue Steel right now,” he saysbras he serves serious face to the camera.

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Iain Vasey, the President and CEO of the CCREDC, is originallybrfrom England—a fact about him not a lot of people realize. He moved to thebrStates when he was 19 on a scholarship to attend the University of Iowa. Hisbrcareer began in accounting until he made the jump over to economic development.brHis job, in layman’s terms, is a blend between the physical planning ofbrinfrastructures and how you pay for it all. After spending five years in BatonbrRouge, he began looking for other options and Corpus came knocking. He couldn’tbrpass up the offer.

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The work Iain and his colleagues do have long term outcomes andbrimplications on how both the local and regional economy functions. He getsbralmost giddy when referring to the projects he has accomplished with thebrorganization that truly help uplift the community. “I love what I am doing—Ibrmean, you know this is a pretty cool gig,” he says with a smile. “You have tobrfeel as though your work matters—that it is helping other people.”

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Now, about three years into the job, Iain comments on how muchbrCorpus has changed even in the short time he has been here. With the expansionbrof the Port comes a plethora of opportunities for both the community and thebreconomy. In addition to the projects his team is constantly working on, Iain hasbra specific goal of getting the students in our community to obtain jobs herebrand stay in the city. He speaks on driving the importance of STEM education allbrthe way down to the elementary school level.

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The future of economic development in the city of Corpus Christibrlooks bright and Iain Vasey is leading the way. His team vigorously works tobrhelp better our community in economic terms, but also in communal terms. Hisbroverall mission is growth. “If a community isn’t growing, it is just dying,” hebrsays. He explains how we have to be thinking about the things we can do to putbrthe economic building blocks together in order to help our community.br “Think about what this community will look like in 40 years. Things arebrgoing to be very different,” he says, “and what we do today helps shape that.”

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