The BG Podcast

On today’s episode we speak with Emily Chenevert, CEO at Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). Named CEO of the 13,000 member association in April 2018, she most recently served as ABoR's Chief Operating Officer, and has nearly 15 years of experience directly advocating for REALTORS® and their business at all levels of government. She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss the current state of Aus...

On today’s episode we speak with Representative Sheryl Cole (D-Austin). Elected in November 2018, she is one of several incoming freshman members representing Central Texas. While new to the Texas Legislature, Representative Cole is a veteran politician, having served on the Austin City Council from 2006 to 2015. She served as Council Mayor Pro Tem of Austin from 2011 to 2015. She was the city’s f...

Today's podcast was originally recorded on January 8, 2019, the first day of the 86th Texas Legislative Session. The show features a discussion with returning guest James Hines, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & In-House Counsel, Texas Association of Business (TAB). James and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham talked TAB’s legislative priorities around economic development and public educa...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan (D6). Sworn in on January 6, 2017 to a four year term, Council Member Flannigan represents Austin's Council District 6, encompassing Northwest Austin, including both Travis and Williamson Counties. The Council Member and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss the impact new faces on the Council dais will mea...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Rodney Gonzales, then Director of Austin’s Development Services Department (DSD). The department was created in 2015 to handle residential and commercial permitting issues separately from zoning issues. Rodney discusses his background and path to DSD, and current department initiatives with Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham. Recorded on December 18, 201...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Joseph C. Parker, Jr., Esq., D. Min., the Senior Pastor of David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in East Austin. A respected community leader, he has been described as “called by God, shaped by experience, a man of action, and a Renaissance man.” A respected voice and bridge builder on many key Austin issues, including civil rights and gentrificatio...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Truong, MD. She is the co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer at Cloud 9, a telehealth platform for mental healthcare. Dr. Troung and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss the City of Austin’s September 2018 police department audit, which found the city had one of the highest rates of fatal police shootings of people suffering from mental...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with with return guest, Chas Moore, President and Founder, Austin Justice Coalition (AJC). He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss the Austin Council’s November approval of a labor contract for the Austin Police Department. Negotiations over the contract took nearly a year, involving not only the city and Austin Police Association, but community sta...

(RUN TIME - 32:04) Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Bob Digneo, Assistant Vice President - External and Regulatory Affairs, AT&T, on the 5G wireless standard and its potential impact on cities and consumers. What is 5G? 5G, which stands for "fifth generation," is an upcoming standard for mobile telecommunications service that promises to be significantly faster than today's 4G techn...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with returning guest David A. Colligan, Acting Assistant Director Economic Development Department, City of Austin. A follow-up to Episode 12, David and Bingham Group CEO discuss the Austin City Council’s passage of a framework for a restructuring the city’s economic incentives programs (on August 30, 2018) with the goal of increasing small business growth...

Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discusses the sharing economy, local control, and state preemption with Rob Henneke, General Counsel and Director of the Center for the American Future at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation John Lawler, a volunteer with Keep Austin Affordable, a coalition of local nonprofits and community leaders who believe addressing the housing crisis is a high priority for the City and requires investment in programs that help people stay in their homes or find affordable housing options all over the City. The City of Austin has called a bond election fo...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with Jerry Davis, President and CEO, Goodwill Central Texas. Jerry and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss his unconventional path to the C-Suite, community and professional leadership. Goodwill Central Texas has nearly 1,600 employees, making it the 17th largest business in Central Texas. The non-profit serves over 14,000 unique clients every year, wh...

Today's BG Podcast features a conversation with State Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio) on the upcoming Texas legislative session, in particular brewing battles around local control, one being municipal paid sick leave ordinances. This discussion was recorded on September 24, 2018. ABOUT THE GUEST: Rep. Diego Bernal was born in South Texas and raised in San Antonio. After graduating from Jefferson...

Today's BG Podcast features conversation with Savannah L. Barker, Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator at Austin-based Capital Factory. Joining in August 2018, her first major project was the Second Annual Women in Tech Summit (held on October 1). Among other topics she and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss her role, as well as the need for intentional recruitment and outreach (to persons of col...

Today's BG Podcast features returning guest Jason JonMichael, Assistant Director, Smart Mobility, Austin Transportation Department (ATD). He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discuss the proliferation of scooter share in Austin since the summer. This discussion was recorded on October 8, 2018. ABOUT THE GUEST Mr. JonMichael is a transportation technology expert with specialized experience in conn...

Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and BG Advisor Andy Cates discuss dark money, funds given to nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) groups, that can receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals and unions. The issue of dark money is a current topic of interest at Austin’s City Hall, related to the November 6th bond election. In particular, Proposition K. The measur...

Today's BG Podcast features a discussion with JD Weinstein, Head of Startup Ecosystem (Austin) at Oracle. About JD: JD Weinstein was most recently a Principal at WPP Ventures and previously a Venture Associate at Capital Factory. He brings a deep understanding of the Austin startup ecosystem and scaling startups through enterprise relationships. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austi...

Today's BG Podcast features a discussion with Patrick Howard Executive Director and CEO, Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC), an independent, government funded agency charged with the responsibility to provide access to safe, decent, low-income housing to help meet the housing needs of the residents of Travis County, Texas. Mr. Howard provides overall leadership for the administration and ma...

“I believe in pivoting with disruption…” Today's BG Podcast features a discussion with Jason JonMichael, Assistant Director, Smart Mobility, Austin Transportation Department (ATD). Mr. JonMichael is a transportation technology expert with specialized experience in connected, automated, and electric vehicle research, deployment and program development. Before joining ATD in February 2018, he worked...

Today's podcast was originally recorded on August 27, 2018 and features a discussion Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, Ed. D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Huston-Tillotson University, a private historically black university located in Austin’s East Side. The East Side is one of the most active areas for commercial and residential development in Austin. Our conversation covers Dr. Burnette’...

Today's podcast was originally recorded on July 25, 2018 and features a discussion David A. Colligan, Acting Assistant Director Economic Development Department, City of Austin. David and Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham discussed the nature and misconceptions about Chapter 380 Agreements, part of the Local Government Code authorizing municipalities to offer incentives designed to promote economic de...

Today's podcast was originally recorded on July 2, 2018 and features a discussion with James Hines, Senior Vice-President of Advocacy & In-House for the Texas Association of Business (TAB). TAB is Texas's largest business association, representing over 2, 800 businesses, from major corporations to small start-ups. Combined those businesses employ over 2.5 million Texans and drive the economic engi...

Today's podcast was originally recorded on June 18, 2018 and features a discussion. Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and returning guest Rob Henneke, General Counsel and Director of the Center for the American Future at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). On February 15th 2018 the Austin City Council approved a new rule requiring businesses in the city to provide paid sick leave for employees...

Today's BG Podcast features a discussion between Luis A. Rodriguez, President & CEO, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Bingham Group CEO AJ Bingham.  Luis is a Texas native of the city of San Antonio.  Throughout his academic and professional career Luis has been strongly committed to business development, strategic relationship building and economic development by working with organ...