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By Steve Taylor and Dayna Reyes
McALLEN, Texas — As ERO Architects marks its 25th anniversary, the firm is expanding its footprint across South and Central Texas, anchored by a core design philosophy that places local community culture at the heart of every project.
Under the leadership of CEO Brian Godinez, the Hispanic-owned firm has established a regional footprint anchored by primary hubs in McAllen, Brownsville, and San Antonio. This setup allows the practice to serve communities ranging from the Rio Grande Valley up to the Interstate 10 corridor.
“ERO Architects has always been an entity that invests in communities,” Godinez told the Rio Grande Guardian. “We are not only in the McAllen area, but we have an active office in Brownsville because of what’s going on in Cameron County, and we want to be a part of that. We also opened up an office in San Antonio.”
Rather than transferring staff from the Rio Grande Valley to staff the new San Antonio location, Godinez emphasized that the firm chose to hire local professionals who already had deep ties to their community.
“We hired local individuals who work in the San Antonio area who made an investment and invested in their communities,” Godinez said. “So we are becoming more of a member of that community, and we intend to be engaged.”
A Strategic Geographic Triangle
The company’s expansion strategy, which began taking shape two years ago, has created a territorial triangle that positions ERO to manage projects across multiple regions, including Houston, Austin, Eagle Pass, Carrizo Springs, and Del Rio, while maintaining deep roots in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.
Despite the growth, Godinez noted that ERO remains focused primarily on Texas communities south of I-10.
“I’m not really interested in going much further than the Austin-San Antonio area,” Godinez explained. “I think we’re just going to be very comfortable serving what I call south of Interstate 10… It’s the combining and working out of three different parts of the state in support of the communities that we’re in.”
Cultural Identity as a Design Driver
Central to ERO’s identity is its commitment to “cultural architecture”—an approach established by the firm’s late founder, Eli Ochoa. Before drawing initial blueprints, the firm’s design team conducts research into a municipality’s history, heritage, demographics, and land.
This approach is evident in high-profile regional landmarks, such as the Hidalgo County Courthouse in Edinburg and the McAllen Performing Arts Center.
“Every time we get a project, the first thing we do is we research the community we’re about to serve,” Godinez said. “We look and see what’s important for that community—what is part of their brand, their identity, their history, their people, their land—and whether we can make cultural references to the exterior and interior of the building.”
Godinez added that as a Hispanic-owned firm with deep roots in South Texas, Mexico, and Germany, honoring cultural heritage comes naturally to the practice.
“There is a lot of reference to those cultures that is already embedded in our firm as a culture of our practice,” he said, adding that while cultural details are paramount, designs are tailored to strictly respect project budgets.
How ERO Architects envisaged the new Hidalgo County Courthouse. (Credit: ERO)
Riding the Momentum of Regional Growth
Reflecting on 25 years of service, Godinez pointed to the rapid economic momentum occurring across the four-county Valley region—Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, and Starr—as well as municipal leadership initiatives like McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos’s tagline, “Next is Now.”
“I love that slogan,” Godinez said. “We’re just continuing to celebrate our 25 years of service in this great state, specifically in South Texas, and I’m just proud of the advancement of our community. Every once in a while, if we’re lucky, we get to design a building that will be part of that growth and part of that success.”
Editor’s Note: The above news story is the first in a three-part series featuring the analysis of Brian Godinez, CEO of ERO Architects. Part Two will be published later this week.
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