The Building Texas Show

Pronghorn don't jump fences. They just stop. That single fact nearly wiped them out of West Texas, and it's the reason Borderlands Research Institute exists.

In this episode of the Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie sits down in Alpine with Lalo Gonzalez, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at Sul Ross State University, to talk about how BRI helped rebuild the West Texas pronghorn population after decades of decline. Habitat fragmentation and brush encroachment cut pronghorn off from the open land they need to feel safe, so starting in 2010, Texas Parks and Wildlife and local landowners translocated roughly a thousand animals from the Panhandle and started lowering fence lines to knee height so pronghorn could walk underneath instead of turning back.
Lalo also breaks down what's brought New World screwworm back into Texas after the U.S. eradicated it decades ago with sterile-fly releases, why desert bighorn sheep are now facing pneumonia for the first time in state history, and what it actually means that Texas is 95% privately owned land — which is to say, conservation here runs through ranchers and landowners like Nyle Maxwell, not around them.

If you've ever wondered what a career in wildlife biology looks like outside a classroom, this one's for you. BRI's graduate students get a 95% job placement rate, tuition support, and a stipend, and their classroom is several million acres of West Texas ranch land.

0:00 – Why pronghorn won't cross a fence
0:20 – Welcome to Alpine, Texas
1:05 – How Lalo ended up at Sul Ross
2:37 – Why West Texas pronghorn nearly disappeared
7:16 – The landowners who made the comeback possible
8:36 – Beyond pronghorn: desert bighorn, quail, black bears, and more
10:14 – Who actually does this research
11:19 – The West Texas challenges nobody's talking about
13:13 – Inside the Texas screwworm outbreak
16:30 – How to get involved with BRI
18:06 – Why Sul Ross is a hands-on wildlife biology program
22:16 – Closing thoughts

About Borderlands Research Institute

BRI is a research and outreach institute housed at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, focused on wildlife and habitat conservation across the Trans-Pecos and greater Big Bend region — from pronghorn and desert bighorn sheep to grassland birds, soil health, and hydrology. Learn more, donate, or find upcoming events at bri.sulross.edu.

Thank you Borderlands Research Institute for this incredible footage and photography.

About the Building Texas Show

The Building Texas Show profiles the people, businesses, and institutions shaping the state — one region, one conversation at a time.
If you want to see more conversations like this one, subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss the next episode.

#Pronghorn #WestTexas #Screwworm #WildlifeConservation #BigBend #SulRoss #BuildingTexasShow

She spent decades building buildings — now she's built a barbecue empire.

On this episode of The Building Texas Show, filmed live at the San Antonio Home & Garden Show, host Justin McKenzie sits down with Sloan Rinaldi, a 4th-generation pitmaster and founder of Texas Q, to talk construction industry innovation, why she decided to chase a family legacy that traces back to 1909 in Crockett, Texas, and the moment a sliced brisket sandwich changed her life.

Sloan opens up about showing up to her first BBQ competition as the only woman among 20 all-male teams, why she believes barbecue is the most unifying cuisine on earth, and gives a first look at her new show "From Texas With Love: United We BBQ" is an 8-country journey exploring how live-fire cooking connects cultures around the world.

🔔 Subscribe to The Building Texas Show for new episodes every week highlighting the people and stories building Texas.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro - San Antonio Home & Garden Show
00:20 Tech's impact on the construction industry
04:30 From construction to competition pitmaster
09:00 The only woman at the BBQ competition
14:00 Why barbecue unites people
17:30 "From Texas With Love: United We BBQ" preview
20:00 Where to find Sloan and Texas Q

CONNECT WITH SLOAN RINALDI
Website: texasq.com
Instagram: @sloanronaldi | @texasq

#BuildingTexasShow #TexasQ #TexasBBQ #Pitmaster #SanAntonioHomeAndGardenShow

Jason Roemer has taught business at Fredericksburg High School for 27 years — the last two building the school's INCubatoredu program from scratch. In year one, his students launched six businesses, pitched to a sold-out theater, and walked away with $21,000 in seed funding and scholarships.

