Breaking Ground SA

Paul Basaldua won a regional Golden Gloves title, landed a Chamber of Commerce internship because of a newspaper clipping, and never stopped saying yes to the work. The founder of VersaTerra Development traces his path from survey and pipe-laying crews to launching his own company in December 2019, just months before COVID hit.Paul also shares how a last-minute decision to attend a small fundraiser led to Condalia, a master planned community on San Antonio's southeast side, and breaks down what it takes to finance and entitle a project of that size. As chair of the Metro SA Chamber, he gives an inside look at the effort to merge with the Greater San Antonio Chamber, and he explains why RECSA involvement pays off for developers and the broader industry.Episode Chapters(00:44) - Welcome and Guest Introduction(02:12) - Growing Up in San Antonio(09:09) - College, Boxing, and a Chamber Internship(18:10) - From Construction to Development(23:17) - Taking the Leap and Starting VersaTerra(28:12) - Condalia: Building a Master Planned Community(48:39) - Why RECSA Involvement Matters(52:46) - Inside the Chamber Merger(01:07:31) - Rapid FireLinks and ResourcesVersaTerra Development: https://vtdevco.comCondalia - https://livecondalia.com/Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce: https://www.sachamber.orgPodcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

Richard Perez says every job he's held was the best one he ever had, and after this conversation it's easy to see why. The president of the San Antonio Medical Foundation traces his path from a family landscaping business on the South Side to Laredo, Washington, DC, the San Antonio City Council, and 15 years leading the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.Along the way he shares the secret weapon that opened doors on the campaign trail, what it was like to serve on council for $20 a meeting, and the field video that helped change San Antonio's tree preservation ordinance. He also breaks down the South Texas Medical Center's economic impact, why civic involvement matters for business leaders, and his thoughts on the Sports and Entertainment District and infrastructure investment.Episode Chapters(00:51) - Welcome and Guest Introduction(03:33) - Growing Up in a Landscaping Family(08:00) - From Urban Planner to Laredo and Washington, DC(20:28) - Running for San Antonio City Council(32:25) - The Tree Ordinance Story(38:27) - Leading the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce(48:12) - Leading the San Antonio Medical Foundation(01:02:14) - Civic Involvement, the Arena, and Infrastructure(01:16:21) - Rapid FireLinks and ResourcesSan Antonio Medical Foundation: https://www.samedfoundation.orgReal Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce: https://www.sachamber.orgSan Antonio Water System: https://www.saws.orgSan Antonio Missions World Heritage Site: https://www.nps.gov/saanPodcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

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 FireLinks and Resourcesgreater:SATX: https://greatersatx.comReal 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 QuestionsLinks and ResourcesKCI Technologies: https://www.kci.comReal Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.comPodcast 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.Episode Chapters(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 QuestionsLinks and ResourcesBrooks: https://livebrooks.com/Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://recsanantonio.com/Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media