Breaking Ground SA

Hope Andrade has been a bus girl, a tortilla factory worker, an IBM word processor, a healthcare entrepreneur, a TxDOT commissioner, and Texas' first Latina and longest-serving Secretary of State. Now she's leading the Alamo Trust as President and CEO, overseeing the $700 million restoration set to open in 2028. In this episode, Hope talks about growing up in San Antonio, learning she was adopted...

Port San Antonio generates $20 billion in annual economic output and has added 9,000 jobs in six years without a single public incentive. In this episode, Jim Perschbach, President and CEO of Port San Antonio, breaks down how a former military air installation became one of the most consequential innovation campuses in the country and what it means for San Antonio's future. Jim covers everything f...

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Trey Dawson, President of Pape-Dawson Engineers, one of San Antonio's most established and respected civil engineering firms. Trey is a third-generation leader of a company his grandfather co-founded in 1965 with $6,000, a six-month runway, and a Sunday school connection that barely kept the doors open. What starte...

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Gordon Hartman, San Antonio businessman, developer, and founder of the Morgan's Wonderland family of nonprofits. Gordon built a homebuilding empire from scratch at 19 with no college degree, sold it at 41, and redirected everything toward his daughter Morgan and the millions of individuals with special needs who la...

Ed Cross has spent 40 years shaping San Antonio — and most of it quietly. A CPA turned real estate developer, he pioneered Edwards Aquifer water rights investment before most people knew there was a market, helped bring the Vista Ridge pipeline to life, and spent seven years making the same phone call every 90 days until someone finally said yes. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Re...

San Antonio is two degrees of separation. If you don't know someone, you know someone who does. And for Omar Gonzalez, that's exactly how he built a career at the center of the city's most transformative development. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Omar Gonzalez, Director of Development for Oxbow, to trace his unlikely path from the streets of We...

Growth is necessary for a city to thrive, but it often comes with resistance. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA , Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Thad Rutherford, President and CEO of Southstar, to explore the real challenges behind development, community trust, and long-term city building. With over two decades of experience and a portfolio spanning thousands of homes and major m...

How does a single deal reshape an entire city? In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with legendary San Antonio developer Marty Wender to unpack the stories, decisions, and mindset behind some of the most impactful developments in the city’s history. From helping bring SeaWorld to San Antonio to developing the west side and influencing major infrastructure...

San Antonio’s growth doesn’t happen by accident. It takes vision, investment, and leaders willing to transform underused spaces into thriving places. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with David Adelman, founder and principal of Area Real Estate, to discuss his journey from buying his first rental property while still in high school to becoming one of t...

What does it take to lead one of Texas’ fastest-growing counties? In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, we sit down with Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, economic growth, public-private partnerships, and the future of San Antonio. Judge Sakai shares the powerful story of his grandparents’ immigration from Japan, his father’s experience in World War II...

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, we sit down with former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, collaboration, and what it takes to guide a city through growth and transformation. Hosted by Stephanie Reyes, President and CEO of RECSA, alongside policy expert Rob Killen, this episode explores Ron’s journey into public service, his approach to building c...

In this episode, we sit down with Randy Smith, co-founder and CEO of Weston Urban, to explore his unexpected journey from attorney to developer and his vision for San Antonio's future. Randy shares how a breakfast at IHOP led him to Rackspace and eventually to transforming downtown San Antonio with projects like Frost Tower, the Milam Building, and the upcoming downtown baseball stadium. We discus...