In 1944, Lloyd Bentsen, Sr. became the first Chairman of what we now know as The Rio Grande Valley Partnership Chamber of Commerce.

"For a long time public-spirited citizens have spent a great deal of their individual time and effort trying to further projects that were of inestimable value to the entire citizenship of the Valley. The inattention of the average citizen to those efforts must have been heartbreaking to those who were making this tremendous unselfish sacrifice and we must all realize that had the Valley been united in one large organization to support these workers and work for the general good and advancement of the Valley, the task would have been much easier and the results tremendous by comparison. Up until the creation of the Valley Planning Board [now DBA the Partnership], the Valley has had no such organization to support the efforts of these citizens. We also realize that without such an organization, the general progress of the Valley would be much slower than would be the case if we had such an organization actually functioning and properly financed . . . The Valley Planning Board is non-political and non-sectional, but has unselfishly the interest of the entire Valley at heart and working for every single section of the Valley."

             - Lloyd Bentsen, Sr., Chairman, 1944

Organizations started by the Partnership:

• Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse

• Lower Rio Grande Water Committee

• Regional Mobility Task Force

• Rio Grande Valley Regional Water Authority

• Valley Agricultural Research and Development Corporation (VARDC)

• Valley Legislative Program

• Valley Proud Education Committee

• Empowerment Zone

• Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Co-Op

• Texas Citrus Mutual

• Valley Proud Environmental Council