Breaking Ground SA

Sarah Carabias Rush, President and CEO of greater:SATX, just closed her best year yet: 7,000 new jobs, a goal exceeded for the first time since she took the role, and 59 active projects worth nearly $19 billion in the pipeline. In this episode, Sarah breaks down what it actually takes to land a company like Toyota or IEM, why data alone doesn't win deals, and how San Antonio went from a market that wasn't even getting a look to one now outpacing its peers in GDP growth, educational attainment, and poverty reduction.

Sarah also opens up about her path to San Antonio, from being blessed by the Pope as a baby in Alaska to competitive acting in high school to building an international career in Dallas before taking the leap to lead economic development here. Plus her take on data centers, the case for South Texas Parkway, and why site readiness, not marketing, is what actually closes a deal.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) - Cold Open
• (00:47) - Welcome and Guest Introduction
• (02:42) - From Alaska to San Antonio
• (17:28) - Why Sarah Chose San Antonio Over Everywhere Else
• (28:43) - Turning Greater SATX Into a Proactive Recruiter
• (36:24) - What It Actually Takes to Land a Major Company
• (45:56) - San Antonio's Real Growth Story
• (50:38) - 59 Active Projects and the Road to Momentum 2030
• (1:03:11) - Data Centers and South Texas Parkway
• (1:12:03) - Rapid Fire

Links and Resources

• greater:SATX: https://greatersatx.com
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

George Peck almost missed the phone call that started his entire San Antonio career, an old cassette-tape answering machine message he didn't hear for a week. Nearly four decades later, he's a former RECSA president, one of the longest-serving members of the San Antonio Planning Commission, and a 2019 Philip Barshop Founder's Award recipient.

In this episode, George traces his path from a small engineering school in upstate New York to becoming one of San Antonio's most trusted voices in development, thanks to two demanding mentors who shaped how he leads today. He shares the wild story behind the most intense Planning Commission meeting of his career, involving the Alamo, hours of testimony, and a full police escort out of the building. He also opens up about turning to marathon and ultra-distance running in his late 30s, and shares his honest read on where San Antonio's growth and affordability challenges are headed next.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) Cold Open
• (00:24) Welcome and Introduction
• (02:10) From Upstate New York to San Antonio
• (09:06) Finding Mentors: Paul Denham and Steve Hannan
• (15:23) How a Missed Voicemail Led to 14 Years on the Planning Commission
• (18:02) Transforming the City's Relationship with Development Services
• (34:15) The Alamo Plan Meeting That Needed a Police Escort
• (38:22) Winning the Philip Barshop Award
• (53:52) San Antonio's Growth, Affordability, and What Comes Next
• (59:46) Rapid Fire Questions

• KCI Technologies: https://www.kci.com
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

Leo Gomez has spent his career building things San Antonio said couldn't be built, twice, from a downtown arena the Spurs weren't supposed to be able to afford, to a former Air Force base most people still think is off-limits to civilians.

In this episode, Leo traces his path from a childhood in McAllen to leading the redevelopment of Brooks, one of the fastest-growing three-mile markets in San Antonio. He explains why he modeled Brooks after The Woodlands, Mueller, and Lowry, why tax increment reinvestment zones matter more than most people realize, and why he believes San Antonio consistently thinks too small. He also opens up about a walking pilgrimage across Portugal and Spain that changed how he sees the years ahead.

• (00:44) Welcome and Introduction
• (01:29) From the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio
• (13:07) Chambers, Networking, and Landing at the Spurs
• (18:03) Building a Basketball Arena and the Original Spurs Deal
• (25:52) Toyota, Then Back to the Spurs
• (33:17) The Brooks Story: Vision, Models, and Rebuilding Infrastructure
• (43:41) Inside Brooks Today: Growth, Trees, and Misconceptions
• (53:52) Mentorship, Big Ideas, and Thinking Bigger for San Antonio
• (01:00:48) Life Outside Work and Rapid Fire Questions

• Brooks: https://livebrooks.com/
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

Debra Guerrero has spent almost thirty years in the rooms where San Antonio's biggest decisions get made, first as the only woman on City Council in 1997, then on the SAISD Board during one of the district's most difficult stretches, and now as a senior leader at The NRP Group, where she's helped build tens of thousands of housing units across Texas.

In this episode, Debra traces her path from a childhood on the southeast side, where her father worked at Kelly Air Force Base and her mother ran a neighborhood beauty salon, through an early start in campaign politics at age 14, a Planning Commission appointment that introduced her to the developers shaping the city, and into a career built around one core idea: that housing is as essential as water and electricity. She talks candidly about her four years on City Council, her decision to help turn around a struggling school district, and why she believes San Antonio still hasn't fully learned to celebrate its own wins.

