Andrew Vantine for Congress

Get to know me better through my campaign profile, personal stories, and reasons for running for Congress Texas District 28. Transparency and connection are key to a successful campaign, and I am eager to share my journey and commitments with all my supporters.

About Me

I was born and raised in Greeley Colorado until age 18. I then went off the The University of Colorado at Boulder. Go Buffaloes! There I studied Spanish and Business Administration and got my BA.

I got my first sales job out of college in 1998 at WT Billard in Santa Fe Springs, CA, and I moved to San Diego, CA. The company is a Raymond Forklift dealer; they now go by Raymond Material Handling Solutions. I was the sales representative for Baja California and received an award for Rookie Salesman of the Year my first year there.

In 2000, I went to work for the Toyota Forklift dealer in Pharr, TX. I was the top salesman in the company in almost every category. Unfortunately, the company closed its doors, so I started my own material handling company, Material Handling Solutions, in February 2002.

We have been in business now for 23 successful years, and I’m familiar with the challenges of running a small business. I’ve learned how to secure capital to grow a company and what companies look for when they want to open a new business. I opened a branch in Mexico to supply the maquiladora industry with forklift rentals. Mexico is a manufacturing powerhouse, with the automotive industry being one of its largest. Mexico has come a long way in reducing corruption, but it still has a long way to go. Being able to open a small business as cheaply and as quickly as possible, with no red tape, gives a small business the best chance of success, as most small businesses are started with very little capital and most are started with personal loans from a bank and high-interest credit cards.

South Texas and The Rio Grande Valley hold the title as the poorest area in the country. It was mainly farmland that produced citrus and relied on shoppers from Mexico. The people average around $15,000 per year in rural areas and $21,000 per year in larger towns like Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville. Many say that because we didn’t have an interstate highway from Houston or San Antonio, larger companies didn’t know the valley even existed. Many chain retailers used bad data taken from average local wages and never took into account the wealthier shoppers from Mexico, and therefore the luxury stores like Nordstrom never opened stores here, even though McAllen, TX holds the title as the busiest shopping mall in the country.

Many manufacturers completely overlooked the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas to go to Mexico for even cheaper labor.

In the past few years, two LNG plants and SpaceX have opened operations in Brownsville, TX, and I have noticed a notable difference in its economy. Many of these jobs pay over $60,000 per year, which allows those people to have more disposable income, especially due to the low cost of living we have compared to larger cities. Businesses are opening bars and restaurants in the beautiful historical downtown district, and property values have increased. Construction is very vibrant and healthy compared to Harlingen, TX, which has very little growth. These companies are investing billions of dollars in Brownsville, and it’s helping small businesses, and that’s why I opened a paint store there.

However, most people in the Rio Grande Valley live at or below the poverty level, making half or less of what the average Texan makes of around $40,000 per year. It’s interesting to note that we have the lowest crime rate of any area in the country.

With my business experience, I will bring investment and good-paying jobs to South Texas. I will help out farmers and ranchers. I will make sure small businesses have the capital they need. I will keep the people off of SNAP by making scholarships available to high school students. I will create a hub for high-tech jobs. Finally, I will bring a bullet train to South Texas to connect it with Mexico, which will bring tourism and investment to the area. This will bring better-paying jobs for the citizens of District 28.

I live in Mission Tx with my wife Aidee and my two children.