By Ricardo D. Cavazos

Everything Texan is what Steven Gallegos is about and he’s nurturing a brand being built in Mercedes.

Located downtown appropriately enough on Texas Avenue, Gallegos and his TRW Hat Co., features a dazzling selection of caps with a Texas flavor and designs unique to his Mercedes-based company. The TRW Hat brand features a look that is a collaboration between Gallegos and his business partner and designer, Denise Reyna. 

The rows of caps at TRW showcase designs featuring the iconic map outline of Texas, along with longhorns, oilfields and cannons. There are also caps featuring designs that honor law enforcement officers and blue-collar workers in the petroleum and utility fields.

“More than a basic hat company,’’ is how Gallegos puts it on his website. He’s an energetic businessman with great enthusiasm for the TRW products his company puts out. Reyna says Gallegos has a vision of what he wants a cap design to look like and she goes about meeting the visual goal.

The business partners are committed to doing things the right way with the right kind of values. Gallegos is the son and brother of military veterans and he dedicates the business to their service. Gallegos and Reyna also honor those in law enforcement with caps designed for police officers in Mercedes and Edcouch.

There’s also a tip of the hat to the hard work of blue-collar workers with cap designs featuring oilfield workers and utility linemen. 

“We’re Texas based and Texas made,’’ Gallegos said. “We’re creating and developing our own brand.’’

Gallegos is a Houston native who has called Mercedes home in recent years. There’s nowhere else he wanted to be than establishing his business in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley to serve customers who appreciate a great hat with a Texas flair. He does an active retail business out of his shop on Texas, which includes western wear and woodwork featuring the Lone Star state. 

The TRW brand and its products also has a busy online market with orders going out daily to customers across the country. Gallegos’ business got a major boost last year when Texas country music star Cody Johnson wore a TRW hat and posted it on his Instagram account.

“Our business blew up,’’ he said of the exposure Johnson gave TRW.

It was a good fit in that Gallegos is a big country music fan and he connects to its vibes and feel.

“A brand built from whiskey tears and long nights,’’ is how Gallegos puts it on his website. “A love for Texas country music and ambition for success.’’

Gallegos isn’t shy about his expectations for success and growing the TRW brand from the ground up. He’s focused on quality and direct sales versus wholesale manufacturing. Gallegos wants a design and look that’s distinctive and identifiable with TRW with a Lone Star hook.

“Everything we do has Texas written on it,’’ he said.   

Whether it’s a cap featuring the design of a Lorenzo De Zavala flag with its own lone star, or one featuring the Alamo, the Mercedes-based company is relentlessly focused on its home state. The local history and heritage of Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and boot-making in Mercedes fits well with the imagery Gallegos is seeking to associate with his company. He’s got 52 designs and counting that say Texas with Mercedes on the signature line.