Learn more about INCubatoredu at https://www.unchartedlearning.org/

In this episode of The Building Texas Show, Jason and host Justin McKenzie talk about what it actually takes to run a student entrepreneurship program in a small Hill Country town: recruiting 30+ community mentors in a single year, teaching high-achieving kids how to fail on purpose, and getting local business owners into the classroom to talk about the real numbers behind their companies.

You'll hear stories from the local business leaders Jason brought in as mentors, including David Pedragon, who talks openly about nearly going broke before selling his first company; Chad Myers of Core Javelina Holdings, who manufactures airbag suspension parts for 18-wheelers; and Dan Kemp, CEO of Security State Bank, who explains the difference between an entrepreneur and an "intrapreneur."

If you're a teacher, school administrator, or local business owner wondering whether your ISD could run a program like this, Jason lays out exactly how Fredericksburg did it — and what he's changing for year two.

00:00 – Welcome back to Fredericksburg
00:58 – Jason's 27 years in education, three hats: teacher, coach, dad
05:31 – Why Texas needs more teachers, and what CTE is doing differently
08:15 – Life in the Fredericksburg "bubble"
10:45 – David Pedragon's failed first business, and why social media hides it
11:36 – Chad Myers and Core Havelina Holdings
14:06 – Dan Kemp, Security State Bank, and "intrapreneurship"
18:26 – How much the program raised, and where the money goes
20:09 – The Gillespie County pitch contest results
24:02 – Advice for districts that want to start their own program
24:50 – What's next for year two

Know a district that should be doing this? Send them this episode. And if you want more conversations with the people building Texas one community at a time, subscribe to The Building Texas Show — new episodes every week.

#IncubatorEDU #FredericksburgISD #CTE #EntrepreneurshipEducation #BuildingTexas

A fiberglass pool can last a lifetime — or fail early — and the difference is almost never the shell brand alone. It is who installs it, how they build the site, and whether they are certified to do the work.

Jeff and Kelley Turner, owners of Staycation Fiberglass Pools, join Justin McKenzie at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show for episode 2 of the San Antonio Home and Garden Series. They break down what homeowners in San Antonio and the surrounding area should ask before signing a pool contract, why industry certification matters, and how a bad install creates structural and safety problems that no pretty brochure photo can fix.

Staycation focuses on fiberglass pool installation and renovation education: durability, long-term value, and the real comparison against concrete. Jeff and Kelley walk through consumer red flags, what “certified” should mean on a job site, and why the cheapest bid is often the most expensive decision a homeowner makes.

If you are planning a backyard pool in San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, or nearby communities, this conversation is the pre-construction checklist most buyers never get.

This is episode 2 of 7 from the San Antonio Home and Garden Show.

📌 Chapters
0:00 – Cold open & intro at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show
0:20 – Meet Jeff and Kelley Turner, Staycation Fiberglass Pools
0:45 – Why consumer education comes before the pool design
1:20 – Certification: what it means on a real install
2:00 – Fiberglass vs concrete: what San Antonio homeowners get wrong
2:50 – Structural failure risks from improper construction
3:30 – Safety hazards buyers do not see in the sales pitch
4:10 – Durability and long-term value of a proper fiberglass shell
4:50 – Renovation vs new install: when each makes sense
5:25 – Questions every homeowner should ask before signing
6:00 – Serving San Antonio and the surrounding area
6:30 – Close and series CTA

🔗 Links
Staycation Fiberglass Pools: https://staycationfiberglasspools.com/
The Building Texas Show: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingTexasShow

#StaycationPools #FiberglassPool #SanAntonio #TexasGrowth #BuildingTexas #HomeAndGardenShow #PoolInstallation

San Antonio's water runs 10 to 32 grains hard—and in Helotes, up to 150.  

Hidden damage in your home 
Hard water damaging appliances. 

