Born in Brownsville, Texas, Micheal “Mike” Albert Hernandez III serves as the chief executive officer of Hernco Inc. and D & M Leasing in Dallas. After reading a Houston Chronicle article ranking Brownsville as the poorest city in America, Mike Hernandez III founded OP10.33, a 20-year project dedicated to supporting projects that advance education and provide job opportunities to the residents of Cameron County.
Through OP10.33, Mr. Hernandez has committed to donating $10 million to various projects in Cameron County for the first 10 years. Guided by his mission, he intends to emphasize the four main aspects of the project.
1. Education and Training
Cameron County Education Initiative (CCEI) was established to provide postsecondary education and career training to the residents of Cameron County and South Texas. CCEI offers three programs in construction technology, medical billing and coding, and medical assistance. CCEI will use the seed funding from OP10.33 to grant tuition assistance to students.
2. Job Creation
The OP10.33 the project requires a combination of five competitive factors to achieve its goals for job creation and economic stability. The five factors include leadership and collaboration, workforce skills, reliable and cost-effective infrastructure, capital availability, and entrepreneurial culture. The project will track and measure its success by monitoring the overall economic viability of the region in terms of per capita income, poverty rate, and net asset valuation per capita.
3. Civic Engagement
OP10.33 works on empowering the residents of the Rio Grande Valley to perform their civic duties. This is done by encouraging and assisting eligible residents in becoming registered voters and exercising their rights during elections.
4. Social Services
OP10.33 partners with different segments of the community such as churches and nonprofit organizations that are active participants in the health care profession, schools, arts and media, government, and private organizations to improve Brownsville and Cameron County residents’ overall quality of life.
