The Aerospace & Defense Companies Picking Buda Over Austin

Everyone says aerospace and defense is coming to Austin. It's actually coming to Buda.

In this episode of The Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie sits down with Jennifer Storm (CEO, Buda Economic Development Corporation) and Monica Davidson (CEO, Greater Buda Chamber of Commerce & Buda City Council) to unpack how this small city just south of Austin became a magnet for aerospace and defense companies — in just seven months.

We cover:
Why aerospace/defense firms are picking Buda over Austin, Round Rock, and Pflugerville
Inside the Hive incubator: 60 entrepreneurs through 4 cohorts in one year
Jennifer's national IEDC award, accepted at the Library of Congress
How Monica doubled Chamber membership in two years
The new retail incubator coming to Buda's restored 1884 train depot
Workforce development: the Hays CISD teacher externship program
The origin story of Buda's Wiener Dog Races — and its trademarked title as the Wiener Dog Capital of Texas

Buda, Texas is proving that economic development, entrepreneurship, and community collaboration can build a city's future — one incentive, one incubator graduate, and one wiener dog race at a time.

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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:16 Meet Jennifer Storm & Monica Davidson
1:47 The Hive Incubator & Entrepreneurship in Buda
3:25 Aerospace & Defense Coming to Buda, Not Austin
6:06 Jennifer's National IEDC Award
7:30 Doubling the Chamber's Membership
9:27 What Does a Chamber of Commerce Actually Do?
15:12 The 1884 Train Depot Retail Incubator
19:29 Doubling Chamber Membership: Small Business to Enterprise
24:00 Workforce Development & Teacher Externships
28:04 The Wiener Dog Capital of Texas

#BudaTexas #TexasEconomicDevelopment #AustinTexas