Jason Stevenson from Kinetico joins us at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show to break down what that actually does to your home: shortened appliance lifespans, tankless water heater warranties voided at 10 grains hard water, and shower fixtures that wear out twice a year.

We cover the difference between Kinetico's dual-tank system and single-tank competitors, why their units regenerate on just 11 gallons of water versus 62-92 for other systems, and the twenty-plus-year warranties that transfer to new homeowners. Jason also explains how to spot early signs of hard water damage in your own home.

00:00 Growing up with Kinetico in San Antonio
01:27 Why San Antonio's water is so hard
03:30 Fluoride, chlorine, and what they're doing to your pipes
06:20 Two-tank vs. single-tank systems
08:27 Cost and financing options
10:52 How long a Kinetico system really lasts
12:46 Warning signs your appliances are already damaged
14:09 Water conservation: 60% less waste per regeneration
15:50 How to get your water tested

Kinetico of San Antonio installs water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, and tankless water heaters for homes and businesses across the region. Free water testing, military and first responder discounts, and a no-cost removal of your old system if you switch.

#BuildingTexasShow #Kinetico #SanAntonio

In San Antonio, you can go up to 300 square feet without a building permit. Tuff Shed designs stick-built custom sheds, studios, chicken coops, and greenhouses — then builds most of them on site in a single day.

Richard Castellanos from Tuff Shed joins Justin McKenzie at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show for episode 1 of the San Antonio Home and Garden Series. They cover full customization, how Tuff Shed handles permitting across San Antonio municipalities (including Castle Hills and Alamo Heights), stick-built framing (2x4, 16 on center), and why a majority of buyers are ditching paid storage units for 24/7 access on their own property.

Tuff Shed runs 74 factories in the US, started 45 years ago under CEO Tom Saurey, and is employee-owned. Residential is the bulk of the business. Commercial work includes school districts, government entities, and builds on San Antonio Air Force bases. Need something truly movable? Their Woodmaster’s division is built to relocate on an ongoing basis.

Design online at tuffshed.com, or visit local yards: 410 and Bandera, New Braunfels off I-35, and south-side locations outside Loop 410. Simpler projects can go from design to schedule in about a week to ten days — and many builds finish the same day the crew arrives.

This is episode 1 of 7 from the San Antonio Home and Garden Show.

📌 Chapters
0:00 – Cold open & intro at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show
0:19 – What Tuff Shed customizes: studios, garage overflow, full custom
0:45 – Design process and expert guidance before you build
1:15 – San Antonio permitting: 300 sq ft no permit, plus city rules
2:00 – Pre-project questions Tuff Shed answers first
2:25 – Stick-built construction: 2x4 framing, 16 on center
3:00 – 74 US factories, 45 years, employee-owned
3:45 – Residential vs commercial: storage units, schools, military
4:25 – Portable vs permanent: anchoring and Woodmaster’s
5:05 – Chicken coops, greenhouses, and garden sheds
5:30 – How to buy: tuffshed.com and San Antonio-area locations
6:10 – Timeline: design in a week, most builds in one day
6:35 – Close and series CTA

🔗 Links
Tuff Shed: https://www.tuffshed.com
 

#TuffShed #SanAntonio #TexasGrowth #BuildingTexas #HomeAndGardenShow #StorageShed #BackyardShed

ERCOT has over 300,000 megawatts in the queue by 2032. Peak load today is about 85 gigawatts. That is roughly 4x the power the Texas grid already handles.

Nash Whitney of Stella Power Company breaks down behind-the-meter power, the fix large loads are using so data centers and manufacturers stop leaning on the residential grid.

