Ali Khataw's 35-Year Engineering Firm and Community Leadership Spotlighted in Rock Solid Podcast

Ali Khataw, CEO of Incoteq Engineering and a Round Rock Chamber board member, is the featured guest on episode 96 of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, released October 20, 2026. In a conversation with host Bryan Eisenberg, Khataw details his path from arriving alone in the United States from Pakistan to building a 45-person engineering firm that has operated for 35 years, offering insights into business strategy, community trusteeship, and humanitarian storytelling that are directly relevant to Texas businesses and their leaders.

The episode, titled "Ali Khataw | From Immigrant Entrepreneur to Community Leader," traces Khataw's journey from enrolling at the University of Arkansas to launching Encotech in 1990. Under his leadership, the firm has grown into a mechanical, electrical and structural engineering practice contributing to prominent Central Texas projects such as the Austin Central Library, the Butterfly Bridge, and the Zachary Scott Theater. That track record underscores the role that immigrant-led enterprises play in the region's built environment and economic vitality.

Khataw shares specific leadership lessons that other business owners can apply. He recounts advice from former Goodwill Industries CEO Jerry Davis, who challenged him to take a 10 to 15 percent pay cut, stop designing, and focus on business development—a pivot that unlocked Incoteq's growth. He also describes a firm-wide points competition proposed by principal Patrick Morrissey that rewarded volunteer hours rather than board seats or donations, an initiative that earned Incoteq a small business win from Austin Gives. These examples illustrate how aligning incentives with community service can strengthen both corporate culture and local impact.

The conversation extends beyond business. Khataw discusses his photojournalism in Oaxaca, Mexico, Pakistan, Cuba, Tanzania and Kenya, including an LFI magazine feature on transgender communities in Pakistan and a Tono magazine piece titled "Hands That See" about a blind Oaxacan sculptor. He also previews an upcoming workshop trip to Tanzania and Kenya with Fair Trade Safaris CEO Saurabh Katipal, where proceeds will support a wildlife conservation group working with elephants and education funding for a young woman in Tanzania. For Texas listeners, these stories highlight how business leaders can leverage their platforms for global humanitarian impact.

Khataw's reflections on integrity, a value he says his father taught him, resonate with the podcast's focus on the people and organizations shaping the Central Texas economy. "If money is lost, nothing is lost because you can always make it up. If health is lost, something is lost. But if integrity is lost, everything is lost," he tells Eisenberg. The episode offers actionable takeaways for entrepreneurs and community leaders across Texas, from scaling a firm with purpose to using success as a platform for service.