• (00:30) Welcome and Introduction
• (03:01) Growing Up on the Southeast Side: Family, Faith, and a Neighborhood Salon
• (07:12) Getting Political at 14: Campaigns, the Hatch Act, and Finding Her Path
• (14:59) The Planning Commission Appointment That Changed Everything
• (24:02) From City Council to the SAISD Board: Nearly a Decade Shaping Schools
• (32:33) Four Years at City Hall: Being the Only Woman in the Room
• (44:30) Joining The NRP Group and the Legacy of Dan Markson
• (55:51) The State of Affordable Housing in San Antonio and Texas
• (01:03:04) Advice for Young Women in Leadership, Plus Rapid Fire Questions

• The NRP Group: https://nrpgroup.com
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com
• SAISD: https://www.saisd.net

Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media - https://everyword.media

Melissa Robinson didn't set out to run Hemisfair. She started as a board member who took a chance meeting at a Christmas party seriously, then spent years learning the project from the inside before stepping into the CEO seat as only the second person to ever hold it.

In this episode, Melissa traces her path from a childhood spent bouncing between five states, through construction finance, a layoff that redirected her career, and a leap into development on her own, all the way to leading one of San Antonio's most consequential public spaces.

She breaks down what the 90-acre Hemisfair district actually includes, why the parks anchor the development rather than the other way around, and what's still left to build as the surrounding sports and entertainment district takes shape.

• (00:00) Cold Open
• (00:31) Welcome and Introduction
• (02:00) Melissa's Winding Path: Five States, Two Countries, One Twin Sister
• (13:47) From Construction Finance to Real Estate Development
• (28:44) The Leap: Leaving a Steady Career to Build Her Own Path
• (31:41) Becoming Hemisfair's Second-Ever CEO
• (35:23) The Story of Hemisfair: Three Generations of the Same Land
• (39:22) Inside the 90-Acre District and the Sports and Entertainment Conversations
• (43:41) Where Downtown San Antonio Is Headed in the Next 5-10 Years
• (49:36) Rapid Fire Questions

• Hemisfair: https://hemisfair.org
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com

• Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us
• https://vimeo.com/1204624708/67c9b99b89?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media

Hope Andrade has been a bus girl, a tortilla factory worker, an IBM word processor, a healthcare entrepreneur, a TxDOT commissioner, and Texas' first Latina and longest-serving Secretary of State. Now she's leading the Alamo Trust as President and CEO, overseeing the $700 million restoration set to open in 2028.

In this episode, Hope talks about growing up in San Antonio, learning she was adopted in her 40s, building a business empire out of a childcare need in the 1970s, getting talked into a career in state government, and what's coming next for the Alamo, including a 160,000 square foot event center and a film produced by Taylor Sheridan.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) - Cold Open
• (00:18) - Welcome and Introduction
• (01:33) - Growing Up in San Antonio and Being Adopted
• (07:52) - Finding Mentors and Learning by Watching
• (19:39) - Getting Into Politics Through Business
• (21:41) - Starting a Business as a Woman in 1979
• (28:05) - From IBM to Building a Home Care Empire
• (33:27) - TxDOT, Secretary of State, and Bringing Jobs to Texas
• (44:57) - Leading the Alamo Trust's $700 Million Restoration
• (1:03:47) - Rapid Fire Questions

Links and Resources

• The Alamo: https://www.thealamo.org
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/
• Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us

Sponsored Links

• Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us
• https://vimeo.com/1204624708/67c9b99b89?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media

Port San Antonio generates $20 billion in annual economic output and has added 9,000 jobs in six years without a single public incentive. In this episode, Jim Perschbach, President and CEO of Port San Antonio, breaks down how a former military air installation became one of the most consequential innovation campuses in the country and what it means for San Antonio's future.

Jim covers everything from the 1910 origins of military aviation in San Antonio to flying taxis, advanced air mobility, cybersecurity infrastructure, and why the city's biggest economic wins are going completely uncelebrated.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) - Cold Open
• (00:34) - Welcome and Introduction
• (01:55) - Jim's Background and Path to San Antonio
• (09:05) - How Jim Joined Port San Antonio
• (13:15) - The History of Port San Antonio and Kelly Air Force Base
• (18:00) - Advanced Air Mobility and the Future of Airspace
• (23:50) - Building Tech1 and Tech2: The Risks That Paid Off
• (29:44) - Cybersecurity, the 67th Wing, and National Defense
• (38:00) - Competing with Other States for Aerospace Investment
• (44:00) - 9,000 Jobs, Zero Public Incentives, and No Ribbon-Cutting
• (49:25) - Childcare, Infrastructure, and Solving Social Determinants
• (57:50) - Boeing Center at Tech Port: Why Entertainment Belongs on Campus
• (01:05:00) - The Future of Port San Antonio's Campus Development
• (01:12:25) - Rapid Fire Questions

Links and Resources

• Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us
• Innovation Tower: https://www.portsanantonio.us/Innovation-Tower
• Tech Port Research Campus: https://www.portsanantonio.us/Research-Campus
• Boeing Center at Tech Port: https://www.boeingcentertechport.com
• ARSOC: https://www.portsanantonio.us/ARSOC
• SkyGrid (advanced airspace software): https://www.skygrid.com
• Gatorland Orlando: https://www.gatorland.com
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/

Sponsored Links

• Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Trey Dawson, President of Pape-Dawson Engineers, one of San Antonio's most established and respected civil engineering firms. Trey is a third-generation leader of a company his grandfather co-founded in 1965 with $6,000, a six-month runway, and a Sunday school connection that barely kept the doors open.

