Is This Texas Town Quietly Winning the Manufacturing Race?

How does Lockhart turn manufacturing growth into opportunity for local businesses and workers?

Justin McKenzie visits Lockhart, Texas, to talk with Holly Malish, Director of Economic Development at the Lockhart Economic Development Corporation. They discuss food manufacturing, support for existing employers, downtown tourism, film production, and why regional partnerships matter for local jobs.

Holly describes the growth of Ziegenfelder, RealCold, and Hill Country Foodworks, the role of business retention and expansion, and how communities share workforce opportunities. The conversation also covers CTE, career exposure for students, and manufacturing career pathways.

Chapters

00:00 Land, regional partners, and local taxpayers

00:15 Meet Holly Malish in Lockhart

01:39 Food manufacturing and local expansion

02:54 Supporting existing businesses

03:40 Holly's path into economic development

06:24 Building tourism and downtown activity

07:52 Film production and local businesses

11:07 Regional partnerships and shared workforce

12:45 Industrial land and site referrals

13:11 CTE and career exposure

15:08 Manufacturing career pathways

16:07 Closing thoughts

Guest and resources

Lockhart Economic Development Corporation: https://lockhartedc.com/

Meet Holly Malish and the EDC team: https://lockhartedc.com/about-the-edc/meet-the-staff-board

Workforce training and educational opportunities: https://lockhartedc.com/advantages/workforce-training-educational-opportunities

Related episodes of the show

Luling EDC with Ari Arias, episode 197: https://youtu.be/6zJ2Ni5xato

Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky, episode 196: https://youtu.be/6vVjumItU0Y

Houston chamber leadership with Reggie Gray, episode 193: https://youtu.be/KWFBJEJ-6Lc

Is This Texas Town Quietly Winning the Manufacturing Race?

Show Notes

Your cart