We cover:
→ What behind-the-meter power actually is (and what it is not)
→ Power vs energy: kilowatts, megawatts, and your bill
→ Medina County data centers and why your neighborhood grid is not their plan
→ Texas Senate Bill 6 and Governor Abbott’s large-load rules
→ Hyperscalers (Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google) and who sits below them
→ Winter Storm Uri, ERCOT price signals, and on-site generation as a hedge
→ Diesel vs natural gas vs renewables when Caterpillar is sold out
→ One move every Texas homeowner should make this summer (download the ERCOT app)

Stella develops, designs, owns, and operates behind-the-meter plants. Sister company Mesa builds natural gas generators in San Antonio. Partner: Arroyo Energy Investment Partners (Spring, Texas).

The Building Texas Show — Justin McKenzie
New episode every week.

Chapters:
0:00 The 300,000 MW Problem Facing ERCOT
0:34 Meet Nash Whitney of Stella Power
1:33 What Behind-the-Meter Power Means
3:34 Power vs Energy Explained
6:00 Will Data Centers Crash Your Neighborhood Grid?
6:36 Senate Bill 6 and Abbott’s Data Center Rules
11:18 Who Buys Behind-the-Meter Power in Texas?
12:14 What Is a Hyperscaler?
13:41 Winter Storm Uri and the ERCOT Wake-Up Call
16:58 Diesel vs Natural Gas vs Solar in Texas
20:32 One Tip for Every Texas Homeowner This Summer

#ERCOT #DataCenters #Texas #BehindTheMeter #TexasGrid #BuildingTexas

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingTexasShow

This Texas high school built a quiet pipeline to SpaceX and NASA, and now it's teaching freshmen to pitch for $20,000 in real startup money.

David Pedregon, community champion for the Incubator EDU program at Fredericksburg ISD, joins Justin McKenzie on The Building Texas Show to explain how a Hill Country CTE track produces aerospace careers and student founders at the same time.

About 29 years ago, Fredericksburg High started a project-based engineering track that became its Rocket Program. Students now run design reviews with a NASA engineer. When one part failed to spec, they called a program alumnus: SpaceX employee number 10 and one of its first launch engineers. His brother, still a welder at SpaceX, helped the students get the part welded in Waco. They launched at White Sands Missile Range. Alumni have gone on to SpaceX, NASA, and Blue Origin.

That same "fail forward" habit built the Incubator EDU program. Year one: 22 students, 6 teams, $20,000 on the line at pitch night in front of hundreds of people. Year two: 42 to 45 students. Business pitching is now a UIL-recognized event in Texas, with a state competition at Texas A&M.

David's argument: entrepreneur is not a job title, it's a mindset. Whether a graduate starts a company, chooses trade school, joins a nonprofit, or works inside someone else's business, the transferable skill is iteration under pressure, which matters more in an AI-shaped labor market.

Justin and David also cover the statewide renaissance in career and technical education, the welder shortage, why mentors reverse student imposter syndrome, and how other Texas districts can start their own Incubator program.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Fredericksburg High's SpaceX and NASA pipeline
00:19 Welcome to The Building Texas Show
00:48 How David Pedregon became the Incubator EDU community champion
03:45 The Rocket Program: SpaceX, NASA, and White Sands Missile Range
07:34 Pitch competition night: $20,000 and a student who found his voice
11:19 Program growth: 22 to 45 students and UIL business pitching
15:14 Why entrepreneurship is a mindset, not a job title
18:11 The CTE renaissance and a call for mentors
22:04 Innovating public education in Fredericksburg, Texas

Guest: David Pedregon, Community Champion, Incubator EDU, Fredericksburg ISD
Location: Fredericksburg, Texas, about 90 minutes from Austin and San Antonio

The Building Texas Show covers the founders, mayors, and innovators driving Texas growth: economic development, housing, education, and the business of a growing state. Hosted by Justin McKenzie.

