According to the online Rio Grande Guardian newspaper, Deborah Portillo will take on her new duties as executive vice president of economic development on 1 January. Portillo is a former Brownsville city commissioner and aide to U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, the newspaper said. 

Big River has an option to buy an 800-acre site at the Port of Brownsville in Texas and is laying the groundwork for the potential expansion. Big River currently operates one mill, which is in Arkansas.  

“Deborah brings a wealth of experience to our efforts,” said Ahab Garas, president of Big River’s development group on the mill project. “Our expectation is that we will move through the first half of 2020 with a focus on finalizing our site selection process and begin our environmental permit work in earnest shortly thereafter.”

Big River chief executive David Stickler in October said the company was "aggressively ramping up" work on the second mill.