What started as a two-man land development firm has grown into a 2,000-person operation now active in 10 states, built on a simple mission: not to be the biggest, but to be the most respected.

This is a conversation about family legacy, what it really takes to scale a company without losing its culture, and why San Antonio remains one of the best places in the country to build something.

In this episode:

• (01:53) How Pape-Dawson was founded in 1965 with $6,000, a six-month runway, and a Sunday school connection that saved the company
• (08:26) Why staying in one market for 40 years was a risk and how diversification changed everything
• (17:32) The math behind expanding beyond Texas and why the organic growth model breaks down at 1,000 employees
• (18:56) How Pape Dawson protects its culture through M&A by partnering with firms that already share their values
• (22:12) What Trey learned about leadership from his grandfather, father, and uncle and why being seen matters as much as doing good work
• (23:21) His time chairing the Metro SA Chamber during COVID, including the gala he never got, and what leading RECSA taught him about himself
• (29:48) Why San Antonio punches above its weight as a place to do business and what local agencies need to hear
• (32:32) Rapid fire: steakhouse rankings with his kids, the Spurs playoff game he skipped for the lake, and why he'd be a real estate agent if engineering wasn't an option

Links and Resources

• Pape-Dawson Engineers: https://www.pape-dawson.com/
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://www.recsa.org
• Greater SATX: https://www.greatersatx.com

Sponsor Links:

• IRC Capital Residential: https://www.investmentrealty.com

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

#SanAntonio #BreakingGroundSA #RealEstate

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Gordon Hartman, San Antonio businessman, developer, and founder of the Morgan's Wonderland family of nonprofits. Gordon built a homebuilding empire from scratch at 19 with no college degree, sold it at 41, and redirected everything toward his daughter Morgan and the millions of individuals with special needs who lack access, opportunity, and inclusion.

What started as a moment in a pool watching his daughter get left out has grown into a $200 million nonprofit ecosystem spanning a theme park, surgical center, salon, sports facilities, dental clinic, broadcast studio, and a first-of-its-kind fully inclusive hotel opening later this year.

This is a conversation about purpose-driven development, what inclusion actually means, and how one builder decided that if it was easy, everybody would do it.

Chapters

• (00:53) Meet Gordon Hartman
• (01:59) Young Gordon: Building His First Home at 19
• (07:44) Lessons From Home Building That Still Apply
• (12:32) Who Is Morgan
• (15:15) The Origin Story of Morgan's Wonderland
• (21:54) What Success Really Means Now
• (23:15) The Fully Inclusive Hotel
• (30:58) Accessibility vs. Inclusion: The Difference That Matters
• (40:51) Advice for Young Builders and Visionaries

Links and Resources

• Morgan's Wonderland: morganswonderland.com
• Morgan's Inclusion Institute: https://morgansinclusioninstitute.org/
• Real Estate Council of San Antonio (RECSA): https://recsanantonio.com/

Sponsor Links:

• IRC Capital Residential - https://www.investmentrealty.com/

Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

Ed Cross has spent 40 years shaping San Antonio — and most of it quietly. A CPA turned real estate developer, he pioneered Edwards Aquifer water rights investment before most people knew there was a market, helped bring the Vista Ridge pipeline to life, and spent seven years making the same phone call every 90 days until someone finally said yes.

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Ed Cross to trace his journey from Beaumont to Houston to San Antonio, and through four decades of deals, partnerships, and projects that have left a permanent mark on the city.

They cover his unlikely path from accounting to development, the inside story of how Laguna Water pioneered a new asset class in Texas water rights, the Vista Ridge deal that secured San Antonio's water future, and the relentless pursuit that finally landed him the Tower Life Building — a 1929 skyscraper he is now converting into 244 apartments in the heart of downtown. Ed also shares his vision for what downtown San Antonio becomes next, and the two headwinds he believes the real estate community needs to take seriously.

If you want to understand how San Antonio got here, who built it, and what one of its most respected developers believes comes next, this episode is for you.

Chapters:

• (01:22) Ed's Origin Story: From Beaumont to San Antonio
• (05:49) Early Deals and Learning the Business
• (07:46) Laguna Water and Pioneering Texas Water Rights
• (15:12) The Vista Ridge Pipeline Deal
• (21:05) Tower Life: Converting a 1929 Skyscraper into Apartments
• (24:45) Seven Years of Phone Calls to Close the Deal
• (31:13) Downtown SA's Next Chapter
• (37:18) Headwinds, Rapid Fire, and Closing Thoughts

Links and Resources:

• RECSA - Real Estate Council of San Antonio https://recsanantonio.com/
• Tower Life Building - https://towerlifebuilding.com/
• Edwards Aquifer Authority - https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/
• Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

Sponsor Links:

IRC Capital Residential - https://www.investmentrealty.com/

Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media