About Us

Business Description

Name of Business: del Valle Group Inc.

A Texas Corporation doing business as L Bufalo Pawn and El Bufalo Pawn founded 1994, with first store opened Dec. 1995.

Type of Business: Family owned pawn shop (loans and sales), money services, check cashing, Money Gram and money orders. Family owned, professional pawn and money services business proactively compliant with federal and state regulatory agencies, and fully cooperative with local law enforcement. Our goal is to build neighborhood businesses with the highest standards of customer service, integrity and professionalism.

Our stores are immaculate, our employees are uniformed, and our merchandise and services are targeted to serve the needs of the community.

Man Holding Jewelry — Laredo, TX — El Bufalo Pawn Shop

COMPANY HISTORY

El Bufalo, Laredo’s only locally owned pawn and money services chain, is celebrating 25 years serving Laredo. Now with 12 store locations and 65 employees serving Laredo, San Antonio and Lytle, the first El Bufalo opened in Laredo on December 29, 1995.

The store name and buffalo silhouette icon were adopted from a nickname for George and John’s late father, legendary marksman Edward A. Beckelhymer Jr., known throughout the state as either “Beck” or “El Bufalo.” The buffalo has now been a symbol for three generations of Beckelhymer businesses, El Bufalo, Beckelhymer’s Shooting Supplies and Buffalo Finance Co., dating from the present to as far back as the 1940s.

COMPANY LEADERSHIP:

George M. Beckelhymer, John Beckelhymer and Robert Simpson have over 55 years of combined professional pawnshop experience between them. In 1996, Beckelhymer cousin Robert A. Simpson moved to Laredo from Dallas, where he worked for a benefits consulting and actuarial firm, joining the partnership as Chief Financial Officer after he incorporated del Valle Group, Inc., doing business as El Bufalo. Chief Operating Officer Joe Arciniega, who joined in partnership in 2005 to drive strategic growth and corporate development, is a former Microsoft Corporation executive, who also served in senior management positions for Atari Inc. and Zale Corporation, adding another 30 years’ experience in business management, marketing, and operations to the team.

The El Bufalo partners also participate actively in community service. George M. Beckelhymer currently serves as a member of the City Planning and Zoning Commission and is a Board Member of the Webb County - City of Laredo Regional Mobility Authority. He is also 2nd Vice President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Laredo, having served the Clubs for 4 years. He previously served for 10 years as a Laredo Independent School District School Board Trustee, including as School Board President, and was Chairman on the Citizen’s Environmental Advisory Committee, for which he served 7 years; Robert Simpson currently serves as Board Member for Laredo Animal Care Services, and was previously Vice Chair for the Board of the Laredo Housing Authority, is on the Legislative Committee for the Texas Association of Pawnbrokers, and previously served as Board Chairman of the Laredo Public Library Board; John Beckelhymer, business owner, previously served as Webb County Elections Administrator and was formerly President of the Laredo Bucks Hockey Team. Joe Arciniega is a Board Member of the Texas Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, Past President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Laredo, and on the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association of San Antonio and South Texas. The company has also supported events for Casa Misericordia, South Texas Food Bank, the Boys & Girls Club, Rio Grande International Study Center, PILLAR, and others, as well as various local scholarship fundraisers.