#SpaceX #FredericksburgTX #HighSchoolEntrepreneurship #CTE #BuildingTexas #TexasEducation

San Marcos just bought almost 200 acres to extend its runway for commercial air service. Berry Aviation runs DoD work from the airport. And the economic development director still gets asked: when does this become a spaceport?Helen Ramirez, Economic Development for the City of San Marcos, breaks down why this I-35 college town sits between two mega regions (Austin and San Antonio), what the 2,000-acre Tri-Texas mega site is built for (satellite, semiconductor, advanced manufacturing), and how the city is pairing airport growth with Texas State University talent, Star Park, and real public-private projects downtown.In this episode:
→ Why San Marcos sits dead center on the I-35 corridor
→ Tri-Texas: up to 2,000 acres next to the regional airport
→ ~200 acres for runway extension and commercial air service
→ Berry Aviation, defense work, and 18+ airport tenants
→ “Intelligence, not launch pads”: the real aerospace play
→ Workforce survey: 90%+ of companies stable or growing
→ One city, one region: Kyle, Buda, and the wider corridor
→ Midway Hotel: Texas State land, 130 keys, livable-wage deal
→ Texas Capital Air Show (Nov 7–8) and Buc-ee’s (Aug 12)Guest: Helen Ramirez
City of San Marcos, Economic Development
Host: Justin McKenzie
The Building Texas ShowChapters:
0:00 Could San Marcos Become a Spaceport?
0:15 Why San Marcos, Why Now
1:25 I-35, Amazon, Epic Piping, Downtown Under 5% Vacancy
3:36 Inside the Tri-Texas Mega Site
5:32 Airport Expansion, 200 Acres, Berry Aviation
8:17 Spaceport Question: Intelligence vs Launch Pads
11:03 Aerospace Hiring and the 90% Survey
13:22 One City, One Region
16:06 Students, Nabaco, Star Park, Starburst
17:56 Texas State, Pac-12 Prep, Midway Hotel
22:22 Air Show, Buc-ee’s, and What’s NextWatch next / full catalog: youtube.com/@BuildingTexasShow#SanMarcos #TexasGrowth #BuildingTexas #I35 #TexasAerospace #EconomicDevelopment #TexasState

LiftFund has deployed 525 grants and loans totaling more than $17 million to Texas Hill Country small businesses in the last year alone. Now they've launched the 2026 Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Program — grants of up to $10,000 for small businesses and nonprofits in 16 eligible counties. Amy Hereford, President and CEO of LiftFund, joins Justin McKenzie in San Antonio to explain how a 30-year-old nonprofit fills the gap when traditional banks say no.

Grants up to $10,000 for flood-impacted small businesses and nonprofits
Zero-interest loans — when donors and funders step up to buy down the rate
Free technical assistance and capital readiness tools at LiftFund.com
16 eligible Hill Country counties: Bandera, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, Mason, Medina, Menard, Real, Uvalde

Amy walks through why veterans, creative entrepreneurs, and early-stage founders routinely get turned down by banks — and how LiftFund's combination of affordable capital plus hands-on education gets them to bankability. She also explains how cities, counties, and private donors fund the zero-interest loan programs, and why a Trinity University economist chose LiftFund for his planned giving.

If your small business was hit by the July 2026 Texas Hill Country floods:
→ Apply: https://www.liftfund.com/2026-texas-hill-country-flood-relief-program
→ Call: 888-215-2373
→ Capital readiness quiz (free, 2 a.m. friendly): LiftFund.com
→ Donate to the relief fund: donate.liftfund.com

Chapters:
00:00 — Why Small Businesses Can't Get Bank Loans
01:52 — What "Bankability" Actually Means for a Startup
03:19 — The Education Gap: Managing Money When No One Taught You
05:22 — How Zero-Interest Small Business Loans Actually Work
07:07 — Planned Giving: Leaving a Legacy for Texas Entrepreneurs
09:15 — The 2026 Hill Country Flood Relief Program Explained
12:40 — How to Apply at LiftFund.com

The Building Texas Show — the Texas business podcast covering economic development, the housing market, and the innovators building the future of Texas.
 @LiftFundUS  

#TexasSmallBusiness #FloodRelief #SmallBusinessGrants #LiftFund #TexasHillCountry #BusinessFunding #DisasterRecovery #TexasEconomy