On the Bus: Rhodes Summer Interns Catch up with Founder Mike Rhodes

On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, summer interns at Rhodes hopped on a bus for an out of the office experience.   Wearing neon green shirts – it was a “party bus” after all – interns had the opportunity to learn more about Rhodes history and developments from founder Mike Rhodes.

The tour kicked off at Rhodes headquarters in McAllen, Texas and proceeded with a drive to Mission, Texas. During this time, Mike officially began the tour by introducing himself, sneaking in a few jokes, and sharing his story on how the vision of building communities all started.

The thirteen summer interns quickly followed along and were not shy to ask questions. Soon, they had arrived at their first destination, Bentsen Palm, 2,600 acres of Texas paradise. As they drove through the first Rhodes master-planned conservation community, Mike provided details about Rhodes vision, the early obstacles the company faced and home construction design and inspiration.

The bus then traveled to Rhodes’ premier master-planned community Tres Lagos in McAllen, Texas. Mike spoke with enthusiasm about the 2,571-acre master-plan community and all its unique features and amenities including state-of-the-art community center, walking and biking trails, and beautifully furnished model homes. The interns witnessed first hand work in progress across land development, home construction and sales, and learned about the infrastructure aspects of the community’s advanced fiber technology and water system set in place.

Next stop: Villas on Freddy in North McAllen.

This gated garden home community pays great attention to design and detail, so the interns had to get a closer look. The group stepped inside the Nikola model home, a two-story villa with all the bells and whistles any college student dreams about.

The final tour destination was to another community under construction, Silos at the Sienna in Edinburg, Texas. Surrounded by heavy machinery, construction materials and newly paved roads, Mike and the interns discussed permits and steps needed to build a new community from the ground up.

The drive back buzzed with excitement and was anything but quiet. Several interns found the opportunity to talk to Mike one-on-one about the departments they are working in, building communities and even where to find the best fishing spots.